Artichalata
Deep within the west-milodan jungles dwells a race, far more adaptable than most, worshiping walking cities, with armor as skin and magic, that can warp the very body of one. What we have here are the artichalata, insectoid humanoids, with a very diverse cast of exoskeletons. Attempts of trade have been made, but these individuals fiercly protect their territory and will be very difficult to convince otherwise.
They are also often called "Mites" by most unscholared folk as artichalat is something difficult to pronounce.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Individuals of the artichalatan race are bipedal humanoids, sporting 2 pairs of arms. The first one being the first and prominent one, beginning at the shoulders and ending at expected length, while the secondary pair of arms begins under the ribcage and when held tighly against the torso can't really be distiguished from the ribcage itself.
In addition to the already additional pair of arms artichalata have an abdomen growing from their hip, like a tail. In this extension of the body, most important organs are present and present a considerable weakspot. The legs have a knee, and the feet are three, chitinous segments, ending in two claws, wich make the contact with the floor.
The three fingers of the primary pair of arms consist of two fingers and one thumb. All fingers have pads, wich allow them to stick to surfaces and climb up surfaces. The secondary pair of arms on the other hand, do not have great control and basically consist of a claw at the and of the arms.
Also to mention is the fairly thick chitinous plating, wich protects the artichalat from head to clawed toes. It is to add, that most of the body is fairly replacable when it comes to artichalata. The limbs are also more easily detachable by force, than a normal humans would be.
Biological Traits
There are four main genetic paths an artichalat will have access to. This is of course metaphorical as the individuals has no realy control over it and is born with the genetic code for it, mostly.
Royal:
This genetic path will always be determined after the death of a ruling individual. In this scenario the head of the population would pass away, wich would quickly, start the special care for a highborn larva. This larva will have a secluded place in the hatchery and will be altered in a way that makes it the most powerful individual the respective society has to offer. The resulting adult will have an especially strong connection to the hivemind and is chained to it far more powerfully than others. The royal artichalat will have a doubled lifespan, be all in all stronger and bigger than others and sometimes even manifest arcane abilities.
Highborn:
These rare specimens will have access to three perceptional traits, with two being of the rare variety. Otherwise are highborn individuals almost exlusively reserved to rule and assert their superiortity to ensure order. What you have here are subordinates to those of royal stature. Examples for this path would be officers, commanders and overseers. They are slightly more capable than othes and are especially good leaders.
Specialists:
Specialists are fairly rare and will be teached to do certain tasks, wich require a certain knowhow. They have access to three sensory traits with one being rare, if at all. This is the path for rangers, assasins and even arcanists and fleshmelders. These castes are very well guarded and individuals in this path have it fairly well. Their bodies are not specifically stronger or better, but they posess knowledge and knowhow others wouldn't even grasp.
Common:
This path makes at least 50% of every swarm or tribe, these are the workers expendable troups and builders. They willl have access to two common sensory traits and otherwise serve the others in their endeavours.
Genetics and Reproduction
Upon successful insemination by a male, the female artichalat will lay a fairly large clutch of eggs, with about 10 eggs, in a time span of 4 months. These eggs are delicat packages and will be hatched for about 2 months time. Theclutches of eggs, will most likely be looked after in hatchery with one specific individual looking after the brood.
Growth Rate & Stages
Larva:
After the eggs hatch a small larva will emerge, with six small, nubby limbs and a mouth hungry for any kind of food it can find. These larvae will be fed and after reaching a certain bodymass, wich takes about 2 months to reach.
Pupa:
After the critical mass has been reached, the young larva wil shed its skin for the first time and pupate itself. During the next 10 weeks the pupa will live from the accumulated reserves and undergo metamorphosis. This is the state most special enhancements or alterations are made on certain individuals.
Adult:
With the age of approximatly one year, the pupa bursts and a new artichalat emerges, not distiguishable from the rest of adult specimens. After having hatched the new individuals are given time to strength themselves and let their exoskeleton harden.
After these stages most of the hatchlings will go straight to their assigned work places and find their sense in life serving the community. Only certain, special individuals will be teached and introduced to their new proficiency, most known groups, wich recieve this treatment are assasins, mages and rangers.
From now on the growth will continue for about 40 years, during wich the artichalat will change its exoskeleton repeatedly to accomodate their new size.
With the age of 41 the individual will shed their exoskeleton for the last time, after wich the last exoskeleton will grow, grey, brittle and sensitive. fterr having shed for the last time, most artichalatans die withing the next 5 to 10 years.
Ecology and Habitats
Artichalata will need a reliable source of food and water to sustain themselves and their guardians, wich provide them with physical safety and teh comfort of a hivemind, wich they can dap into. All in all they aren't very picky regarding terrain, as long as there is enough space for their guardians and even then there is a good chance they will simply terraform around them. What is very important is the temperature, in wich case warmer and humid atmospheres and environments are greatly preferred.
Dietary Needs and Habits
An average artilachat will need food every two days and water everyday. Depending on the physical exhaustion the consumption can be higher or lower. Artichalatans will eat almost everything and aren't choosy about their food.
Biological Cycle
Growth:
Due to their consistant growth artichalatans will shed their old exoskeletons periodically, about every four months. This will usually take about a day and the new exoskeleton will usually have hardened within the next 12 hours.
