The History of the Kreen
We are now in the Brown Times, the age of our kind, when the world is dry. The kreen are matchless in the dry times. Long ago, were the Blue Times, when the world was new, and there was water everywhere, so much water that it appeared blue. The kreen of the Blue Time lived on pieces of land that floated in the water. It is said that early kreen had great, gossamer wings, which they used to fly between the pieces of land. They knew nothing of tools and building, but even then they hunted. In that age were only kreen and animals, and a few plants, on the pieces of land. Then, so slowly that no one could notice until it had already happened, the water went away. The pieces of land grew roots, and the roots grew together, until land covered most of the world, and water stood in only a few places. Plants grew in profusion over the new land. This was the Green Time.
During the Green Time, more animals were born, and hunting was good. The kreen, able to travel to more of the world, discovered wondrous animals, kinds they could not have imagined. During the Green Time, the kreen, much to their surprise, met mammals who could talk. Not quite kreen, they became known as dra-trin, the sleeperslike-people. Now we call them dra, and we reserve the term term for those who are more similar to kreen. The dra were small, but they, over time, gave rise to larger dra, and the many kinds of dra filled their part of the world. To resist the many races of dra, the kreen had to learn new skills. It was during the Green Time that kreen learned the way of fighting with the mind, and with weapons. The kreen fought, and they built, and they learned to change themselves to become better warriors and hunters. They survived. Then came the beginning of the Brown Time, when dra turned on dra, and they used terrible forces on one another. These killed many plants and animals, and the world withered and turned brown. Hunting became poor, but the kreen were wise and skilled, and they could find prey where no others could. And the kreen became more numerous and more powerful, and formed great nations.
The kreen of these before-times built cities, and they made beings of power as well. Many kreen were found in the world. Some stayed in the north, while others went south, to live among the dra who were left, to work with them and share knowledge with them. In the now-times, still part of the Brown Time, there are still many kreen in the world. In the south, the dra turned against the kreen offer of peace, and the nations of the kreen fell. The kreen of the south, where you live, run free, caring for little but the hunt, living near the dra. And to the north? Well, you would be surprised at the kreen of the north...
- the history of the kreen, as told by Klik-Cheka’da zik-trin’ta, tohr-kreen scout
Though his perspective is skewed toward the kreen point of view, Klik’s telling of history is essentially a true one. Long ago, the planet of Athas was covered with water, the non-kreen races call this time the Blue Age, and during that time the halflings had a great and powerful civilization. However, most people do not realize that kreen – the mantis people, usually called by their more specific names, thri-kreen and tohr-kreen – lived during that age as well. During the Blue Age, the kreen were primitive, their development stunted by their environment. The Blue Age ended and the waters retreated, largely due to the actions of the ancient halflings. Plants grew, and all manner of life spread across the surface of Athas. The kreen met the halflings, as well as many of the races that sprang from the halflings, among them dwarves, elves, humans, and giants. The kreen evolved, they developed weapons and a civilization. They honed their mental powers, and many became masters of the Way. Then came the Time of Magic, the age of Rajaat and of the Cleansing Wars he launched to eliminate the offshoots of the halfling race. The kreen did not study magic, nor were they a part of the Cleansing Wars. Because they were not descended from halflings, Rajaat saw the kreen as little more than animals.
At the end of the Cleansing Wars, Rajaat was imprisoned by his champions, who then became the Sorcerer Kings of those lands later called the Tyr Region. For a time, during the Cleansing Wars, the kreen lived in peace with some of the non-kreen peoples, but the ascension of the Sorcerer Kings ended that peace. The kreen of the Tyr Region became the nomadic hunters known as thri-kreen, the mantis warriors.
The Kreen
Physically, thri-kreen and tohr-kreen are the same, except that tohr-kreen might grow to be slightly larger because of a more civilized environment and a better diet. Besides the two different cultural categories of kreen, the southern thri-kreen and the northern tohr-kreen, six physically distinct subspecies exist.
Thri-kreen
The Tyr Region has only two kreen subspecies: the more civilized Jeral and the comparatively barbaric To'ksa. While only about 25% of thri-kreen are Jeral, these are more likely to become adventurers; the net effect is that the number of adventurers of the two species are roughly equal.
Tohr-kreen
Tohr-kreen as they are described in some sources are really specially augmented tohr-kreen scouts, more correctly called zik-tin'ta. While zik-trin'ta are technically tohr-kreen because they come from the lands of the tohrkreen, they are physically unlike thri-kreen, having been surgically and genetically altered to be both faster and more powerful. The term "tohr-kreen" actually refers to a kreen who is physically like a thri-kreen, but who comes from a more civilized and sedentary culture. When the text refers to the augmented kreen, the more correct term ziktrin'ta is used.
Physical Nature
In my travels beyond the great cliff, I encountered several packs of thri-kreen. There are two distinct subspecies of thri-kreen in the so-called Tyr Region; these are offshoots of the Jeral and To'ksa found in the north. While each species has unique details, both share many characteristics, and are physically quite similar to the tohr-kreen and the other related species of the north.
- from the journals of Klik-Chaka 'da
The most obvious and important facet of thri-kreen existence is their insect nature. This gives them a physiology unlike that of the intelligent non-kreen species, such as halflings, humans, elves, dwarves, and others. This provides them with several special abilities, as well as a few disadvantages. Unless aided by magic (or psionics), standard insect physiology is insufficient to keep an insect alive if its size is greatly increased. The insect's chitin would be too heavy for it to support, and the creature's internal systems could no longer provide oxygen and other necessary nutrients to the insect's muscles and organs. Thri-kreen are not magical creatures, but they have evolved greatly from their lesser insect brethren, and have developed a physiology sufficient to support their great size. They differ in many ways from standard insects, as described in the following text.
General Physiology
Thri-kreen are large, both in comparison to normal insects and in comparison to most other intelligent Athasian races. An adult thri-kreen stands 7 feet tall, plus or minus a few inches. From the top of the head to the tip of the abdomen, an thri-kreen measures some 11 feet long, with the slight variance of a few inches. Most adult thri-kreen weigh between 450 and 470 pounds. All adult thri-kreen, regardless of gender, are nearly identical in height and weight. They have few at cells and never become overweight; since their muscles are hidden by their exoskeleton, a strong thri-kreen does not look much different from a weak one. This similarity makes it difficult for members of other races to tell apart individual thri-kreen of the same species, unless the thri-kreen are decorated, scarred, clothed, or equipped in a distinctive way. Despite their great size, thri-kreen are quite dexterous.
While the most agile halflings and elves are equal to the most agile thri-kreen, the average thri-kreen is more dexterous than an average member of any other race.
