Post by Ultimatum on Apr 5, 2021 15:05:46 GMT
Species Name: Krikkenai/Krikkedai | Homeworld: Krennadeel | Sector: Z16
The Krikkenai, which translates roughly to “The Speaker” or more literally “One who Speaks,” are a race of arthropods indigenous to the jungle world of Krennadeel, literally “All Home.” They have a generally humanoid shape and are capable of bipedal locomotion, although it appears to be more natural for them to rely on quadruped movements.
The Krikkenai have a seven stage hybrid complete/gradual metamorphosis cycle, the various pupa stages are generally not counted as this species does not appear to conform to the usual definitions. The first through fifth stage follow the conventional understanding of insectoid growth, with the Krikkenai developing in rather diverse ways. In these early stages, the Krikkenai are without any higher thought capacity and even appear to be little more than another part of the wildlife. The fifth stage appears almost identical to the sixth stage, however during this stage they still retain the animalistic mindset and tendencies of previous stages. The sixth stage is the one that is most commonly associated with the Krikkenai. During this stage, they are fully sapient and have reached as far as they can. The developmental period leading up to the sixth stage, including the egg incubation and pupa formation, on average takes seventy years. The sixth stage itself lasts anywhere from twenty to thirty years. The seventh stage is rare, with a hypothesized one in every ten thousand individuals ever experiencing the transition. This stage is a seeming reversion with the Krikkenai metamorphosing into a large metameric creature with several legs and two ‘arm’ structures. In this final stage, the Krikkenai loses all ability to communicate, with all of its audio apparatus disappearing and its telepathic abilities seeming to dissipate. Current theories suggest that this particular stage develops a slightly altered telepathic ability that does not function on the same ‘mental-frequency’ thereby rendering them mute to all but others of their own minds. Individuals at this stage generally live another 10 years.
The sixth stage Krikkenai have a mouth structure similar to many arthropods except that they lack an external labium or labrum. They have a number of mandibles of various sizes as well as several maxillae and two hypopharynx. This affords the Krikkenai the ability to consume a great diversity of foods, which is important as their biology requires several rare nutrients. One particularly poignant example is found in proteins required for regulating cellular equilibrium. Krikkenai require a rather esoteric globular protein only found in a select few species of plantlife on their homeworld. In the greater galaxy, there are several more options but they remain less readily available, making obtaining sustenance a particularly challenging affair offworld. Lacking lungs, Krikkenai accomplish respiration through a series of spiracles throughout the body which, while perfectly functional in the high oxygen environment of their homeworld, does not provide near as much oxygen on an average Human world.
Both final stages appear to be capable of reproduction, with the best clutch of eggs numbering in the tens of thousands. Approximately one third of these eggs are expected to hatch, while about a quarter of those that do hatch survive the following stages. Reaching the sixth stage is usually considered highly positive for further survival, as predation seems to dissipate with the increased size and mental faculties. The sixth and seventh stages see little in the way of attrition, although as mentioned prior few reach the seventh stage. Although there are many theories as to why, there is no present research that has definite support.
An important aspect of the Krikkenai is their ability to communicate telepathically. Their standard capabilities allow every individual to completely comprehend the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of every other individual, although this tends to take years to develop. The culture and society of the Krikkenai has become heavily dependent on this ability, with most of the individuals within the society being totally trusting of each other. When interacting with entities that lack this telepathic capability, the Krikkenai have become cautious and distrusting, assuming that without their powers few others will act in a truly comprehensible manner.
The Krikkedai are considered a subspecies of the Krikkenai, their name translates to, “One who does not Speak” or more roughly, “Silent One.” A fairly uncommon occurrence, the Kirkkedai are generally considered to constitute less than half a percent of the overarching species. They share all of the biological features of the Krikkenai with only a single difference; they lack an intrinsic ability to communicate telepathically. This distinction is important within the cultural hierarchy of the Krikkenai. Without the ability to Speak and thereby communicate on the same level and with the same degree of openness and comprehension as the Krikkenai, members of this species are considered a potential threat to the community. Usually, this lack of Speech is considered a sign of the individual requiring some further development, although they are uncertain whether this is physical or metaphysical in nature. In order to protect society, and grant these individuals time to develop the Speech, Krikkedai are exiled and not allowed to return to Krikkenai society until they are capable of Speech. With the introduction of star travel, more Krikkedai are being sent offworld.
