Sorry again for the number of paragraphs in appearance/biology! I keep doing the thing where I write a species with biological castes and it gets long because it’s important. Tags: Scattered, biological castes, anarchist, pirates Appearance/biology: "She had stood there for all of four seconds, before her chitinous form was laid brittle with bullet and laser alike. Hatred glaring out from every member of the crew as their sensors picked up on her unique pheromone blend. The proud Queen that stood before my eyes was reduced into a pile of viscera and wing clippings.” - ‘Stories from a Castaway’ Talyx are a species of upright arthropod possessing a chitinous and roughly humanoid frame. They have a pronounced abdomen connected as if a tail, as well as antennae and flensing mandibles. All Talyx have at least two antennae, but can possess up to eight in a wide variety of shapes. Their heads are dominated by large, complex eyes that bulge out to either side. Just below said eyes are the venom glands, which store a potent substance similar to that found in bees. Along their back are porous pheromone glands used both for communication and expression. There are four natural castes in the Talyx, each with their own specialization and social roles. These include the dreaded Queens, cunning Drones, aggressive Guardians, and mundane Workers. There also exist unnatural and more variable castes, the most prominent being the Sub-Queen. Workers are the most plentiful and ordinary of the castes, following the default template most religiously. Their most extraordinary qualities are the ability to climb on walls as though an insect, and turn into other roles. This is done most often through pheromones by a Queen, but can also occur naturally when the group around them is critically low on any caste. Either method is done through a slow 'metamorphosis' over months. They are typically around five foot tall. Guardians rank as the most common caste off-world, owing partially to the Fringe's volatile nature. They stand a half foot over Workers, with a pair of wings capable of fast gliding and slow flight.- Getting slightly faster the more Guardians fly together. Their arms are bulkier, with elbows and shoulders that lock into position, as well as a barbed forearm. These adaptations allow them to grapple and hold intruders close to them, securing the threat. Typically, a victim of this faces death by their increased bite force, or the bludgeoning of other Guardians. Drones are the first of the fertile castes, standing at only four feet total with increased venom potency and a slimmer physique overall. They do not retain the wall climbing abilities of the Worker, but have stronger and more precise use of pheromones for communication.- Being able to get across entire sentences or even paragraphs without any verbal component. Queens are towering at seven foot or higher, with a quartet of powerful wings useful for short bursts of quick flight. Additionally, Queens are adept at riding the air currents formed by Guardians in flight, allowing longer durations in the air. At the base of their wings is their pheromone gland, capable of producing not just communicative and expressive pheromones, but control pheromones. These are effective at ordering others around them. The commands given can be incredibly intricate if required. Control pheromones can be resisted, but doing so requires outstanding willpower. Additionally, Queens are capable of sexual and asexual reproduction. Lastly, there are Sub-Queens. Standing anywhere between 5' and 6'5", they bear extreme resemblance to Queens. Being an unnatural caste, a Sub-Queen is produced by removing the pheromone glands and wings of a Queen early in their metamorphosis. They retain the fertility and asexual reproduction of their mother caste. Culture: "You think Queens are the only ones who can command a room as such? Boned Friend, I have seen your empires. The way your Senators and Viceroys-" They spit the words through clattering bits, as though a slur. "-slide through a room is equal to unjust swagger at which a bountiful Queen commands her flock. It is not pheromones, no, but it is dense still. The self-justifying rules they employ to keep themselves employed. The gaggle of guardians who follow them at all times. It is the same. If you think elsewise, I ask why you do not just shoot Aleksandr and free their planet." Crag, Industry, and Tyranny defined the early Talyx and their birthworld, Tchala. Hollow of mind, the bugs' former days were spent as living machines at the beck-and-call of their Queen. Each individual as a grindstone in the mill, ‘flourishing’ as they established sweeping colonies and advanced production lines, taming the beasts of their habitable zones as yet more thoughtless workers for the autocrats above them. This history is viewed as a waking nightmare, a stain on their early history that must be corrected in every possible way. The modern arthropod is a deep anarchist with strict and often volatile views on any form of hierarchy.- ‘Citizen’ and ‘Senator’ included just as much as ‘Employee’ and ‘CEO’ or ‘Bishop’ and ‘Pope’. When given the choice of integrating into a tiered society and being a free agent, they will almost always choose the former, regardless of the quality of life associated. However, their mutual hatreds and strong bond to each other has given rise to a new type of Talyx organization. The mutualistic and opportunistic pirate bands that have begun to roam the heavens.- Gathering with each other and any other of the galactic scum that sees eye-to-eye, they have become a scourge for any corporation or government that dares to send shipments through space, as notorious pirates. History: "When they examined the throne room after it all dried out- Several weeks post-mortem- they found her form as a bloated thing, lungs and mouth and veins full of rainwater, resting on a pile of her once-subjects. There were no wounds on her. Even as they panicked, even as they tried to flee the palace, not a single servant could lay a finger on their Queen.” - ‘Histories of the Milky Way.’ Prior to recent history, the Talyx were a eusocial hive of remarkable efficiency, serving a singular Queen. As their species advanced, so did the influence of their monarch- Becoming ravenous, gluttonous, eager to conquer their planet well passed the habitable zones in which they started. Over time, their world decayed. Plucked dry of foliage and swarming with bugs, the land grew to be a barren and rocky wasteland- Prone to harsh droughts, toxic rains, and storms of dust. Still, their unified empire, of one Queen and six princess-generals, seemed unstoppable. Then the pressure started to rise, and descend, all at once. Water bubbling up from their underground reserves, the very pipes meant to carry it out flooding it all back in, as more still fell from the sky. Following a great thirteen month drought, was a two week monsoon. Their underground cities became victims of a great deluge. Not unmarred by this ‘Great Drowning’, was the palace itself, and its depthuous throneroom. In one storm, all of her carefully laid pheromone trails, all of her concubines, and even the Queen herself, were killed. Left without their mother, the princess-generals began to bicker and fight, each enthused by their mother’s plots of global dominance. The hive shattered, and the newly freed bugs were faced with two choices- join the dead and drowned, or escape to the stars. Convinced their home planet was lost, a great number made out of the atmosphere, and scattered to the solar winds. Intentions: Talyx are made with the intent of giving event writers and players alike a new threat to play with in the form of devilish pirate crews, as well as offer a new take on the eusocial species idea attempted a few times.