Skeleton and Muscles
Like other insects, the thri-kreen has an exoskeleton, rather than an internal skeleton like that of a human. Also like other insects, the thri-kreen has three body segments: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Each segment is held together by the thri-kreen's muscles and skeleton. The thri-kreen's skeleton is a chitinous exoskeleton, bolstered by internal strips of cartilage, like those found in certain other arthropods (like crabs). A strip of cartilage runs the length of the thri-kreen's thorax and serves as an anchor for various internal organs. Other strips run through the different segments of the thrikreen's arms and legs, helping support muscles. The strips themselves attach to the thri-kreen's chitin. A thri-kreen's chitin is tough though it is relatively lightweight, weighing about the same as bone. Spikes and other protrusions are often seen on the thri-kreen's chitin; while these look dangerous, they are of little use in combat. The thri-kreen's chitin helps retain moisture, while allowing heat to easily radiate from the thri-kreen's body. Thri-kreen chitin is less brittle and more flexible than most bone, at least as long as it is part of a living thrikreen. However, it is as flexible as a humanoid internal skeleton only at the joints; for example, a thri-kreen cannot shrug or curl into a ball. A thri-kreen's muscles rest along the inside of the chitin segments, and attach by tendons to other chitin segments. Unlike the humanoid structure, in which a major muscle (such as the biceps) flexes, lessening the angle between two bones and pulling them together, a thri-kreen flexing of major muscles increases the angle between chitin segments. This gives a thri-kreen a strong "backhand," so they usually attack in that fashion. Like humanoids, thri-kreen have lesser muscles that can pull the chitin segments in the other direction.
The Body
A thri-kreen's body is divided into three distinct segments, each housing vital organs. This section describes those segments, the organs, and the limbs of a thri-kreen.
The Head
The thri-kreen's head houses the brain and most of the sensory organs, including the eyes and the antennae. The head is also the location of the thri-kreen's mouth, which gives access to the insect's breathing, digestive, and vocal systems.
Antennae
A thri-kreen's antennae are used to smell and hear. Though thri-kreen detect pheromones with their antennae, this is not their sole means of communication, as it is for some Athasian insects. With the antennae, thri-kreen read the pheromone discharges of kreen and other insects; this allows communication of basic emotions and desires, such as hunger, anger, sexual desire, contentment, and so forth. While a thri-kreen's antennae can also pick up scents from other sources, thri-kreen are no more or less vulnerable to scent based attack than others, except against ranike sap. The taste for elf flesh seems to be rooted in the thri-kreen antennae, and it is believed that the scents of a frightened or running elf are appealing to a thri-kreen. While this partially explains the well-known thri-kreen taste for elf flesh, the fact is little known, and elves who know it do not rest any easier. The antennae sound receivers are also sensitive to minute changes in air pressure, informing a thri-kreen about his or her surroundings. If the thri-kreen's sight is impaired, as by darkness or blindness, this pressure detection can roughly locate of nearby objects and creatures. The thri-kreen's method of hearing makes them no more or less vulnerable to sound-based attack than other types of creatures.
Eyesight
The thri-kreen's eyes are often referred to as multifaceted, this is not precisely true. The thri-kreen eye consists of a sphere inside a tough egg-shaped outer shell. The shell is a translucent black (like obsidian), and it covers and protects the thri-kreen's actual sight receptors. On the interior sphere, which can rotate within the shell, are three eyespots (which function as mammalian eyes) and numerous secondary eyelike motion detectors. When light strikes the eye at a certain angle, the motion detectors and eyespots can be seen through the protective shell, giving the thri-kreen's eyes a multi-faceted appearance. When the thri-kreen discharges pheromones (from the abdomen), chemicals are also released into the eye shell, changing the reflected color of the eye. Lighter colors represent pleasant feelings, darker colors denote unpleasant emotions, and bright colors mark passion or strong feeling. Despite these differences in structure, thri-kreen eyesight is, for all practical purposes and miscellaneous effects, the same as mammalian eyesight.
Mandibles/mouth
The thri-kreen's mandibles and mouth are typical for insects. Thri-kreen have no lips or real teeth. Their main mandibles (jaw segments) open and close horizontally, rather than vertically. Another lower jaw segment, located between the main mandibles, closes upward; this segment is not used to bite, but starts food on its way down the thri-kreen's esophagus. Besides these parts, the thri-kreen mouth has small inner mandibles that manipulate food during eating. A thri-kreen also has a tongue; a rough, dry piece of flesh that can reach only a short distance past the inner mandibles. The tongue holds the thri-kreen's taste buds, which have a range similar to those of humanoids. The scent receptors of the antennae also help enhance taste. Neck The thri-kreen's head is connected to the thorax by a flexible neck. A thri-kreen can turn his or her head 90 degrees to each side, and can look both forward and backwards at the same time when the head is so turned.
The Thorax
The thorax is the segment to which the thri-kreen's limbs are attached; it also houses most of the internal organs. While the thorax is a single segment, it is often considered to have two parts. The upper portion, the prothorax, holds the thri-kreen's lungs and heart, and is the segment to which the thri-kreen's four arms are attached.
Protothorax
The lungs of the thri-kreen are similar to those of a mammal; one lung lies on each side of the cartilage strip that bisects the thorax, and both attach to the long esophagus. A thri-kreen technically has two hearts, but they work so closely in tandem, they are usually considered a single organ. Like the lungs, the hearts are divided by the cartilage strip. They lie along the strip and along the lungs; together they produce a heartbeat with a four-beat cadence. Each heart pumps in blood from the veins at the bottom, oxygenates it during the trip past the lungs, and expels "fresh" blood into the arteries at the top. Each heart has its own set of arteries and veins, which interacts little with the system of the other heart.
The prothorax also holds various smaller organs and glands, including the thri-kreen's poison glands, which are located at the top of the prothorax. The prothorax can rotate almost 90 degrees on the lower thorax; combined with the flexibility of the neck, this can allow a thri-kreen to look 180 degrees from the orientation of the lower body. The prothorax can bend as much as 45 degrees forward or backwards as well. This allows the thri-kreen to stand "upright," with the prothorax perpendicular to the abdomen, or to bend the thorax to almost the same plane as the abdomen. The latter position decreases the thri-kreen's height to about three or four feet, but is uncomfortable and can be maintained for only a few minutes at a time.
Lower Thorax
The lower thorax is well buffered by strong muscles and other tissue to absorb the shock of leaps, for the thrikreen 's powerful legs are attached here. Arteries, veins, and the digestive tract pass through the lower thorax, but most of that portion of the body is taken up by the gyth'sa, a large, spongy organ that produces the thri-kreen's blood. Those who have studied thri-kreen anatomy for the purposes of killing them recognize this organ's importance; it is often mistaken for the thri-kreen's heart, and stabbing it is both easier and more effective than hitting one of the thri-kreen's true hearts. The blood produced is thick, and dark yellow in color. Other important components of the blood, such as the thri-kreen equivalent of platelets and the disease-fighting white cells, are produced by other organs in the lower thorax. The lower thorax attaches to the abdomen with a somewhat flexible joint that allows the thri-kreen to raise or lower the abdomen slightly, or to "wag" the abdomen a like amount.
Limbs
Thri-kreen, though they are much like mantises, have no wings. However, some species related to the thri-kreen that do have wings.
Arms and Legs
A thri-kreen has four arms and two legs, unlike less evolved mantises such as trin, which have two arms and four legs. The joints attaching these limbs to the thrikreen's body are fairly flexible, much like the humanoid equivalents of shoulders and hips, allowing a fair degree of rotation. As shown on the poster, thri-kreen have no real shoulders.
Hands
Because their hands are enclosed in chitin, thri-kreen do not have a great deal of touch-sensitivity in the hands. They can detect heat and cold, and can tell rough surfaces from smooth ones, but most differences in texture are lost on them. To a thri-kreen, burlap feels about the same as silk.
Feet
Thri-kreen feet have four toes, three that point forward and one that points backwards; a strong membrane stretches between the forward toes, allowing the thri-kreen great mobility in sand.
