Tarishalyu (Ta-rish-shall-you)

Last thing you want to see at the height of the season is a stampede of those damned lanky legged bugs coming through here. They'll leave nothing but a few stalked and chewed up caps. Not much point trying to stop them either, they'll gore you for the trouble.

— Seasoned mushroom plantation hand.

Majestic and otherworldly, coined the monarchs of the depths by some, the Tarishalyu are found throughout the deeper mycelium forests of the underworld. They are a hive organism with a strict hierarchy, congregating in hives and a crucial part of the underworld bizarre ecosystem. While these quadrupedal insectoids are striking in appearance and beautiful to behold, they can be rather intimidating to encounter. However, should one pose no initial threat toward a Tarishalyu they will mostly ignore your presence.

Hierarchy

Like all Eusociality species, the Tarishalyu exhibit a division of labour that dictate their actions dependant on their caste and it's role within the colony, only capable of perform the specific behaviours they were biologically reared to carry out. These castes loosely consists of Breeders, Minors and the Majors. The Breeders, specifically the Queens, are at the top of this hierarchy, as is expected, however they become bloated during the stationary cycles and unable to move, so are tended by Minors and defended by the Majors.
The species can be broken down into three categories;

Drones

by cassivel

Comprised of sterile males and females, the drones make up the workers and labour force that form the backbone of the roving hives. Taking on the roles of scouts, foragers and primary brood carers to the larvae and egg clutches. A drone will protect and care for the eggs until they hatch, applying an Anti-biotic saliva too them to prevent them from being overcome by Fungi and other diseases.

---

Majors

by Pulvares

These sterile female Tarishalyu are known commonly as Majors, they are much larger and stronger than the typical workers and drones of the colony. Their primary role is to protect their colony from large predators and use their strength to overcome obstacles that maybe obstructing the colonies path during their nomadic phase.

---

Breeders

by cassivel

The breeders can be considered the beating heart of the colony, for without them, there would be no Tarishalyu. The primary Breeder is the Queen whom produces the eggs, designating what sets the children will hatch into when laying clutches. Other breeders come in the form of fertile males and females specifically bred near the end of a stationary cycle, who will typically leave the colony when mature to begin their own. Fertile males from other colonies will join the colony during a nomadic phase, seeking the mate with the Queen when the colony enters its stationary cycle once more. These males typically die shortly after.

by SerenityOnyx

Physiology

A Tarishalyu is a quadrupedal insectoid that non-natives to the depths may be forgiven for mistaken as a deer or a horse. It's Their bodies is an exoskeleton, covering all their body in a highly durable carapace and chitin limbs all except their wings being on of their most notable features. Their wings are not used necessarily for flying but instead as a vocalisation tool, and means as communication between Tarishalyu, creating a chittering noise as seen in many arboreal insects. The majors of the colonies have frequently been known to also use their wings as part of a threat displays, when warding off potential aggressors.
[In progress]

Habitat

The natural habitat of the Tarishalyu varies highly due to the nomadic structure of the hive, dwelling throughout multiple stratums of the Sunless Realms dependent upon the season and hive cycle that affects it's movement. Seen travelling through the myriad of caverns and cave systems of the sunless realms, they have even been known to have been sighted at the edges of the sea of mists and as high as the fells. It is believed that during the latter-half of the year as the surface descends into winter and the ground begins to freeze, the underworld undergoes its own bitter cold snap. It is during this time, the Tarishalyu begin their decent, migrating into the deeper recesses of the sunless realms where it is warmer and food easier to find.
Due to the abundance of food, one can often find these magnificent beasts roaming throughout the mycelium forests of the depths, and the arable regions of the midstratum where numerous mushroom farms and agriculture of many of the underworlds societies can be found. More notably, is their presence in the more hostile forest, deemed too inhospitable for most life. The dense spore fungal spores and abominable creatures of the deeper forests of the depths, most infamous the Sea of Spores, unlike the vast majority of other sentient life, the Tarishalyu seem to have a naturally defence, mostly unaffected by the spores and the debilitating blight of the spore sea.

by Serenityonyx

by SerenityOnyx

Genetic Descendants

• Fells Tarishalyu

Geographic Distribution

• The Caverns of Amaranth
• The Fells
• The Sea of Spores.

Diet
Fungus and flora, roots, small insectoids.

Natural Predators
Vzhare
Zh'irajihn
Skrixx'shaa

Behaviour

Unlike many other hive organisms, the Tarishalyu are a roving species exhibit nomadic and stationary cycles. Moving throughout the breadth of the underworld, the hives direction is beckoned by the Queen that drives it. Dictated by the Queens need to feed or lay new clutches of eggs. Thus begins the stationary phase, which ensures the growth of new larvae pupating from eggs into Tarishalyu whilst establish a temporary colony with workers gathering food and sustenance for the Queen and the young. Once the new brood has full developed, and the Queen is no longer burdened by her swollen body from egg production, the hive uproots itself becoming nomadic once more, Drone will scout on ahead foraging for new sources of food and gathering them to feed the hive as it moves. These cycle can take a Tarishalyu hive throughout numerous regions of the underworld. Never staying stationary for too long as not to attract predators or the attention of rival Tarishalyu hives.
Brood Raiding can be quite common between Tarishalyu hives, especially when two stationary hives are within close proximity to one another. Majors will be dispatched to attack a rival Queen, and destroy her new brood before they can develop and pose a threat. The theory behind this highly aggressive action is to reduce competition for food sources and safeguard their own young by forcing the rival hive into the nomadic cycle and leave the area. It is for this reason that important during the stationary cycle to maintain a substantial number of Majors to ensure the survival of the colony.