The Chitin
Uyanqiz; The Awakened
Honor, family, strength and loyalty - the calling card of your average Chitin. They are flexible in their approach to life, as almost all of them grew up as plains nomads living in massive mud hives - and one day are forced to leave them. As the most common and prevalent species in the world, they are found in nearly every society and group in one form or another - sometimes as valuable mercenaries, and others as simple librarians and merchants. The Chitin as a whole are known to be easy to get along with, as loyal a friend you could ever had, and as enemies - quick anger and absolute retribution. They come in two forms, and for the more rural and secluded types - their insectoid-like features and maw can seem quite alien.
For reference and ideas, the Chitin culture is heavily influenced by nomadic culture in general, pulling heavily from the ancient Turk, Arabic, Mongol, Hungarian as well as other Middle Eastern and North Asian cultures, and mirror many of their traditions, accents and history. Depending on which version of Chitin you choose, play as a naturally strong frontliner and intimidator, or as a sly and intelligent organizer and magic user - in either case, play as a Chitin if you like the aspect of loyalty and honor, mixed with an easy-to-get-along with demeanor and furious agitator, both a best kind of friend and worst kind of enemy.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Though the Chitin species takes two specific forms, there are several attributes that are shared between them. By and far, besides their insectoid-like features, one of the most notable things about the Chitin is that they grow to almost 4 ft perfectly, and never any bigger - unless they go through the metamorphosis. They have three-fingered hands and toes, but this does not interfere with their ability to manipulate and use objects or walk, as well as having a jointed mandible/mouth that when folded back operates like the mouth of any other species, and lack noticeable ears. Another feature is the large, glossy compound eyes that appear as all black, with reflexive, transparent eyelids. They also all share the same life expectancy of between 100-120 years, and this is not changed by their metamorphosis into kings/queens. Also, as a note - they are completely unable to crossbreed with any other species. This does not mean they can’t take mates or find “fun” with other species - it is just they are completely incompatible, and only through finding their “heatsong” mate and commence the process of becoming a king/queen pair - they do not have any functioning ability to produce children.
This is where their similarities end, though. The Thoraxian, or Gogudar in their native speech, is a specialized protector, laborer and hunter, and is physically built for this role in the Hive. They are heavy for their size, weighing up to 150lbs, this primarily being muscle mass, making them the strongest race (variant). Their skin is rough and leathery, with short stubbly hair near the joins and carapace. They grow disjointed and spotty carapace plates all over their body, acting as a natural armor. Scars and traumatic damage can also cause carapace to grow in interesting places. The most iconic and identifying of these is the headplate that grows around their skull in two pieces, resembling that of a helmet. They often paint or decorate their heads as signs of individuality and because they can't grow hair. The difference between male and female Gogudar is difficult for non-Chitin to tell.
The Beymuhk (Cerebrian) is essentially the polar opposite. Their role in the hive is to be the planners, diplomats, accountants, doctors, magicians, entertainers and merchants. They are considerably weaker and softer than their counterparts, lacking a carapace entirely and normally weighing between 70 - 80lbs. They have a natural magical talent and an ability to just understand the things they take the time to look at. They are covered in a soft, flowing fur, similar to that of a moth, and have colors in similar tones. The typically grow longer fur around their jointed areas and have a mane of long hair that goes down to the midpoint of their chest. Their bodies are proportioned far more like the other humanoid species in the world.
Biological Traits
Being a specialized species, most members do not have much variation in their physical attributes, the exception being whether or not their role is Gogudar, Beymuhk or the King/Queen pair. All members live the same lifespans on average.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Humanoid for all intents and purposes. Generally live in a nomadic setting, tending herds, hunting and foraging. They are involved in many trade routes and have access to most food types when willing to trade for them.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Gogudar are notoriously similar looking, to the point that they can even make mistakes between each other, male and female. The natural differences are often in the subtle shape and texture differences in the carapace plates they grow on their head and the short stubby hair they grow around it. They often use ritual scarification, tattoos and body paint to create a more individual look between each other.
Beymuhk do not have this problem, as they have unique manes of hair that grows around their head and upper chest area, and their fur color and patterns are often unique to each one. They also share more of the human characteristics and differences in their facial structure, the exception being that they normally have high cheekbones and short, soft hair that grows around most of their face.
The King/Queen pair often show both traits, though are much more insect like in appearance, with an elongated skull, four eyes and a more pronounced maw/jaw.