Mating:
Once a year artichalatan males will compete for females and mate to create offsping. This is often watched over by higher members of society and regulated to produce optimal offspring.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
The face of an artichalat mostly consists of a frontal face plate and its manibles, its mouth. The mandibles will, when held closely shut, seem to merge with the frontal plate and leave a blank slate. This, by the way is one of the few ways to discern males from females, because males have bigger manibles and sometimes even have them spiked.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Although artichalata are very physically adaptable they can be found in various different environments, with the temperatures to support them. The highest densety of them can be encountered in the west-milodian jungles.
Average Intelligence
As most of the artichalatan society mostly consists of the working common genpaths the average intelligence is fairly low. A common artichalat would probably know how to speak and would know its mother language, but everything beyond that like writing or scholarship is something for the specialists and highborn paths.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
As there is a wide variety of phenotypes of artichalata, the following sensory capabilities might not apply to every individual. The only thing most artichalatan individuals have in common is a diminished sense of touch.
Full-body-hearing:
This is a fairly common trait and almost every artichalatan individual is capable of percieving the vibration of their chitin-armor as sound and therefore allowing fullbody hearing.
Multilayered sight:
This is also a fairly common trait and allows normal eyesight with the addition of ultraviolet wavelengths of light. Most ranger individuals will have this kind of perception, when they are in need of a second input. Individuals will mostly have black, multfacetted yes, wich give them at least a bit of humanity.
Although there is a vast mass of traits, wich speaks for the physical diversity of artichalatans, most individuals will only be able to have one of the listed kinds of perception, if not even two. This variety makes artichalata a tough enemy to maneuver around unseen, especially when not aware of the present traits.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Artichalata have a close relationship with their guardians, giant walking insectoid colossi, wich protect their denisens and offer physical fortification, as well as the foundation of the hivemind of the related folk, living on or around it. The artichalata in return will care for it, feed it, and sometimes even enhance it. Most wars between artichalata will be fought by mobilizing their guardians and let them do battle, should one of them fall, will everyone connected to the hivemind be robbed of their sentience and be nothing than mere mindless beasts, doomed to rot away without their hivemind.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Names are something not really something important, but are used to at least distinguish individuals, especially one from the higher paths.
Common:
Common names are often very short and are often picked at random by the one who observed the hatching process. It is the first and often only thing tought to the newborn artichalat.
Examples: Vash, Kar, Zur, Zis, Lar, Vish, Ras, ...
Specialists:
Specialists names are quite close to common ones, although they are slightly longer and they get a special addition to their name, wich is their profession.
Examples: Throa Throatslitter, Mozek Sequenzmaster, Kathu Wildrunner, ...
Highborn:
As the second highest individuals in command, these individuals have the longest names in theentire social structure, these are often so unique an additional desciption is not needed.
Examples: Ajaras, Majone, Karalis, Isawir, Urusa, Uthuza, ...
Royal:
Royal individuals are unique in each society they are in and therefore are only adressed with their respective, chosen title and the people they rule over.
Examples: Matriarch of the Cluster, Chief of the Horde, ...
Beauty Ideals
Males: Big, spiked mandibles, tight and firm abdomen, tall
Females: Petite, smooth mandibles, wide and soft abdomen
Gender Ideals
The only thing expected from both genders is to mate, otherwise are both equal and should work equally as hard, although males will more often be used as guards, due to their more aggressive nature.
Courtship Ideals
In the mating season the females and males, wich want to participate and are seen fit, will gather in a special place and will start a ritual in wich the male tries to impress the female with his strength and prowess, proving his offspring worthy to be carried.
Upon this ritualistic mating will ensue and after that everyone will go their seperated ways.
Relationship Ideals
As there is no real need for intimacy between artichalatans outside of mating season, relationships will not reach past the mating grounds in most instances. Thee are certain individuals wich prefer to have a for human standards acceptable relationship, but this is mostly unaccepted, or ignored.
Average Technological Level
Artichalata do not have made advancements regarding masonry or chemistry, but their speciality is the art of xenomancy, or blood magic, as it is called commonly. This alllows for extensive modifications to organisms using the ether. Other than this they have quite interesting weaponry and their architecture basically relies on their guardians to function. Otherwise they use living organisms as housing or special transport.
Common Etiquette Rules
Greeting:
Between genetic ranks it is common to press the frontal plates of each other together and utter a greeting. Should the rank be different will the one of lower rank bow in accordance to the rank difference. A common individual would have to lay flat on the earth when greeted by a royal individual.
Common Dress Code
As the reproductive organs of each gender reside hidden in their abdomens, atrichalatan individuals will not really cover themselves, but more ornate themselves according to their proficiency and group they belong to.
Common Taboos
An atrichalat will be expelled from society upon murdering a higher ranking individual, trying to damage the guardian or try to act against their genetic path.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Atrichalata ignore most races and see them as inefficient. While they still act neutral to most other races and rather focus on their own problems they despise humans, as they see them as pushy, little merchantfolk, trying to corrupt their minds.
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Bipes Tetraplevro Sapienta
Lifespan
60 yrs (common), 120 yrs (royal)
Average Height
1.5 - 1.7 m (common)
1.6 - 1.8 m (highborn)
2.0 - 2.5 m (royal)
Average Weight
40 - 60 kg (common)
55 - 70 kg (highborn)
75 - 90 kg (royal)
Average Length
Abdomen:
0.5 m (common)
0.7 m (highborn)
1.0 m (royal)
Average Physique
Males: Big mandibles, rather small abdomen
Females: Small, petite mandibles, rather big abdomen
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The colouring and overall the shape and appearance of this race is so variable that even counting them would be a senseless endeavour.
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