The Abdomen
A thri-kreen's abdomen, like the rest of the body, is protected by segments of chitin; these look something like bands circling the thri-kreen's abdomen at intervals. Some species, such as To'ksa, have a non-protective shell of chitin that may be vestigial wing casings.
Organs
The thri-kreen's abdomen holds digestive and reproductive organs, as well as the glands that produce pheromones. The primary digestive organs (stomach and intestines) are located near the front of the abdomen, while the thri-kreen's excretory system and reproductive organs are located near the back. A female's reproductive organs are located on the top of the abdomen, while the male's are beneath; both are protected by chitinous plates. Gender differences are not readily noticeable to members of other races.
Pheronomes
A thri-kreen exudes pheromones through pores along the sides of the abdomen. While the thri-kreen can voluntarily control this with effort, most releases of pheromones are unconscious and indicate the thri-kreen's mood to other insects. Thri-kreen pheromones are odorless to most humanoids, and cannot be detected except perhaps as a vague feeling, such as mild hunger or unease; even in such cases, the source is not obvious.
Healing
Because damage to a thri-kreen usually indicates damage to the thri-kreen's chitin, thri-kreen healing is also different from that of other beings. A thri-kreen's internal injuries heal at about the same rate as similar injuries done to humanoids. With a thri-kreen, platelets reaching a wound become exposed to air and cause the blood to not only clot, but harden; the hardening blood develops into chitin in a relatively short time, usually within a day. A thri-kreen who receives a deep wound might develop a lump of chitin beneath the outer shell; this might be reabsorbed by the body over a period of a year or more, depending on its size. Such a growth seldom interferes with the thri-kreen in any way. New chitin is usually of a slightly lighter color than the surrounding material, usually making scars more evident on a thri-kreen than on a humanoid. Wounds do not always heal smoothly; the new chitin is often rough and exudes past the surface of uninjured chitin. Care must be taken if the thri-kreen wants a wound to heal smoothly; sandstone and other rough materials can be used to smooth the area. Thri-kreen usually wear their scars with some pride, and an old thri-kreen often has chitin laced with scars and covered with knobs and other protrusions.
Besides damage to chitin, a thri-kreen can suffer other injuries as well. A broken chitin segment must be set, like a broken bone in a human, and eventually heals. Removing a segment of a thri-kreen's arm is like severing a humanoid's arm. Healing magic works the same on thri-kreen as on other beings.
Vulnerabilities
Not all of a thri-kreen's adaptations are completely advantageous. For example a thri-kreen's ability to detect pheromones also makes him or her vulnerable to smoke produced by ranike sap. Thri-kreen and other related species find the odor repugnant and can approach only with difficulty. Ranike trees grow high in the Ringing Mountains. The thri-kreen cannot swim. They cannot float without support, and their arms, legs, and hands are not built to propel them through water. If the water reaches their breathing holes, they drown much more quickly than a human. For this reason, thri-kreen tend to dislike and distrust accumulations of water larger than a small pool. That thri-kreen have fully adapted to life in arid climates actually works against them in other areas. A thri-kreen who spends an extended period in a humid region, such as the Forest Ridge, can develop lung infections and chitin-rot.
Reproduction
In many ways, a thri-kreen matures at age four. At this time, the thri-kreen has only four molts left. Physical development is finished, except for the growth associated with the molts, and the thri-kreen is fertile. Thri-kreen between the ages of four and twenty-five can breed successfully. Thri-kreen often choose mates early in life, any time after reaching age three (the young adult stage), and often before they reach sexual maturity. Young thri-kreen choose their own mates. A thri-kreen will mate only with a clutchmate. Dangerous recessive traits were eliminated from thri-kreen many centuries ago, so inbreeding is not a problem.
Mating usually occurs in latter part of the year, during the time of the ascending sun; eggs are laid about 30 days later. A female thri-kreen lays many eggs at one time, normally between 10 and 30. The eggs are about six inches in diameter, and dun in color, the female digs a chamber and places the eggs inside, then covers them with sand. A thri-kreen pack will halt for several days to allow a member (or members) to lay eggs; pack members scout the area and set up a defensive perimeter. This is the only time when a female thri-kreen is treated any differently socially than a male thri-kreen. The thri-kreen realize the importance of producing eggs. Most pack have regular egg-laying grounds, often the same grounds where thri-kreen dead are laid to rest. In allowing the eggs to develop and hatch in what is essentially a graveyard, the thri-kreen believe the young will take on the characteristics of the strong and wise old thri-kreen laid to rest there. In addition, the carapaces of the dead thri-kreen serve as shelter for the young, and the carcasses attract carrion-eaters that serve as food for hungry, newly-hatched larvae. After the eggs are buried, the thri-kreen move on. Some eggs are eaten by predators; to the practical thri-kreen, this is just nature's way of insuring that too many thri-kreen do no overrun the region. About 60 days later, usually right around the time of the highest sun, surviving eggs hatch, and the hatchling thri-kreen move about, feeding on small animals and learning to use their hunting instincts.
Because of predators and generally harsh conditions, some clutches never hatch, while others are destroyed soon after hatching. Note that the given clutch mortality rates are average; some clutches are destroyed completely, while others lose only a fraction of their members. Thus, a new clutch of thri-kreen might have less than a half-dozen members, while the rare clutch that hatches in an excellent environment might reach adulthood with 20 or more members.
Stages of Life
Thri-kreen live short lives; they are mature adults at the age of five, and are considered of venerable age when they reach 25 years. Two (or more) complete generations of thri-kreen can be hatched and die during the lifetime of a member of one of the major intelligent non-kreen races of Athas. Due to their short lifespans, thri-kreen grow and change very rapidly when young. Within six years of his or her hatching, a thri-kreen grows from one foot to approximately 11 feet in length.
Larva
Upon hatching, a thri-kreen larva is curled to fit within an egg, and has a soft shell. The chitin hardens somewhat in the first few hours of the thri-kreen's life. By the end of the thri-kreen's first day, its chitin is just as tough as an adult’s. The term "larva" is somewhat misleading, because it conjures images of the larvae of other insects, usually worm-like creatures quite different from the adult forms. A thri-kreen larva looks much like an adult, but in many ways resembles more primitive mantids as well. A thri-kreen larva has four legs, two attached to the prothorax and two attached to the lower thorax. The larva can run as soon as hatching is finished, and scampers quickly about on these legs while tying to survive the critical first hours of life. The larva has only two arms; these terminate in grasping claws much like those of primitive mantids, rather than in the manipulative fingers of the adult thri-kreen. The claws are relatively weak, and are smooth, rather than spiked like those of a primitive mantis. One great aid to the thri-kreen's rapid development, probably a survival trait evolved because of the thrikreen lifestyle and short lifespan, is the thri-kreen's "racial memory." When hatched, a thri-kreen already knows many things, which the larva "remembers" from the experience of ancestors. While some of this knowledge is mental, some is also physical: a hatchling thri-kreen "remembers" the thri-kreen language, but also has finely developed hunting instincts, including quick and correct actions. Though well-adapted for hunting, once a young thrikreen has been brought into a pack, the adults take care of hunting. The young are taught how to prepare and preserve hunted food. The larva grows rapidly during the first year, molting twice and more than doubling in length during that time. The second molt occurs at the end of the first year and marks the thri-kreen's transition into the child stage.
