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Chapter 3: RACES & REALMS
Krikis
Krikis remain the most mysterious, inscrutable intelligent species on Khitus, despite controlling vast territories among at least three empires (and possibly more)
distinct in their dominant chitin colorations. Along
the frontiers surrounding the Hivelands, only warriors
expand their territories or protect what they control
against dangers, maintaining a wide swath of unoccupied territory as a permanent, desolate buffer between
the outside world and their precious hives. Few humans,
Pachyaur, Penmai, or others have seen the Hivelands or
non-warrior Krikis and lived to tell the tale. Even Krikis
warriors, tasked exclusively with defense and expansion,
would be foreigners in their hives, strangers without
position or purpose.
Appearance & Physiology
A Krikis’s adult physical size and specialties come from
various factors: its egg, the size of its brood cell, and the
nutrition the larvae receive after hatching. All new Krikis spend about a week as rapidly growing larvae. When
they are ready for their next phase of development, they
spin a cocoon around themselves and nurses seal their
cells with air-permeable wax caps for protection while
they pupate. Pupation time varies by caste, after which
adults emerge from cells fully formed. (See “Ranks &
Types” below for more on Krikis castes and roles and
any physical distinctions separate from commonalities
noted immediately below.)
Krikis Chitin
Krikis exoskeletons appear to be completely smooth
chitin, but closer examination reveals it is in fact fuzzy
with multitudinous hairs. These branching hairs help
attract pollen as the Krikis moves through a flower-rich
environment. Chitin coloration is darker and lighter
shades of the color of the head antennae; these colors
grant each subspecies its designation as Red Krikis, Yellow Krikis, and Black Krikis.
The Head & Sensory Organs
Krikish eyes possess better low-light vision than humans’, helping them navigate the near-darkness of the
hive. They do not “see” hundreds of different images
through their compound eyes. Instead, they see a mosaic
image of what they face with a very fine grid superimposed. This grid makes their compound eyes better than
human eyes at detecting motion and certain patterns.
Krikis possess a pair of thin antennae with tremendous
chemical sensitivity, which can detect and identify airborne signals in concentrations. The slender antennae
possess an “elbow” (with a similar arrangement of musculature) and a wide range of motion, so Krikis can and
do explore their environment via their antennae. They
also greet and identify one another via their antennae.
Depending on caste, Krikis mandibles perform a variety of tasks. Workers use them to help shape wax into
comb, to chew through wax in the hive in order to reach
food stores, and also to reshape comb that needs repair.
Mandibles (which grow slightly larger on warriors) can
also bite or hold on to debris or enemies.
The Body & Limbs
The thorax, or upper body, is the only attachment
point for a Krikis’s six limbs. They use two as arms and
two as legs, like bipeds; the two much-smaller arms
between those pairs rarely emerge from beneath its
chitin, and they mainly employ them to groom the
mid section. For hard-to-reach places, though, Krikis
groom one another to help prevent injury, maintain
flight-readiness, heighten chemical sensitivity, and
remove harmful parasites.
Krikis use all six limbs for locomotion, to hold onto
surfaces, and to manipulate their environment. Krikis
feet have four manipulative claws with adhesive pads,
which are as useful and deft as human or Penmai hands.
All Krikis limbs are highly sensitive vibration detectors,
and their language has a vibration component, whether
surface- or air-transmitted.
One obvious distinction that separates warrior Krikis from other workers after emerging from pupation
is their lack of “pollen baskets”—adaptive hair bristles
that help collect and hold pollen—on their legs.
Krikis have extremely strong legs, though their larger
hind legs are by far stronger than other limbs. They use
their dense, fibrous muscles to easily leap ten yards. Prior to making the jump, the Krikis’s large legs act much
like a catapult; they squat and bend, placing the femurs
against the other half of the leg. The compression builds
tension and allows the Krikis to take off with a velocity
of three yards per second. They can make such a leap
repeatedly, as often as three times per minute, but the
energy required is exhausting.
Abdominal Specifics
All workers, including warriors, possess a “honey
crop,” an internal water bottle inside their abdomens
that allows them to carry water or nectar home to their
hive. This is not directly attached to the digestive sys-
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