Reasoning: The Krikkenai and its subspecies Krikkedai both have hard outer exoskeletons that grant afford them a degree of protection akin to armor. The Krikkenai are also capable of telepathic communication, while their subspecies does not share this innate capability. Although the Krikkedai may not have this ability, they are nonetheless psionically adept.
Species Traits:
Krikkenai: Natural AC 15 + half character level rounded up (no damage reduction), Level 1 Telepathic Contact
Krikkedai: Natural AC 15 + half character level rounded up (no damage reduction), increase Effort rating by 1Description:
The Krikkenai have a seven stage hybrid complete/gradual metamorphosis cycle, the various pupa stages are generally not counted as this species does not appear to conform to the usual definitions. The first through fifth stage follow the conventional understanding of insectoid growth, with the Krikkenai developing in rather diverse ways. In these early stages, the Krikkenai are without any higher thought capacity and even appear to be little more than another part of the wildlife. The fifth stage appears almost identical to the sixth stage, however during this stage they still retain the animalistic mindset and tendencies of previous stages. The sixth stage is the one that is most commonly associated with the Krikkenai. During this stage, they are fully sapient and have reached as far as they can. The developmental period leading up to the sixth stage, including the egg incubation and pupa formation, on average takes seventy years. The sixth stage itself lasts anywhere from twenty to thirty years. The seventh stage is rare, with a hypothesized one in every ten thousand individuals ever experiencing the transition. This stage is a seeming reversion with the Krikkenai metamorphosing into a large metameric creature with several legs and two ‘arm’ structures. In this final stage, the Krikkenai loses all ability to communicate, with all of its audio apparatus disappearing and its telepathic abilities seeming to dissipate. Current theories suggest that this particular stage develops a slightly altered telepathic ability that does not function on the same ‘mental-frequency’ thereby rendering them mute to all but others of their own minds. Individuals at this stage generally live another 10 years.
The sixth stage Krikkenai have a mouth structure similar to many arthropods except that they lack an external labium or labrum. They have a number of mandibles of various sizes as well as several maxillae and two hypopharynx. This affords the Krikkenai the ability to consume a great diversity of foods, which is important as their biology requires several rare nutrients. One particularly poignant example is found in proteins required for regulating cellular equilibrium. Krikkenai require a rather esoteric globular protein only found in a select few species of plantlife on their homeworld. In the greater galaxy, there are several more options but they remain less readily available, making obtaining sustenance a particularly challenging affair offworld. Lacking lungs, Krikkenai accomplish respiration through a series of spiracles throughout the body which, while perfectly functional in the high oxygen environment of their homeworld, does not provide near as much oxygen on an average Human world.
Both final stages appear to be capable of reproduction, with the best clutch of eggs numbering in the tens of thousands. Approximately one third of these eggs are expected to hatch, while about a quarter of those that do hatch survive the following stages. Reaching the sixth stage is usually considered highly positive for further survival, as predation seems to dissipate with the increased size and mental faculties. The sixth and seventh stages see little in the way of attrition, although as mentioned prior few reach the seventh stage. Although there are many theories as to why, there is no present research that has definite support.
An important aspect of the Krikkenai is their ability to communicate telepathically. Their standard capabilities allow every individual to completely comprehend the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of every other individual, although this tends to take years to develop. The culture and society of the Krikkenai has become heavily dependent on this ability, with most of the individuals within the society being totally trusting of each other. When interacting with entities that lack this telepathic capability, the Krikkenai have become cautious and distrusting, assuming that without their powers few others will act in a truly comprehensible manner.
The society of the Krikkenai is largely balanced on the ability to understand each other on a level almost akin to a shared mind, indeed some early visitors to the world believed this species had a hive mind. The governing body, mostly composed of individuals with particularly strong telepathic abilities, commands most of the resources of the world, allocating to fulfill the needs of their people. Interacting with other races has led to a particularly difficult decision process. Driven by a concern that these outsiders may misunderstand the Krikkenai without the telepathic ability, the arthropods usually remain on their world. When traveling to other planets, Krikkenai usually wear masks formed from excess chitin, covering the open mouth area it is intended to reduce the chances of infection through their gullet while simultaneously endeavoring to create a less disturbing visage when dealing with other races. The latter reason is particularly important to them after unfortunate incidents during early meetings with stellar travelers.