Child
Structurally, a thri-kreen child is almost identical to a larva, but is larger. While probably wiser and stronger, the thri-kreen child has no special abilities other than those possessed by larvae, with one exception: the thri-kreen's middle pair of limbs are becoming more useful. As mentioned, a larva's middle limbs are legs. This is the same with the child, but the child thri-kreen begins experimenting with lifting those limbs and using them to move things. The claws at the end of these limbs are rough versions of the hands of the adult, but are clumsy; they are barely able to grasp objects, and cannot wield them with any finesse. The middle limbs can be used for combat in a rudimentary fashion. During the year as a child, the thri-kreen learns to walk and run on two legs, and to manipulate things roughly with the middle pair of arms. When the thri-kreen molts at the end of the year, entering the "young" age category, the limbs alter significantly, and fully functional, clawed hands emerge from the grasping claws and rough hands of the child.
Young
The young thri-kreen is a smaller version of the adult, almost identical in shape if not size. The young thri-kreen is still proportionately slender in comparison to adults. During this year of life, the thri-kreen learns to use its claws to attack and to manipulate tools and weapons. If adult thri-kreen are nearby, they often provide the young with chatkcha or small gythka, so the young can get used to handling them. Though the young might use the small gythka and practice with the chatkcha, they are not yet agile enough to properly handle the latter. Young thrikreen rely primarily on their natural weapons. A young thri-kreen can also move at the same rate as an adult. A thri-kreen learns how to leap at this age, as metabolic changes bring that part of the racial memory to prominence.
Young Adult
The young adult is little different from the young thrikreen, except in size. The transition to young adulthood brings no extra abilities. A young adult continues to learn the use of tools and weapons, however, and usually begins to access skills. If the thri-kreen has older mentors, they teach the young adult the requirements of the pack. At the end of the year as a young adult, the thri-kreen "fills out," becoming broader of body in the manner of the mature thri-kreen. The claws also grow during this molt. This mark the thri-kreen's transition into the "adult" stage. Adult Most of the thri-kreen's abilities have developed by this age. The thri-kreen is sexually mature and is considered an adult in all social ways. Mating often takes place during this stage of the thri-kreen's life, before the thrikreen enters the "wandering age," as described later. Within a few days after becoming an adult, a thri-kreen raised as a hunter develops the ability to produce venom when he or she bites. This also provides the ability to produce crystal for chatkcha; this is due to racial memory prompted by the production of the enzymes that make up the thri-kreen's venom. Within 60 days after the molt which ushers in the transition to adulthood, the thri-kreen has usually produced a chatkcha and learned how to wield it; this is proven to other pack members in a special ceremony. This marks the thri-kreen's full acceptance into a pack.
Mature Adult
The mature adult thri-kreen is bigger than the adult, a year older, and hopefully wiser. In terms of abilities, the mature adult is almost identical to the adult. In this period a thri-kreen hones the use of his or her abilities to a fine edge. Typically, thri-kreen reproduce during this year of their life. During this sixth year of the thri-kreen's life, the thrikreen's last two molts occur. These bring few changes, except in size.
Molting
Molting is the rather painful process of shedding old chitin and growing its replacement. The thri-kreen molts twice each year for the first six years of life, a total of 12 times before reaching full growth. Between molting, a thri-kreen grows little, perhaps as much as an inch or two total as chitin plates are stretched to their limits before the next molt A thri-kreen instinctively knows when molting time approaches, and enters a frenzy of eating to take in enough nutrients to fuel the change. During molting, a thri-kreen must take in about twice as much liquid as usual, at least one-quarter gallon each day for good growth and strong chitin. A molt takes about eight days to complete. During molting, the thri-kreen sheds portions of shell and grows quickly. Only part of the chitin is lost at a time; for example, a thti-kreen might shed one or two of the rings of chitin about the abdomen: The abdomen grows in the exposed areas and blood oozes over it, eventually hardening into new chitin. Later, other parts of the chitin are lost and replaced in the same way. Thri-kreen, especially larvae and children, often eat the pieces of chitin they shed, restoring some nutrients to their bodies. While molting, the thri-kreen grows half the amount required to reach the size of the next age category. For example, a larva is one foot long at hatching, and reaches three feet when entering the "child" age category. The larva grows one foot during the first molt, six months after hatching; six months later, the larva molts again, growing another foot, and entering the next age category in the process. Note that the proportionate growth in a young thri-kreen is great; during the first three or four molts of a thri-kreen's life, observers can actually see growth if they watch closely.
During molting, a thri-kreen is relatively helpless, and makes efforts to stay out of harm's way. The thri-kreen does not travel or hunt. All members of a clutch molt at approximately the same time, with a variation of only 6 days between the time when molting starts. This means there is a certain amount of time during which the entire clutch is incapacitated. A fortunate clutch is aided by other thri-kreen who stand guard; these are generally thri-kreen of the same pack, and are sometimes members of a clutch that hatched a few days before or after the molting clutch. Molting is followed by another frenzy of hunting and eating as the thri-kreen takes in the nutrients necessary to fill out the new chitin with muscle and other flesh.
Wandering Age
Between the ages of six and 25, the thri-kreen goes through few physical changes, except those due to injury or disease. While other species suffer loss of ability periodically throughout their lives, thri-kreen decline only later. The thri-kreen is finished growing and molting, so travel is safe; most thri-kreen who plan on producing young have done so, and feel no compulsion to spend time breeding, laying eggs, or watching over young. It is during these years that most thri-kreen wander, either as part of nomadic hunting or raiding pack, or on their own. It is at the age of six – or sometime thereafter – that character thri-kreen begin to seek adventure, often mixing with members of other races, sometimes traveling to the permanent settlements of humans or dwarves. Thri-kreen of wandering age are, in many ways, the epitome of the species. They are concerned only with the hunt, or with the pursuit of their professions, and have few ties or responsibilities other than those associated with the clutch.
The End of Life
Barring accident or other tragedy, the typical thri-kreen lives at least 25 years; some live for longer, though only rarely have there been reports of thri-kreen living longer than 35 years. It is when a thri-kreen reaches the age of 25 that he or she declines somewhat in ability, slowing down somewhat and becoming slightly weaker and less agile. The chitin begins to lighten in hue, first at the joints and gradually spreading to the more rigid sections. A thri-kreen who is 25 years or older is considered a venerable elder by the pack. Most thri-kreen of this age stop wandering over large territories, and confine themselves to smaller regions. Often, venerable thri-kreen live near egg-laying grounds, so they can help teach larvae and young the thri-kreen way.
Since most egg-laying grounds are also near (or within) burial grounds, a venerable thri-kreen seldom has far to go when ready to die. Until that time, the thri-kreen elder remains vital and active, but when the time to die naturally approaches, the thri-kreen can sense it, and goes on a last hunt. Thri-kreen prefer to die as they lived, hunting, wanting nothing more than to expire in battle, or after having killed prey. Thri-kreen packs who find expired elders usually take the corpse to the nearest burial ground, where it feeds other predators or young thri-kreen. If there is a priest among the thri-kreen, or if the dead elder was a priest, then the appropriate elemental rites are conducted: shallow burial for earth, cremation for fire, exposure for air, and (if possible) sinking or at least dowsing for water. Eventually, the thri-kreen exoskeleton bleaches white and becomes brittle; some time later, it returns to the elements that gave rise to it.
