Western Hiver

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Born under the silent command of a single Queen, each emerging with an instinctive yearning to serve, a bond as much sorcery as science. This loyalty shapes their identity, guiding their purpose within the hive. Yet distance is dangerous, the farther a Hiver wanders, the weaker the call becomes. In time, some lose it entirely, becoming "No-Hives", cut from the collective, cast out, left to find meaning beyond the will that once defined them.

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Drone

Drones form the hive’s tireless foundation, taking to their duties from the moment they can stand, driven not by command, but by a deep instinct to serve the will that birthed them.

Physical Description

Western Hive Drones are slight, wiry creatures, standing between 4 and 5.5 feet tall and rarely weighing more than 100 pounds. Their skin tones range from dusty ochre to pale blues, their frames built more for endurance than

strength. Faces vary wildly, some smooth and featureless, others adorned with delicate ridges and latticework, subtle signs of intellect or magical sensitivity. Though fragile alone, Drones are not meant to stand alone. Their strength lies in numbers, coordination, and the quiet, unshakable rhythm of shared purpose.

Personality

Though born to serve, Western Drones are anything but mindless. They carry a cheerful resilience, meeting labor and hardship alike with curiosity and humor. Lighthearted and sociable, Drones often become the

spirit of any group they’re part of, filling silences with odd questions, humming while they work, or turning grim tasks into shared jokes. Even in exile, far from the hum of the hive, they find ways to connect, to make the world a little less heavy.

Soldier

Western Hive Soldiers form the hardened edge of the Queen’s will, bred for battle, born with purpose, and countless in number. They do not question, they do not waver. They march, strike, and fall with the certainty of sacrifice.

Physical Description

Towering over their kin, Western Hive Soldiers stand between 5.5 and 7 feet tall, their broad, muscular frames often weighing over 200 pounds. Their skin, ranging from sunbaked tan to pale blue, stretches tight over dense sinew and hardened chitin. A wide, reinforced skull caps each soldier, a natural helmet often used as both shield and battering ram when weapons fail. Built for endurance and brute force, their presence alone is enough to part a crowd.

Personality

Of all the hiveborn, Soldiers are the most steadfast, rarely straying from the Queen’s will and even more rarely questioning it. Stoic and unexpressive, they live to serve, speak little, and march without hesitation. Yet beneath their hardened exteriors lies an unexpected appreciation for craft and ritual. A perfectly forged blade, a flawlessly prepared meal, these things stir something almost sacred in them. Those who become No-Hive often do so while carrying out distant commands, left too long without the hive’s hum. Many do not understand exile, they only feel the silence where duty used to be.

Prince

Hive Princes are the rare minds among the many, born once in a hundred, they possess heightened will and independent thought, serving as the generals, scholars, and emissaries of the Western Hive.

Physical Description

Hive Princes possess a lithe, balanced frame, not unlike a human’s in shape and proportion. Standing between 5 and 7 feet tall and weighing 100 to 200 pounds, they are built for adaptability rather than brute strength. Their skin ranges from dusty tan to pale blue, and their posture carries a quiet poise. Among their kin, Princes are the most versatile, naturally attuned to intellectual pursuits,
arcane study, and command alike.

Personality

Among the Western Hive, Princes are consumed by a quiet hunger, not for food or power, but for recognition. Unlike the instinctual obedience of their kin, their loyalty to the Queen is cultural, aspirational, and fiercely competitive. Many dedicate their lives to earning her notice, scheming against rival Princes or risking everything for glory. Beyond the Hive, they adapt quickly, taking on roles as scholars, diplomats, mercenaries, or mystics, yet even in exile, that same yearning often lingers, driving them toward greatness, or ruin.

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Drone
Key Attribute: Empathy
Drone Talent: Adaptive
Soldier
Key Attribute: Strength
Soldier Talent: Unbreakable
Prince
Key Attribute: Wits
Prince Talent: Fortified Will

Racial Traits

Hive-Gut
If not food, why food shaped?
Hard Headed-(Soldier)
Why wear a helmet when the Queen gave me one I can bash a door down with?

Names

Hivers within the Western Hive don't understand the concept of names. The only hivers with names had them given by the Queen herself and is the highest honor a Hiver can receive. When a Hiver first becomes a "no-hive" they often name themselves the first thing they see. Names like Lamp or Bonedog aren't unheard of.

Related Organizations

• Western Hive

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No-Hive Life

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To be No-Hive is to live in the hush after song, a life once full of purpose, now haunted by memory. Some No-Hives fall into despair, unable to function without the rhythm of orders and unity. Others awaken to new identities, becoming artists, wanderers, mercenaries, or mystics. They often band together in loose communes, mimicking hive structure out of habit or longing.
Viewed with pity or suspicion by hive-bound kin, No-Hives carry a quiet defiance, they are the only Hivers who have learned to live with silence in their heads.