The Hivefolk

Intelligent giant insects are the words often used to describe "the Hivefolk". While the intelligent part is true, not all of them are insects. Most have either insectoid or archnoid aspects, which creates a fundamental difference between the species. Just because something has an exoskeleton does not make it a bug. That being said, the Hivefolk have been lumped together, both because of appearance and because of location.
The Hivelands and the surrounding desert region are where Hivefolk originate from. Why they are centralized in this location and have not spread out to the wider world is not known. Occasionally, a Hivefolk will go off, exploring the world, acting as an independent being, away from their hives or tribes. Most will, over time, return to their homelands. When asked, the individual explains that the land almost calls to beckon them home.

Tosculi

The wasp-like Tosculi are the most feared and recognizable of the Hivefolk. It is normally what one thinks of when they discuss the Hivefolk. Of the Hivefolk, the Tosculi have a reputation as bellicose raiders. When a new queens get to the proper age to take their place, either to take over for the previous queen, or to fly off and establish a new hive, the "princesses" will launch raids against the closest "soft shell" cities. Normally, whichever princess survives the raid is the one who ascends to their new position. It is this behavior that has led many of the cities to develop aerial defenses. Some of the more fortunate cities have adapted old Dragon Revolt-designed weapons for this very purpose.
Not all Tosculi, though, are hive mind warriors, bowing to the whims of a queen. One in every one hundred or so Tosculi is hatched with an independent streak. These "disconnected" Tosculi often grow up watched by higher-caste members of the hive. When the time is right, according to the queen of the hive, the tosculi are forced from the hive to make their way on their own. Not surprisingly, most of these tosculi die shortly after being expelled, either due to predation, starvation, or the assaults of others fearful that the lone wasp is a scout for a larger pending force. The fortunate few, though, do manage to survive and thrive, away from the confines and rigors of hive life. These survivors will often travel far abroad, putting their kin as far behind them as possible. This has led to such beings as Tosculi wizards and sorcerors in Arcanee and wasp corsairs in the Xangji seas. The farther away, or more outside the norm, the better for these independents.

Sasori

The nomadic Sasori travel the deserts of the Hivelands with routes going as far as the sands of Khem and Persiax. Often assumed to be another "insect" race, the Sasori are more closely related to scorpions. Despite the traditionally loner nature of scorpions, Sasori prefer to travel in nomadic clans. Also, unlike the more aggressive Tosculi, the Sasori have a more neutral reputation. Sasori clans will pass by and trade with the cities within their cycle of migration throughout the deserts. The clans will trade not just in the goods found only in the Hivelands, such as Tosculi resin weapons, incenses from the odd flowers of the nest-cities, and the goods found on the remains of foolish adventurers, but they also provide important information. It is often the Sasori that provide warning of new Tosculi princesses, massive sandstorms, recent dragon hatchings, and unusual wildlife behaviors. These bits of information have earned them a begrudging respect from the City States. Seeing a clan of insectoids riding giant scorpions out of the desert, for those that were not locals, would seem to be an unsettling sight, but to the cities, the sun glinting off the carapaces of the massive arachnids and their riders is almost a welcome sign.
Many Sasori will, for a while, leave their clans to go exploring. Since they are not a "hive-minded" group, independence is far more valued than in the Tosculi. The Sasori seem to tend towards agile fighters or priests of some sort. Arcane studies are rare, but they are not shunned by the clans. Most clans will have a witch or wizard who serves in a more advisory role than as part of the actual military arm of the clan. There are also traditions of slayers and monks of similar studies found throughout the different nomadic groups. Rumors that there is a mobile tabernacle and monastery dedicated to the goddess Serket, the goddess of scorpions, healers, and assassins, circulate through the gossip when a clan arrives at a city. This training tabernacle is believed to instruct only the most gifted of the Sasori, but those from other races, if found worthy of the goddess, can be trained. If this is true, those who have studied at the travelling monastery have not bragged or been open about their training.
Despite their somewhat welcoming reputation, there is one group that the Sasori clans avoid dealing with. That is the Southern Elves. The elves of the jungle and the Sasori do not have a spotless history. For some reason, misunderstandings between the two groups are common. When a Sasori is in the presence of an Elf, of any kind, the Sasori is more likely to stop being so generous with their information. Somewhere in their histories, the elves took advantage of some information the Sasori provided, and it ended up hurting the nomadic clans in some long-forgotten way. If you were to track the nomadic tribes' routes, they leave a healthy distance between their paths and the jungle borders. Also, the Southern Elves see the worship of Serket as too close to the worship of the Spider Goddess for their liking.