Venom and Crystal
An adult thri-kreen develops the ability to produce enzymes that act as a paralyzing agent when entering the body of an opponent. Once the thri-kreen's venomproducing gland has been activated, another part of the racial memory is brought to prominence: the knowledge of how to use the venom to make a special crystal called dasl.
The Venom
The enzymes for the thri-kreen's venom are produced in a small organ in the upper thorax; ducts lead from there to the thri-kreen's mouth. The enzymes are secreted onto the mandibles, which deliver the poison to an opponent on a successful bite. The venom becomes active within one minute of its delivery, and paralyzes almost any kind of creature-except for thri-kreen and members of closelyrelated species. Though rumors occasionally circulate that males are vulnerable to the venom of females, this is untrue; thrikreen are completely immune to thri-kreen venom. It should be noted that races related to thri-kreen have venomous bites as well, and the poison is somewhat different. Still the thri-kreen are immune to the poisons of related creatures like tohr-kreen, trin, zik-trin'ta, and zik-chil, just as those beings are immune to the poisonous bite of the thri-kreen. The thri-kreen's venom is useful in combat and in hunting. A thri-kreen uses the venom without reservation; it allows him or her to quickly paralyze prey, then move on to capture or kill more prey, increasing the amount acquired for the clutch. The production of the venomous enzymes is prompted by the adrenalin surges created by combat and other stressful events. The combat effects of the venom are further discussed in the next chapter. The thri-kreen might voluntarily give up the use of venom for a time to produce dasl.
Dasl
As mentioned, the production of venom makes it possible for a thri-kreen to produce a crystalline substance called dasl. This material is used primarily to produce chatkcha, the "throwing wedges" used by the thri-kreen. Dasl is important to the thri-kreen culture; they regard the substance with an almost religious reverence, largely because it is produced directly by them, so is like a part of the thri-kreen. Dasl is also useful, particularly in making chatkcha for use in the ceremony of adulthood; dasl is used almost exclusively for chatkcha. The crystal is made using sand and the thri-kreen's venomous saliva. The thri-kreen chews a common herb (called fejik by humanoids, but known as zik-thok by thri-kreen; the herb is found almost anywhere on Athas where there is plant life, and is used as an inexpensive food seasoning by some humanoids). The plant serves as a catalyst. When the venom and plant juice are spit onto sand, the sand bonds together into an opaque, crystalline substance, much like cloudy glass. For approximately a day, this substance is soft enough to be shaped by a thrikreen using claws or simple tools. Dasl weighs approximately the same amount as a similar volume of stone, but is quite similar to steel in terms of holding an edge, breakage, and so forth. Therefore, dasl chatkcha (and other weapons) are sturdier than those made of stone, bone, or wood. It might seem that a thrikreen would want to produce many weapons made of dasl; this is basically true, but there are three reasons why dasl is uncommon.
First, dasl's production is a racial secret. Second, the fabrication of dasl prevents the thri-kreen from using venom. Chewing zik-thok paralyzes the venom glands for one full day. Conversely, a venomous bite depletes stores of the enzymes; a thri-kreen must wait at least 12 hours after biting before being able to create dasl. Making a chatkcha requires enough venom that a thri-kreen cannot use the poisonous bite for 10 days; a thri-kreen who carries several chatkcha is considered a formidable warrior, to have survived many days without venom. The slow process of creating weapons, makes most thri-kreen consider carefully before committing too much time to making dasl. Finally, dasl is not suitable for all types of weapons or equipment. Besides the reverence it is given, which makes it too important to be used for common objects, it cannot handle the physical stress put on large or oddly-shaped items; see the next section for details.
Making Weapons of Dasl
A chatkcha can be produced by a thri-kreen who devotes venom to the task for 10 days. These days need not be consecutive; part of the catalyzed venom is used to bond pieces of dasl together. The venom can also be used to repair a broken dasl item, at the cost of being unable to use venom for the next day. As the thri-kreen makes a dasl chatkcha, racial memories of how to use it are triggered as well. While chatkcha can be made of other materials, the dasl ones are the most personal and the most prized, both for their revered substance and their sturdiness. Like dasl itself, the crystal chatkcha are considered almost a part of the thri-kreen; dasl is made for chatkcha, and the shape of the chatkcha is ideal for dasl.
The crystal is sometimes used to make a head for a gythka; this requires 20 days for the standard gythka shape. Thus, to make both heads for a gythka takes 40 days. Dasl is seldom used for any purpose other than making chatkcha or gythka, because of its cultural importance, the secrecy around it, its elimination of the thri-kreen's venomous bite, and its general unsuitability for other purposes. The crystal's lattice structure is stable in small, threepronged items like chatkcha and the heads of gythka. However, the structure is unstable if used for other constructions. A dasl breastplate, for example, if a thrikreen could be persuaded to make such a thing, would break into smaller pieces when struck. A dasl long sword would break the first time it was used, because the crystalline structure would not support the length of the weapon compared to its width.
Just for clarification, dasl can be used for chatkcha, kyorkcha, and gythka; short, wide-bladed knives, such as most punching and throwing daggers; heads for arrows, spears, axes, and similar items; and short spikes for such things as morning stars. Remember also that dasl is coveted; since it is as strong as steel, but weighs half as much, those who know about it desire it – especially if it is used in "normal" weapons, other than chatkcha. A thrikreen who walks around with several weapons made with dasl is asking for trouble, in the same way as a human who walk around with several metal weapons.
Psychological Nature
The thri-kreen of the Tablelands have a rather primitive view of the world, but their mentality is still similar to that of the kreen of the north. Much of our common behavior stems from our insect nature. Among the thri-kreen of the Tablelands, the constant struggle for survival greatly influences their beliefs and practices. Of course, the racial memory of our kind gives all kreen common ground and insures that certain values are upheld. Of paramount importance among all kreen of all lands is the clutch. It was interesting to observe the interaction of thri-kreen with members of the non-kreen races in the Tablelands. The southern thri-kreen are also exposed to magic, a great rarity among our kind. For the less informed, magic is a manipulative talent, much like chaka, which the non-kreen call psionics. Magic relies more heavily on external forces, however, and requires many accoutrements unnecessary to chakak.
- from the journals of Klik-Chaka'da, zik-trin’ta explorer
Without a doubt, the most important aspect of the thrikreen psychological nature is reverence for the clutch and for clutchmates. This shapes kreen behavior at all times, even when not among clutchmates.
Clutch, Pack, and Nation
First, most humans and other non-kreen have a skewed view of the clutch mentality, and often confuse packs with clutches. Clutch mentality is hereafter referred to by its thri-kreen name, tokchak (literally "egg-mind"). Many non-kreen mistake tokchak for more basic instincts, referring to thri-kreen as "hive" beings. While the reverence and need for the clutch is admittedly mostly instinctual among thri-kreen, the modes of behavior encouraged by tokchak require thought; tokchak also does not have the level of sub-psionic mental and pheromonal communication found in true hive beings. Thri-kreen are not at all like such insectoid creatures as antloids. "Clutch" has three meanings, as used by thri-kreen.
