Planara are heavy subpuppets spawned by Reconcilants when near a Gangrenous Archon, and act as divisible aerial flankers. A group of Planara is called a mass or a culture.

Pustules - Planara

Planara are heavily modified Pustules, though their height is surprisingly similar to their original variations, standing at just 3' 1" (94cm) with overall slightly leaner builds. Externally, Planara do not bare much of their gangrenous material, save for some discoloration in the edges of their fins. Much of the change is internal, as Planara (unlike a vast majority of puppets) lack any kind of internal centralization. Their insides are a striated mass of different tissues, with almost all bodily processes being decentralized. Even their digestive systems bifurcate at the throat. This is to facilitate the Planara's most signature ability, which compliments their acidified fins.

Planara have a relatively simple battle plan; use their fins and limited flight to flank enemies and sting them with acidic flesh, softening them up for other fliers or taking out small targets all on their own. The gangrene suits them well in this regard, giving them extra durability and allowing them to receive active support from Demulcents after timely retreats.

Of course, a Planaran has one special trick up its sleeves. To make it easier to fly alongside Imps and Arrays, Planara can split their bodies in two, separating into two equal, but lesser Planara. They can only do this once (so that there are two Planara), but it greatly enhances the individual Planara's speed and agility, while also allowing a "single" Planaran to engage multiple targets. While a Planaran seemingly has full control over when it divides, merging back together is decidedly a more technical process, requiring the assistance of a Demulcent to complete properly.

In the unlikely event that only one half of a Planaran survives an encounter, the other half will enter a state of ravenous hunger as it attempts to rebuild its lost body mass. The surviving half, after eating roughly its own body weight in nourishment (or absorbing such from the larger gestalt) will be sealed into a new pupa by a Demulcent, allowing the Planaran to "refresh" its body and recover its ability to split.

Planara exhibit a very strange diversity of behaviours, ranging from frenetic grazing periods to high-intensity periods of play and exercise. Being split doesn't alter these behaviours particularly greatly: The Planaran just attempts to do both at once via its separated halves. However, Planara prefer to be whole during peacetime, and will generally seek out a Demulcent to put them back together if their fised forms aren't necessary. It is believed this is not for the comfort of the Planaran itself, but the Reconcilant that has spawned it, as the clustered bodily tissues seem to post some difficulty when managed psionically.

Despite their substantial internal differences from all other puppet types, Planara share the relatively simple makeup that Pustules have. This is owed to an even greater quantity of unspecialized stem cells in Planaran bodies, which are assumed to help facilitate the splitting of the body in two. While Planara prefer to be whole, splitting and merging repeatedly appears to cause them no major discomfort.

Planara are such weird little things. They're inspired by worm species that are capable of regrowing into two separate individuals when a single worm is bisected, which is also where they get their names from (Planarians). They were a fun way to reconcile (heh) the two types of regular subpuppets Reconcilants have, that being "swarmers" and "heavy supports". It makes for an entertaining exploration of that system.