All lack noticeable ears, having concave impressions where ears are in the other humanoid species, and have no nose or nose structure, instead having thin slits there instead. They all have the unique folding maw that appears and works like the mouth of most other humanoids, up until they fully open it to reveal the mandibles they have for chewing and eating, or yelling and biting.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Global, though traditional Hives and nomad groups stay primarily in the steppes. Most of the reason of their global presence is due to how they scatter after hive "death" and the large number of offspring in each hive, along with their cultural norms. King/Queen pairs are not often found outside of the hive structure, the only real exception being in the 7 Standing Cities.
Average Intelligence
All Chitin have an intelligence scale similar to humans. Gogudar have issues with memory and willpower due to their specialization, but it is a thing they can overcome with time and practice.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Have a higher sense of perception while concentrating due to their unique morphology.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Similar to the naming traditions of the Turkish, Arabic, Mongol and Hungarian people of our world. Often pieced together and modified to create a unique sounding name, though their names do not normally go beyond 3 syllables, and their last name is the name of their Hive or City they originally spawned from.
Major Organizations
The 7 Standing Cities - a series of border cities that separate the free steppes from the Empire controlled desert, all aligning the longest single river in the world.
The chitin do not typically form major organizations from a traditional standpoint, but there are many religious organizations, merchant fleets and mercenary companies that prominently feature them orare owned by them. They typically stay within large family groups, along with close friends and trusted allies, considering them as all part of their "family".
Chitin from the cities are different culturally, but inherently are raised with the same family structure ideology.
Beauty Ideals
Since Chitin do not typically find mates outside of hearing their "heartsong", beauty standards are more for impressing strangers and determining their individuality. They do sometimes find comfort and mates not related to this, but it is heavily dependant on their relationship with them, and that person's strong sense of ideals. Also, these relationships will not bear children. They like bright colors with hard contrasts, detailed and complicated patterns. Beymuhk will often let their hair flow freely, and wear minimal jewelry and headwear. Gogudar often participate in scarification and body paints, sometimes also tattoos. They do not overuse or overflow with these body modifications, as they will only do so much as to make them easily identifiable rather than to make them dramatically different ,and it is considered distasteful to go overboard with these modifications.
Gender Ideals
While there are males and females of both variants, the Chitin do not pay much attention to gender outside of very specific situations. They are born with body specializations that determine their capabilities, and their sexes do not serve much purpose outside of rearing the young or dealing with other hives or people. They do have their own urges and desires, but in general it is not considered anything worth focusing on.
Average Technological Level
While capable of much higher forms of technology, and have adapted many stole technologies from the Hornkin Empire, they primarily follow the tradition of nomadic culture and simple, free living. Those who have wondered the world are less stringent on this idea, and will follow many other pursuits. The Chitin of the cities are quite up to the same technological level as the Hornkin, heavily relying on magic and machines and often trade ideas with those hornkin that are not too proud to speak with them.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Due to the close cultural and ancestral ties between all of the Hives, and Chitin globally, they share the same language and history without much or any deviation.
Common Dress Code
Often dress in nomadic-style clothing, even after they migrate to other societies. They will often mix local dress with their own. Bright colors and complicated patterns are popular among them, and are a tradition for them to make. They wear a minimal amount of jewelry, unless they act as a person of interest, such as an elected official or organizational leader, or if they are merchant traders. They all have a compulsory addition of a large knife known as a yatagan, for both use and defense, that is tucked inside of a wrap-around sash worn outside of the clothing.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The best place to start when talking about the culture of the Chitin people to the begin at the establishment of a Hive, or Kovakhal. It begins when any two of the Chitin species meet and hear what they call, the “Heartsong”. These two are different sexes, and are normally from seperate Hives. Very rarely, two from the same hive may hear the heartsong - but this is considered extreme taboo, though unavoidable. Once they hear the heartsong, the ones affected will gain the “Royal Hue”, turning deep shades of red and orange. Soon after this, they will gather their most trusted friends and sibling that they can convince to leave with them - these individuals will be responsible for essentially starting the hive, teaching the traditions, history and necessary nomadic knowledge to the first batch of newborns, as well as protect the pair during their metamorphosis process and assist in caring of the first newborns. As stated, the pair will enter the metamorphosis, and become like the most rare form of the Chitin, the King and Queen. They will grow in size immensely - roughly 4 times larger, and gain the aspects of both strains. The queen will birth the first few hundred eggs after they leave the cocoon, and the process of the hive begins. The queen will only lay and raise roughly 2000-3000 eggs in their time as a queen, each being brother and sister. After this, they will go through some minor grow pains, gaining access to a herd of Hawal’t, some Kari’Kari and a few herds of traditional livestock. Once the hive gets going, the traditions and natural family ties will keep a hive together up until the pair dies, which acts as one of the most extreme affairs in the life of a Chitin. Upon the death of their parents, their lives are still open to the world. That mud hive becomes the last they build, where the oldest of the honor guard will protect their burial mound, and the surviving members of the hive are expected to go out into the world and experience the freedom granted by Tengrit, explore and learn about life, and in the hope that at least a few of them might find their heartsong. They will then disperse into the world, forming small roving nomad bands, or quite often joining religious orders and immigrating into foreign lands. Some still will leave to join the 7 Standing Cities, which are culturally quite different from the Hives. They come from an era where the Hornkin Empire to the south attempted to genocide the Chitin species and take their lands. This was responded to with a Hive March, a rare but deadly occasion where the entirety of the species will band together to defeat a foe. Beaten back and forced to sign a peace treaty, the Chitin claimed all the cities and territory along the river border. This is the place of the 7 Standing Cities. These cities lack the patriarchy that exists in teh hives, and often have 100’s of hives living in the same space. They are run by a council that anyone can join, and Kings and Queens are expected to serve the city. These places are still as honor and family bound as the hives are, but are far more prone to internal conflict and violence, and the pairs are often separated and use for very different tasks after metamorphosis, often both for breeding and defence. Many dead hives come to inhabit these cities as well, and form coalitions and households to empower themselves and control the city.