First, a clutch is all of the eggs laid by a single kreen at the same time – as many as 30 eggs. Second, it is all thri-kreen who hatch from a single clutch of eggs; this is sometimes called a "birth clutch." Third, a clutch is a thri-kreen and any other intelligent beings accepted by that thri-kreen as clutchmates. A clutch of eggs is called a tok ("egg" or "eggs") in the thri-kreen language. A clutch of living thri-kreen and other clutchmates is called g'tok, or "egg-family." A thri-kreen can belong to several clutches at once, and usually belongs to at least two: the birth clutch, and a clutch formed later in life by taking new clutchmates. The difference between clutches is somewhat important to a thri-kreen; while all clutchmates are considered equal, the birth clutch is considered special (sort of first among equals). A "pack" (tek in thri-kreen) is a group of thri-kreen that consists of several clutches. All the clutches of a single pack are interrelated; that is, each clutch has at least one member who is also a member of another clutch of the same pack. A lone thri-kreen seeks to find new clutchmates. To be accepted as a clutchmate, another being must be trusted, liked, and respected by the thri-kreen. The decision is relatively subjective, and the thri-kreen might judge prospective clutchmates in other ways as well. If the various individual criteria are met, the thri-kreen accepts the prospect as a clutchmate. Often, if another being fights at the side of and defends the thri-kreen, the other will be considered a clutchmate almost immediately. No one is ever accepted into a birth clutch. Instead, the first clutchmate accepted beyond the birth clutch is the first of a new clutch for the thri-kreen. Later, others can be accepted into this new clutch – if approved by all the clutchmates of that clutch. Approval is sometimes verbal, sometimes assumed; a thri-kreen who accepts a clutchmate and later accepts a second may either ask the first clutchmate to accept the new one, or might just observe until the first clutchmate has apparently accepted the second. In clutches with non-kreen members, it is usually easier for the thri-kreen to observe than try to explain to the non-kreen why the questions are being asked, and exactly what they mean. A thri-kreen can still accept new clutchmates who are not approved by a clutch; these individuals are the beginnings of other clutches. A thri-kreen who has traveled for many years might have several clutches, some with several members, some that include only the thrikreen and one other clutchmate. In some cases, a thrikreen's clutchmate might even be a member of two or more of the thri-kreen's clutches, if accepted by all the members of more than one clutch. Note that a thri-kreen who accepts a new clutchmate does not necessarily inform the new clutchmate of this fact. Another thri-kreen simply knows when such a bond is formed; when thri-kreen accept each other as clutchmates, they do so at almost the same time, as if linked psychically. This is largely a function of pheromones. A thri-kreen accepting another as a clutchmate releases a special pheromone that tells the other (subliminally) that the clutchmate bond is being formed. If the other agrees, he or she also releases the pheromone, automatically. If not another, negative pheromone is released, and the bonding does not occur, in either direction. Because a thri-kreen clutchmate knows, a thri-kreen expects other clutchmates to know as well – and because the new non-kreen clutchmate cannot release pheromones, a refusal cannot be received, so the thri-kreen expects to be accepted as a clutchmate by the other as well. This can lead to confusion. Certain more worldly thri-kreen, who know more about non-kreen psychology, often inform the prospective nonkreen clutchmate that they are being considered; a wise prospect, one who expresses feelings of honor at receiving this compliment, can then be accepted as a clutchmate. The duties, responsibilities, and privileges of a clutchmate are many. A clutchmate can depend on a great deal of support from other clutchmates, and is expected to give the same kind of support to them. Belonging to a clutch determines the thri-kreen's place in the universe, and gives the thri-kreen a set of parameters within which he or she must operate. The requirements of a clutch transcend alignment. Thri-kreen might be good or evil, lawful or chaotic, but the thri-kreen still behaves the same way toward clutch and clutchmates. Regardless of the thri-kreen's true alignment, behavior toward clutch and clutchmates is essentially lawful good. This is one of the reasons why other races consider thrikreen unpredictable, whether they are truly chaotic or not; a thri-kreen that behaves one way with clutchmates might behave in a strikingly different manner with others. The duties of a clutchmate are simple at the basic level: help the clutch. This is enough for the thri-kreen, and serves as a guideline throughout life. Thri-kreen seldom think about the details of the duties. Many of the details are not even spoken; the thri-kreen simply understands the duties and would never think of shirking them. A thri-kreen finds it difficult to express the "rules" of clutch behavior; when such things must be explained (as to a non-kreen clutchmate), the thri-kreen sometimes tells the story of the Great Race.
The Law of the Clutch
If a thri-kreen were to describe the duties of a clutchmate, they would include the following
• Protect and aid the clutch and other clutchmates.
• Practice the hunt and other skills needed for survival.
• In all cases when aid of any kind is required or requested, give first consideration to clutchmates, then to packmates, then to other kreen, then to other intelligent life, then to prey.
• Follow the orders of the clutchleader.
• For the good of the clutch, challenge the clutchleader who becomes weak, and be ready to assume leadership of the clutch from a weak leader.
• Offer advice to the clutchleader, in case there is knowledge the leader does not possess.
• Accept the results of a challenge without argument.
• There is no shame in being a clutchsecond, or even in being the weakest member of a clutch. Just as somebody must be the most powerful in a clutch, so must somebody be weakest. It is enough to belong to the clutch.
Breaking the Ties
Generally, the only way to leave a clutch is through death. This is the only way a thri-kreen ever leaves a clutch of thri-kreen; they do not quit a clutch. Other people can stop being clutchmates to a thri-kreen, either by their own choice (if they understand tokchak, or more likely, by the thri-kreen's choice.
Sometimes a thri-kreen will accept a human or other non-kreen as a clutchmate. Later, the thri-kreen might realize the non-kreen was not quite what was expected from initial impressions. This may result from initial confusion on the non-kreen's part about what is expected of a clutchmate; or confusion because the non-kreen did not know he or she was being considered, because the thrikreen did not know to inform the non-kreen of that fact. In such a case, the thri-kreen can release the clutch bond; if the other knew about it, the thri-kreen tells the other, in a matter-of-fact manner, that the other is no longer a clutchmate. No explanation should be required, but a thri-kreen will be brutally honest if pressed. This type of bond-breaking is done without malice or grudge, at least on the thri-kreen's part. Most thri-kreen understand nonkreen well enough to know that sometimes mistakes are made regarding them. An unsatisfactory clutchbonding is such a mistake, and can be corrected by breaking the bond.
Since thri-kreen never bond with other kreen by mistake, breaking a bond rarely occurs. When thri-kreen decide they do not get along (usually because they have different goals and plans) the two just go their separate ways, with the clutch-bond intact. If they run into each other again, they try to avoid one another, but honor the clutch-bond if it comes up. It is rare, though possible, for thri-kreen to sever a bond formally; it requires one to inform the other, and requires the other to agree. This is sometimes done amiably, if the thri-kreen simply have different goals, but can escalate into a fight if one of the thri-kreen takes insult at being asked to break such an important bond. In such cases, the one asked to break the bond fights to deny the implication that he or she is a poor clutchmate. On some occasions, a clutchmate might do something so reprehensible that the thri-kreen immediately expels the other from as a clutchmate, and seek revenge. There is no room in the thri-kreen philosophy for the clutchmate who goes bad.
