Shkttt

Written by Cyborg Starfish

I will never be able to properly describe the sound you hear when you enter the Silk Worm's lair. It's like... a steady breathing... but only hearable in the back of your own head. A very strange and rattled breathing. Shkttt... Shkttt... Shkttt...

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Shkttt are a worm-like species. They have no internal skeletal structure and are able to squeeze themselves into tiny holes despite their size. They have two types of tentacles for limbs. The first type is a grayish snake-like tentacle that is primarily used to catch prey. Drones have four of these limbs, while the Queen has only one. These tentacles work the same as the tongue of a frog, they are invisible at first, until they appear to shoot out of the upper body to catch any hapless creature unlucky enough to be hit by the gluey projectiles. On Drones, these limbs can reach up to five meters far. On the Queen, this one limb can reach up to seven meters far. The second type of tentacle is used primarily for communication with members of other Colonies or other species.These hair thin tentacles attach themselves directly to the recipient's nervous system, allowing a direct transfer of information. Only the Queen has these type of tentacles, and she can have thousands of them. The transfer of information is not without risk if the recipient is of a different species. The amount of information that courses through the Queen's neural network is immense. Not every species is capable of processing it without it becoming a massive strain on their nervous system.

Genetics and Reproduction

Little is known of Shkttt reproduction. What is known is that the Queen is practically immortal unless the Colony itself dies out, so there seems to be no need for her to reproduce. How she came into existence in the first place is still a complete mystery. As for the Drones, there have been reports of Drones splitting themselves into two and letting both parts grow into two separate Drones that appear to be moving independently from one another. How exactly this works is still unknown.

Ecology and Habitats

The Shkttt are a subterranean species. They build their Colonies in caves, not in continuous tunnels. Some records suggest they are capable of partially terraforming their environment to create the perfect space to build a Colony.

Dietary Needs and Habits

To call the Shkttt extreme omnivores is accurate. Although they have no teeth, they produce a venom that can cause even the toughest substance to melt. The only things they have never been seen eating are rocks and metal. But who knows? How else did they manage to dig out a cave for themselves anyway?

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Drones have no faces. In fact, they don't even seem to have heads, just a smooth surface. Apparently, they have a small mouth tucked away underneath it.

The Queen's only facial feature is her mouth. This mouth is almost invisible when closed, but when fully opened, it looks like a tunnel, almost as wide as the general width of the Queen's body. Records suggest that this mouth is used for more than just feeding. What these other usages are is still a complete mystery.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

It is impossible to fully comprehend how the Shkttt experience the world around them. They seem to be capable of directly storing both sensory and extrasensory information inside their Queen's neural network, without the filter of memory or interpretation. This also means that most of the information becomes unintelligible to any species that do have these filters, the Elphin most of all. Among the Elphin, the Queen, but also the Shkttt in general, is seen as a being of unfathomable wisdom, the kind of wisdom that could literally kill you if you were exposed to too much of it at the same time. Exposure to too much raw data will cause the recipient's nervous system to burn up in a split second, resulting in a very swift death. Autopsies of fellow Elphin who underwent such a fate showed that the victims had no nervous system left once the shock was over, and their brains were burned to a crisp. Thankfully, the Shkttt appear to be aware of this risk, so they send out only a tiny fraction of information at the time while communicating. They also seem to be somewhat willing to adapt their communication methods a tiny bit to meet the recipients needs. But only a tiny bit. Whether they are unwilling or incapable of adapting any further is unknown.

Civilization and Culture

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

In theory the Shkttt are more or less capable of communicating with any species that can survive even the smallest amount of information injected into their nervous systems. In practice, most Colonies keep to their own. That being said, one particular Colony has entered a more or less symbiotic relationship with Lahhei City, a neighbouring Elphin community, exchanging the weave they use to create nests for food.

Lifespan

Average Drone lifespans are between 900 and 1000 Cycles. The Queen is technically immortal, unless the Colony itself dies out.

Average Length

Drones tend to be between 1.5 and 2 meters long. The Queen, however, can become up to 10 meters long.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Shkttt are almost entirely white in colour. The drones have a soft blue hue, while the Queen shows a few extremely subtle wave-like markings in various shades of red, blue and yellow. Their tentacles are all grey, regardless of type.

Geographic Distribution

• Tunnels