History
In the grass and rock sea that sits between the Riekadod Riverlands and the great desert Ispret’Garem is the ancestral home of the nomadic Chitin people - Csimalb steppes. In their myth and legend, a Gogudar (Thoraxian) named Tengrit rose from the great flat stone known as Hive Rock and freed his people from the darkness they were born in. He was the first to look into the sky instead of barren rock and soil, he saw a falcon, a Semozguluk, and at once understood freedom. Hoping his kind would know such a thing, he raised his golden bow to reflect the light of Tehtethia, and with a light so bright - his brothers and sisters rose from the rock as well. From this, one was a stranger - a female Beymuhk (Cerebrian) known as Selzeh, for whom which Tengrit felt the Heartsong, and together they became the first King and Queen, taught the ways of the plains to their children, and formed the traditions of their culture and the building of their Mud Hives, known as Kovakhal. They were instructed, that upon their death, that they must roam the world in search of freedom and life, and to their best to continue their ways. Not all Chitin come from the Hives, though - some are born in the 7 Standing Cities, a unique set of cities formed along the great border river between the steppes and the desert, and a remnant of seized property from and ancient war between the Hornkin and Chitin.
Historical Figures
Tengrit Alskir; Tengrit the Pure, The First Awakened, The One Who is Free
Common Myths and Legends
Tengrit and Kovaksaiy - origin story for the Chitin species, and the importance of the Hive Rock, Kovaksaiy
Tengrit and Selzeh, the First Kovakahl - Establishing the nomadic traditions and the creation of a hive
Kovakmar, the Hive March - The story of reclamation and domination against the attempted genocide by the Hornkin Empire.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Mild tolerance of Hornkin in general. Will help rebellious Hornkin and those from the swamps and jungles that are not associated with the Empire. Have an level of historical animosity towards the Hornkin Empire, but will still trade with them and tolerate their presence.
Consider Stonemen interesting people to follow around, and respect their reverence for their ancestors and small tribes, and think of them as kindred spirits in a sense. The odd, eccentric and erratic behaviours that Stonemen often portray make most Chitin think they are mad or sick, but generally entertaining.
Gemlings and Chitin often find each other in religious organizations or on opposite sides of the law, or in merchant or mercenary situations. The Gemlings natural charm and carefree attitude often blends well with the good-natured and joyous approach of the Chitin. The wavering loyalties of Gemlings will often cause them to but heads with Chitin.
They consider Humans in much the same way as Gemlings and Stonemen, but with harmonize better with their culture. This allows many Chitin to move into human cities and settlements and merge quite easily with the locals, joining the guard, the temples and build local taverns and the like. Many human leaders love having a large number of Chitin in their cities due to their loyalty and natural traits.
Origin/Ancestry
Csimalb Steppes/Plains; prior subterranean/unknown
Lifespan
100 - 120 years
Average Height
4 feet perfect; King/Queen ~ 12 - 16 feet
Average Weight
Gogudar 100 -150 lbs; Beymuhk 70 - 80 lbs; King/Queen ~700 - 1000 lbs
Average Physique
Gogudar are bulky and stout, though sometimes they can be thinner and sinewy with sculpted muscles. Beymuhk are much smaller than their siblings, with softer skin and no natural inclination to muscular power, but can often end up being obese when trying to match them. King/Queen pairs often contain aspects of both specialization strains.
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