Trox

Of all the Hivefolk, the Trox have the most tragic of tales. The Trox were once a race of burrowing insectoids. It is unclear if the Trox were originally more arachnid or beetle in appearance. Early on, during the appearance of the Hivelands, the Dragon Kings gathered up a large amount of Trox. Through manipulations both through breeding, flesh crafting, and other magical experimentation, the peaceful scavengers were molded into the massive brutes of muscle and armor that they are now. It has been suggested that the dragons were aided in their efforts to mold the Trox into warriors. The fact that, in the modern day, most Trox are still slaves to the Drow in the Underworlds has caused some to suspect that the Trox were the earliest and most successful of the Drow flesh crafting arts.

To this day, there are very few Trox in the Hivelands. None of the species has its original appearance, as the entire surviving species has evolved forcefully into the current form. Most Trox are slaves within the Underworlds, serving Drow and Druegar alike as warriors, gladiators, and guards. Some have escaped to the surface, having either broken free on their own or been aided by priestesses of Eilistraee. A free Trox will often wander the surface world, finding a new place in life. This new place is more frequently alongside others. A Trox in an adventuring company is often seen as good luck. The Trox are known for their loyalty and commitment to those they travel with.
Over time, as the Trox ages, they will begin to feel "The Call". This will be a desire to travel to the Hivelands. Not every Trox answers the call, either due to limitations of the Trox's means or ties to those they consider family. Those Trox that do answer The Call, though, will pilgrimage to the Hivelands. They will often arrive at a city, often causing a bit of a stir due to their appearance. Their arrival, though, will be shortly before the appearance of a tribe of Sasori. The Trox will then travel with the Sasori until, after a few months, they wander off into the sands, never to be seen again. What happens after the Trox is unknown. The Sasori do not follow after the Trox, and they do not permit others to follow after. They will restrain any that attempt to track the Trox, as the Sasori see this final act of a Trox as a sacred thing. The final communion between the Trox and their home sands.

Serket

The Scorpion Goddess, The Keeper of the Beautiful House, Serket is considered by most to be the Goddess of the Hivelands. This understanding is because the Sasori, the most openly religious of the Hivefolk, worship Serket. Each clan carries with it a shrine to Serket at the heart of the nomadic group. Even the Trox give some reverence to the goddess, most often when travelling with Sasori, but some will begin worshipping as soon as they are free. The Tosculi, though, rarely worship anything as a whole. Some of the independent Tosculi will also pick up worship, again, after spending time with the Sasori. This situation, though, is rare.
The Hivefolk are not the only worshipers of Serket. A number of the tribes that once worshipped Bennu in the distant past have changed their devotions over to Serket. This mutual worship between the Bennuites and the Sasori has allowed for peaceful relations between the two. The origin of this switch to Serket, instead of to the expected Horus or Ra, has an unsure origin. Each tribe has a tale of how Serket was taken into the tribe, either because the Goddess appeared and offered the conversion, or just due to the need to survive the dangerous wastelands they found themselves in. The fact that Serket still allows the individual tribes to have ties to phoenix spirits or other mysteries seems to indicate a more laissez-faire attitude to the Bennuites. This gentle hand does not seem to be applied to the Hivefolk, though. The Sasori do not normally manifest a non-traditional Serket aspect.
While the embracing of Serket by the Bennuites does appear to make more sense, how a Khemite Goddess became the primary goddess for the Sasori and the Hivelands in general is unknown. The Sasori do not discuss the origins of their faith. It is known that when dealing with the Sasori, Serket appears as a golden Sasori. This is unlike her standard manifestation to the other races. The devotion to the Keeper of the Beautiful House by the Sasori is rewarded by the Goddess. Serket is as faithful to the Sasori as the Sasori are to her.