Gal-kan

The Gal-kan are a species of semi-sapient arachnids which are given the status of intelligent beings within the polity of the szassar. However, they are not particularly bright and happily work for food. Gal-kan evolved as hive-builders in the treetops of Szorik, and developed the ability to walk on their rear pairs of legs whilst carrying building materials for their hives in their front four limbs. The gal-kan are of comparable size to fully grown szassar - with legs around four feet long segmented at the 18 inch and 42 inch mark. Their rear limbs terminate in a rake-like toe which grips the boles of trees as they climb, and their front limbs terminate in rigid scoop-like parts capable of catching a large insect and scooping it to their mouthparts, or providing support for a ball of building materials as they climb.

Despite their somewhat terrifying appearance as a large arachnid species, they are relatively docile and largely eat insects and fruit. Gal-kan were first domesticated by relatives of Kri-kik Split-tail when they were still in the first years of building Szor'tek, the founding settlement of the emerging szassar civilisation. Initially thought to be dull and animalistic, Kri-kik's offspring realised that they were capable of basic arithmetic and estimation, as they never carried more material aloft than they needed.

"Domesticated" gal-kan are not uncommon in the homes of szassar nik-reks who are still establishing their own home-sites. Gal-kan are fed well in return for a couple of hours of labour each day foraging on the forest floor for building materials, and constructing simple structures for the family feeding them. Gal-kan learned relatively early in their symbiotic relationship with the szassar that their more intelligent reptilian "employers" were far more effective at crafting devices which could capture insects and improve the yield of arboreal fruit plantations. Szassar wishing to take a gal-kan into their employ will often initiate such an offer with a gift of an insect catching net which the gal-kan can mount on a fore-limb. Gal-kan have a very basic language of clicks which is spoken by most szass. It's primary linguistic elements are quantitative descriptors and the name for materials, along with primitive emotional states - joy, delight, hunger, illness, etc.

A Gal-kan's day

Szor rises. The food-givers trade for carry and build. But first, own carry and build. Down. Cool. Hive queen hungers for big bug. Demands 3 from each. Have net from food-givers. Dig and catch four bug. Three for queen, one for this one. Queen fed. Down one more. 15 lengths of vine-length to carry. 3 vine-widths. 5 carry. Vine stowed. 3 clay-block. 2 carry. Vine and clay build. More store for hive-egg. Carry/build for Dassthrin. New room for hatchlings. 12 lengths of vine-length, 2 vine-widths. 3 carry. Dassthrin vine stowed. 2 clay-block. 1 carry. Vine and clay build for Dassthrin. Dassthrin give new net! Also 20 fruit! Belly full. Szor low. This one sleep.