An accepted clutchmate who betrays the clutch receives death, as quickly and as brutally as the thri-kreen can give it. If there are more than one thri-kreen in the group, they all attack the betrayer. There is a word in the thri-kreen language, g'tokxhko*; it means, literally, "clutch-breaker," with some rather unpleasant connotations. It is such a vile insult, the worst that can be given by (or to) a thrikreen, that it is seldom even thought, let alone spoken. The thri-kreen would rather just kill the clutchbreaker as quickly as possible and go on with things. Once a clutchbreaker has been destroyed, the thri-kreen never speak of that individual again; it is as if the clutch-breaker never existed.
Clutch Leadership
As previously stated, a clutch is organized along a strict hierarchy based on dominance; each clutch member knows who is more powerful and who is less powerful. In most cases, determination of clutch hierarchy is peaceful; most thri-kreen can tell who is more or less powerful and aggressive, and give or take orders accordingly. Most positions in the hierarchy are determined by someone giving an order or making a suggestion, and others following it; the one whose suggestions are followed the most is the clutchleader, while the clutchsecond is the one followed next most frequently, and so forth, to the thri-kreen who takes the dominance (and orders) of all other clutch members. When hierarchy is determined in this manner, it relies partly on the thri-kreen's charisma; however, the other thri-kreen in a clutch also judge a potential leader's intelligence, aggressiveness, and strength before taking an order. Thus, a non-charismatic warrior who the clutch recognizes as a strong and cunning hunter will be accepted as leader more readily than a charismatic, but weak, individual. A thri-kreen unhappy with his or her place in the order – either a clutchsecond unhappy with the leader, or someone lower trying to move up a little for the good of the clutch – can make a dominance challenge. The two contenders fight until one surrenders or dies. After the fight, no bad will exists between the contestants; once the issue of dominance is resolved, they both go about their business with the full security of knowing just where they stand in the clutch.
Clutch Hierarchy The clutch hierarchy system does not mean thri-kreen shirk their duties. If humans were organized in such a way, and the leader issued an order, the order would likely be passed down by each person to the next lowest person in the order, until the person in the lowest position ended up doing everything. This does not happen in a thri-kreen clutch. When a clutchleader issues an order, the order is usually given to a specific thri-kreen, normally the best suited to the task, someone the clutchleader wants to test for ability, or someone whom the leader wants to gain experience. If no one specific is named, the clutchsecond or the thri-kreen best able to perform the task voluntarily takes it.
Pack and Nation
As previously discussed, a pack is composed of several clutches. The nation – at least in the Tyr Region – is a collection of pack with no real cohesion; the term "nation" is simply used as a convenience (primarily by humans and other non-kreen) to describe thri-kreen who roam the same region and do similar things. The thri-kreen of Tyr do not consider themselves to be organized into nations of any kind. Thri-kreen do recognize the existence of pack, and they tend to use the name of the pack to identify themselves, as in "Lakta-Cho of the Chtik-tek," which means roughly, "Finder of lostknowledge, of the Yellow Hills hunting pack." A pack generally has members of only one species of thri-kreen; a typical pack consists of either Jeral or To'ksa, only. Each pack has a leader, a packsecond, a council clutch, and its own local customs: packmates are expected to treat other packmates a certain way. The pack leader is the most powerful clutchleader, but not necessarily the leader of the most powerful clutch. For example, the leader of a clutch of three might be more powerful than the leader of a clutch of 30; if so, the leader of three is also the leader of the pack – assuming he or she wishes it, and all challenges are accepted and conducted properly. All the clutch leaders of a pack make up a clutch of their own; this clutch of clutchleaders serves as an informal council when the packleeader wants advice before making an important decision. Pack leadership is always determined by challenge, never simply according to who gives and takes orders. When a clutch joins a pack, its leader challenges other clutchleaders to find his or her correct place in the hierarchy. The challenges can start with any other clutchleader, but most clutchleaders know instinctively where they might fit in. A pack can have any number of clutches, and any number of members. Most packs have between 30 and 100 members, and as many clutches as those comprise; the great majority of packs have between two and 12 clutches, and fewer than 50 members. Larger packs are seldom practical, given the hunting conditions throughout the Tyr Region; if a pack grows too large, it splits, with the packleader taking several clutches one way, and the packsecond taking the rest of the clutches in another direction. Though a clutch might have non-kreen members, a thrikreen pack hardly ever collectively considers a non-kreen to be part of the pack. A pack might, for a time, accept the leadership of some powerful human or humanoid, but this is a rare and unstable arrangement. Though a thri-keen pack never truly accepts a non-kreen leader, at least one thri-kreen has created a pack with non-kreen members. The duties of a packmate are similar to those of a clutchmate, but not so binding. While a thri-kreen feels an irresistible biological and psychological compulsion to treat clutchmates in a certain way, the urge to treat packmates likewise is not nearly so strong. The thrikreen reveres packmates, because they are clutchmates of clutchmates, or are perhaps "related" through more clutches. The packmate is therefore worthy of respect. While the packmate might not be a clutchmate, the packmate is automatically worthy of consideration for that status. Packmates are generally treated as clutchmates when possible, though a thri-kreen is not compelled to favor a packmate; he or she can forego that treatment for a time if it is inconvenient, or if it interferes with duties to clutch or clutchmate. Some thri-kreen, when away from other thri-kreen, take an intermediary step with members of other races. Before accepting an individual as a clutchmate, the thri-kreen accepts that person as a packmate. Though such a status is unofficial, and carries no real compulsion, for some thri-kreen it is a comfortable step on the way to accepting a non-kreen completely, as a clutchmate.
Since there are no true nations of thri-kreen in the Tyr Region, these thri-kreen have no such status as "nationmate." The thri-kreen and tohr-kreen of the North do have real nations; these are based on race, so the more correct word for kreen of the same nation, but not of the same pack, is essentially "racemate." Thri-kreen in the Tyr Region also recognize racemates. Racemates receive no special privileges from their other racemates, beyond a simple recognition as a sapient being and a potentially kindred spirit – but one that might compete for hunting territory, or more directly, for prey.
The Hunt
Like the clutch, the hunt shapes the thri-kreen lifestyle. Not only do the thri-kreen hunt to survive, but they carry the mindset of the hunt (tikchak, or "hunter-mind") into other aspects of their lives. Much of a thir-kreen's normal day is spent preparing for the hunt, hunting, and preserving food and doing other things in response to the hunt.
Preparation for the Hunt
Though thri-kreen are hatched with keen hunting instincts, they also spend many hours honing their skills. As explained more thoroughly in Chapter Four, young thri-kreen play games; though these might seem to be simply diversions, all thri-kreen games are related to hunting, and are used to further sharpen hunting skills. In addition to spending time in hunt-based games with the children, many adult thri-kreen spend time practicing directly for the hunt without the entertainment value of a real hunt, working to improve tracking, stalking, running, and hiding skills. Thri-kreen also spend a significant amount of time making and repairing weapons for the hunt, and caring for their claws and mandibles. Thrik-kreen understand the importance of using the right tools, and while most of them prefer to use their claws and mandibles in the hunt, they realize that some prey is better hunted using gythka or chatkcha.
