Vrain

A race of eusocial Arthropods, the Vrain have origins often mythologically linked with the N’Krai, the Ancient Ones’ main political and racial rivals. Being a race of composites, their ideas of intelligence and identity can be very alien compared to us humans, which is why they are one of the most difficult races to write upon regarding culture and identity. While very small and unassuming as individual units, the controlling queens who gather them together coordinate them into something as complex as any human society, and in some ways more so. Colonies can absorb one another’s units, exchange information, and can merge and split just as amoeba might, retaining memories going back centuries or even a millennium from previous colonies. Experiences and splitting, along with mutations can help nevertheless develop individual and distinct personalities, so no two colonies are the same.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The vast majority of units in a Vrain are tiny mites, no larger than a grain of sand and just as ordinary as any other mite. Simple creatures with ten tiny legs and feeding on whatever they have available, they are less than a footnote. What distinguishes them from other small mites however, are the controllers, each the size of an ant individually. Elusive, bloated things that glow a gentle blue, they use a mixture of hormones, complex limb movements and what can best be described as telepathy in order to communicate with one another and the lesser units. Together, they can achieve things that neither could alone. Colonies can be as small as a child’s handful or big enough to fill entire rooms, all depending on the resources and mental strength of the controllers.

Genetics and Reproduction

Being so small and simple, reproduction occurs nigh-on constantly within the colony, while the controller units need good and consistent food supplies in order to reproduce. Colonies as a whole reproduce at a consciously decided time, with newer controllers organising the splitting off from the ‘parent’ with some retained memories, as well as mutations, affecting their new personality.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Omnivores, they are capable of eating just about any organic matter available to them, even single celled organisms and rocks, though the humans of this world don’t have the technology to understand that.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Able to adapt the colony to whatever local demands exist, Vrain can exist in virtually any habitat available, though habitats with limited fire and water are preferred.

Average Intelligence

Variable, ranging from sub-human to equivalent to entire towns of humans.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The telepathic abilities of the controllers, used to assert control over the other units’ function, breeding rates, food processing and even metabolisms, can be used to allow short range communication with other races, though this is often controversial. Each unit having eyes ensures the Vrain colony has not only omnidirectional movement patterns, but omnidirectional vision, hearing, smell and taste. They can also keep connections with other controller units in the colony over significant distances, allowing them to split into smaller units to survey a large area or sneak past attackers. Being made of beings no larger than a grain of sand, crushing, stabbing or slicing them is an utterly futile task in combat, and even units that are poisoned can simply be cut off from the rest of the colony. They do, however, possess a weakness to fire, which can rapidly spread throughout their ranks. The only vulnerable region besides fire is t the controller units-killing some can cause memory loss, personality change and impaired control, but killing enough will render the colony unusable, causing the workers to revert to a feral state, no different to any other mite. Without their carers, the controllers have difficulty living in their own or in small groups.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The Swarmocracy of Hrmz is one example that comes to mind of a society run by Vrain, and where Vrain society exists in its most unfiltered form. But there are many cultures and subcultures of Vrain across the known world. The Hu-Vrain form an aristocratic class in the Phurzic Dominion, and are often seen as elders, advisors or informers in the Capital. Lower Vrain are often tasked as spies as the Hu-Vrain see such espionage as ‘beneath’ them, though have no issue hiring others for it.
Vrain secret societies and cults are believed to be the most common by far among the races given how easily they can practise in secret very easily, on levels not even audible to humans or centaurs, or in remote locations like underground. The more morally bankrupt Vrain colonies certainly have more than a few hands involved in the criminal underworlds across all of the Isles, and most likely beyond. Across the sea in the lands of the Silver Sun, for example, the illegal poppy trade is almost entirely supervised by criminal Vrain.

Gender Ideals

Colonies of Vrain are genderless are a whole, consisting of many males and females in either caste. They use third person pronouns such as ‘they/them/theirs’, when referring to one another, and refer to themselves in the plural.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Speaking to one another through a mix of telepathy and audiovisual cues, Vrain language is hard to describe to other races, though their ability to understand the more simple terms of other races can also be difficult for young or simple Vrain to get used to as well. Experienced colonies can speak in dozens or even hundreds of vertebrate dialects, human or centaur.

Common Taboos

Among the Hu-Vrain, the interchanging of units between colonies is considered a taboo, and this is especially the case with controllers.
Elsewhere, the taboo of a Vrain colony varies simply down to individuals, and some have none at all. It is not unknown for outlaw Vrain colonies to disguise themselves as horses, rabbits or even pools of water to lure in unsuspecting victims to be robbed, killed and even consumed. Many travellers now carry a torch to avoid such confrontations.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Their relationship with other races is very conditional as to where the relationship takes place.
The Hu-Vrain of Phurz are strongly integrated as part of the Dominion’s aristocracy, and see themselves as above the other Vrain of the country, adopting more aristocratic human mannerisms such as a less fluid sense of identity.
The Swarmocracy of Hrmz, in contrast, operates almost as a gigantic hive-mind, where identity and culture become so interchanged as to make the distinction meaningless. Some would in fact argue that the entire island is populated by one enormous mega-colony, surpassing even the Black Swarm in size. Most however consider this an exaggeration, and the island remains a hub of trade across the northeast of the Isles.
A strongly anti-Vrain sentiment has existed for many years in the lands under the control of Vulgar, due to their core lands being ravaged by the Black Swarm centuries ago, leading to the worship of fire in their faith and a cultural fear of all Vrain. This mentality is not universal to the Vulgar people or their vassals, but many in society treat Vrain with caution at best and genocidal persecution at worst.