Chult

Chult are a species of sentient humanoid insects. Chult live in highly structured societies called Courts, of which there are two. These courts are led by God-Queens. They are both the sole reproducers, and sorceresses of incredible power. Chult are dimorphic, with their roles determining their appearance. Chult societies are insular but are known for their strange customs and alien outlooks.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Chult appearances vary widely but there are a few commonalities. Chult are invertebrates, possessing a thick chitinous exoskeleton. All chult possess 6 limbs, two of which function as arms and 4 as legs. All chult possess wings, but only those of scouts develop enough for flight. These wings are used by the rest occasionally in social displays. All cult possess segmented shells which, when endangered, allow them to curl into defensive balls, relying on their natural armor to obscure their vulnerable parts and thereby making them much more difficult to attack.

Below are a few of the forms most commonly encountered.

The larval form of chult resembles a huge caterpillar. They are nearly helpless and must be attended to by specialized nursery workers.

Chult scouts are perhaps the most common encountered by outsiders. Chult scouts patrol large areas, looking for both food and potential threats. They resemble large wasps or bees. Scouts are small, no bigger than a Kalari, about 3 feet, and able to fly with surprising agility. Scouts are able to defend themselves but prefer to flee and gather reinforcements.

Chult workers are the most numerous. They are responsible for most of their societies' activities, including construction, gathering, agriculture, administration, and trading. A worker resembles a pill-bug. They stand about as tall as a scout but are far heavier, weighing up to 150lbs. While not well-suited to combat, a worker is much stronger than they appear, able to lift twice their own body weight.

The largest chult form, the warrior is hulking and beetle-like. They can grow up to 5 feet tall, not counting their crests and weigh up to 300 pounds. Their shells are even thicker than the others and often feature a head-crest as well as spike-like protrusions. They are incredibly strong, able to lift many times their own weight. It is the warriors who are built for direct combat and defense.

The appearance of chult queens can only be speculated as only a few specialized attendants are allowed in their presence. Chult God-Queens are immensely powerful spellcasters, able to summon city-destroying earthquakes or create eclipses ex-nihilo. They sometimes grant a fraction of their power to lesser chult who then become Warlocks.

Genetics and Reproduction

Chult rely on their queens and a few drones for all reproduction.

Growth Rate & Stages

All chult hatch from eggs laid by one of the God-Queens. The eggs have an incubation period of 1-2 weeks before hatching. Chult begin their lives in their larval form. A larvae's main goal is to eat. They will grow during the course of a year from a little bigger than a loaf of bread to roughly 50 pounds. Chult larvae can do little except consume, their legs cannot support their own weight at this time. Once they are mature enough, they will be taken to a chrysalis chamber where they will spin a thick cocoon after consuming a special secretion that determines their future role. They will spend 6-8 months pupating inside, slowly metamorphosing into their new role-specific forms. After which they will emerge, able to perform their new duties.
Chult Queens reign almost twice the length of a normal chult lifetime. When a queen dies, special rights and ceremonies take place. to allow a new Queen to be created. The chult take this process with deathly seriousness. The succession of power is shrouded in mystery but it is surmised that it is the death of the former Queen is crucial to crowning a new one. The chult believes that this prevents two queens from existing simultaneously. This has only occurred once in recorded history, causing the Seelie Court/Unseelie Court divergence.

Ecology and Habitats

Chult are adapted to life in the forests. They primarily reside in the Zordal Forest and the Blood Swamps.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Chult are herbiferous, eating leaves, fruits, stalks, mushrooms and roots. Since their adoption of agriculture, they seldom forage for anything except for rare treats like truffles or crops that struggle to grow in their forest homes.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

A Chult's senses are quite poor compared to the other sentient races. They rely mostly on sight, possessing compound eyes that allow them to see in every direction, even if not all that far. Their hearing is limited but is able to detect the high-frequency noises.

Chult are able to communicate with each other telepathically. The range of this ability is quite limited, only about 10 feet. Most of what is communicated are abstract images. To those unused to the sensation, it can be quite overwhelming.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Chult names in difficult to communicate to outsiders, being mostly concepts and images.The verbal components used for Bug-speak usually suffice to give an impression. Their names usually end up sounding long and elegant. Example names include:

• Valorian
• Trivianna
• Excallidor

Gender Ideals

Chult have no natural concept of gender. All, save for a few drones are female. Chult who spend a lot of time with outsiders typically choose a gender for others to identify them as.

Common Taboos

Any but a few attendants and drones are allowed to see the God-Queen. This applies even to other cult.

History

Chult where perhaps the first species on Ur'En to invent written language, since their normal means of communicating are limited bt time and space. Because of this, and the long memory of their God-Queens, they have a relatively well-recorded history, although the accuracy of the events is sometimes questionable.

Over several millennia ago, the chult social order was disrupted. Accounts differ as to the exact cause. The Seelie Court records a mutation, a larvae growing into another queen while the other queen was still alive. This mutant then used mind control to dominate half the chult and retreated to the dismal Blood Swamps .

The Unseelie Court tells a different story, that their first queen was a larva stole the power from the matriarch through guile and transformed herself into a queen. She then convinced some number of followers, discontent from their queen to follow her instead and led these chult to found their great city of Malithor . This is the origin of the Seelie Court /Unseelie Court split.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

In recent centuries, both factions of chult have opened up to the world, trading with the surrounding outsiders. Most trade is conducted far from either Thelorian or Malithor , so outsiders learn little of their ways.

Lifespan

150-200 years, 500-1000 for a Queen

Related Ethnicities

• Seelie Court
• Unseelie Court