The Prey
Thri-kreen can eat nearly any living animal of Athas. They prefer non-kreen, reptiles, birds, and other noninsects, but can eat insects and other arthropods if other game is scarce. In times of great need, thri-kreen can even stomach kank flesh, if it is relatively fresh and the thri-kreen is very, very hungry. Thri-kreen greatly prefer herbivores to carnivores, but can eat predators as well. Favored prey includes erdlus, erdlands, crodlu, inix, mekillots, and driks. When they can find them, thri-kreen can also kill larger, more dangerous animals, like so-ut, hatori, bulettes, and sink worms. Thri-kreen never eat plants, though they sometimes (rarely) harvest herbs to help flavor or preserve meats, to use as medicine, or to make chatkcha crystal. Thri-kreen view nearly any unintelligent creature as potential prey. This is one reason thri-kreen do not ride other animals. Besides the thri-kreen's poor construction for riding and a natural speed that makes it silly for a thri-kreen to tide any creature, a thri-kreen riding a mount is considered something like a human child playing with food. While thri-kreen have a well-known taste for elves, they prefer to hunt unintelligent prey, and thri-kreen seldom hunt other intelligent creatures for food. Elves and other intelligent species are cunning opponents; while this might make for an exciting challenge, it does not make for a ready meal, so hunting for elves and other sapients is not really conducive to the continued existence of the thrikreen species.
Considering the number of thri-kreen in the Tyr Region and their adaptation to the harsh wildlands, if elves were actually a staple of the thri-kreen diet, then there would be few elves left in the Tyr Region. As much as elves might believe otherwise, the thri-kreen's speed, combat skill, and ability to do without sleep, would allow thrikreen to drive elves to extinction – if the thri-kreen wanted to hunt them. Thri-kreen are relentless in their pursuits, once aroused. Again, thri-kreen hunt other sapients only in times of need, and some thri-kreen never hunt sapients at all. See "When Prey Is Scarce" later in this chapter for the thri-kreen's other options, and see the Kiltektet kit in Chapter Six for details of the "civi-lized" thri-kreen. If a thri-kreen is forced to hunt and eat sapi-ents, however, elves are often the first choice, partly because of the challenge they present, partly because they are the most direct competition for the thri-kreen ecological niche, and partly because of the pheromonal scent the elves release when running or frightened. Eating elves also prevents these demihumans from killing the other prey the thrikreen might hunt for themselves. Despite their inclination toward eating unintelligent prey, thri-kreen do not feel bad in any way about eating other sapient beings, nor is it necessarily considered an evil act for them. They do it to survive, and according to their social code, other sapients not part of the clutch are unworthy of notice. Only thri-kreen and their close relatives are considered people, except for the few other sapients who are accepted as clutchmates; other lifeforms simply do not matter much to the insect mind of the thri-kreen.
Hunting
Thri-kreen have developed all manner of hunting skills. They are adept at stalking small groups practice lying in wait among rock formations or plants, to surprise prey. They are especially skilled at running down prey. Thrikreen can follow prey for days if necessary, covering more ground in a day than nearly any other creature, waiting for the prey to fall asleep before attacking, if necessary. Thri-kreen speed and stamina are probably their greatest hunting assets. Hunting is serious business to the thrikreen; the pack hunts and the prey dies. When thri-kreen attack prey, they attack quickly and without mercy, striving to surprise their prey, to disorganize prey that think at all, and to take the prey down as fast as possible, before thri-kreen are injured and before any of the prey escape. If thri-kreen attack a herd of unintelligent animals, the thri-kreen usually attack from one side, killing as many as needed and letting others escape to breed more prey for later. If attacking sapient beings, or in times of need, thri-kreen try to attack from all sides, surrounding prey and keeping it from escaping.
If fighting especially dangerous prey, including intelligent beings, thri-kreen close as quickly as possible, and in numbers as large as possible, to further disorganize prey, and to get as many claws and mandibles into the prey as possible; if enough thri-kreen attack, the prey cannot possibly fight them all, but must concentrate on only a few while the others attack. A rapid closing with intelligent prey keeps the prey from successfully counter-attacking with missile weapons. The pack tactic of rotating attack is common; when thri-kreen on one side are counterattacked by the prey, thri-kreen on the other side move in to attack, often from behind. A few thri-kreen have learned how to set snares or create other traps, but this is done only rarely. They are too nomadic to settle long enough to set, and later check, traps. Besides, thri-kreen prefer fresh meat, and the prevailing climate of Athas often kills trapped creatures, reducing them to carrion by the time the thri-kreen return to check the trap.
After the Hunt
Immediately after a hunt is finished – that is, once prey has been killed – the thri-kreen settle down to eat. They eat huddled around the kill, tearing off chunks and eating their fill. If food is scarce, clutches in a pack eat according to the dominance order of the clutchleaders; within the clutch, they follow the dominance order of the clutch. Young thri-kreen are not given preferential treatment; the pragmatic thri-kreen understand that the children are the future of the race, but also know that food must be caught for the pack to survive at all, and adults are the best at catching prey. There is no selfishness in the feeding; a thri-kreen who brought down a beast without help has no special rights regarding that beast-all hunting is done for clutch, not for self. After the thri-kreen eat, they move on to other things. If they can make use of any part of the carcass, such as bones or chitin, they preserve those parts. However, since thri-kreen are largely self-sufficient (occasionally using bones or chitin for tools, rarely for weapons, and never for armor) they use little of their prey, other than the meat. Sinews and large bones are useful for making sledges, as are large pieces of skin. Specific prey animals have body parts desired for specific purposes; for example, a single scale from a greater hatori might serve as a sledge if ropes are attached to it. In addition to their ability to make some useful tools, thri-kreen are adept at making medicinal preparations from animal parts. While, some preparations absolutely require plants of certain types, in most cases thri-kreen can substitute animal parts, mostly from smaller insects and reptiles. Any meat that is left over after feeding is cut into strips and laid out to dry. If salt or certain spices are available, these may be added to the meat to preserve it. However, unless prey is plentiful (a condition all but unknown on Athas), it is rarely necessary to take any special precautions in drying the meat, because it will not last long enough to spoil. Thri-kreen do not use fire and smoke to preserve their meat; as far as thri-kreen are concerned, the sun and wind do a good enough job. Once the meat dries, it is bundled into pack and placed on a sledge or travois, so the thri-kreen can take it with them in case prey is scarce in the next day or two. Meat bundles can be used as bait for particularly large, carnivorous prey, or to encourage an unpalatable predator (such as a silt horror) to ignore a thri-kreen in favor of the easier meal. Whatever the thri-kreen do not use is left for scavengers, and to dry in the sun.
When Prey is Scarce
If prey is difficult to find, thri-kreen range over a wider area looking for signs. Pack might travel into new areas, but they run the risk of infringing on the territory of an already existing pack of thri-kreen. They eat preserved meat as long as it lasts. If unintelligent animals are scarce for a long period, then thri-kreen might turn to raiding caravans and to sapient prey. Even then, such pursuits might be only temporary, until the thri-kreen pack finds better hunting. Some thri-kreen, if forced to hunt sapients to survive, leave the pack and travel to a nearby human settlement, such as a city. Since most thri-kreen go to cities only after turning to raiding and eating sapients, many thri-kreen in cities are exceptionally savage, giving thri-kreen a bad reputation among other intelligent races. Those who run arenas in the human cities quickly learn not to lock a hungry thri-kreen in pens with elves; if a thri-kreen has been driven to enter a city, that thri-kreen has likely already developed a taste for elves and other non-kreen. Prey is always available in cities, from vermin to beggars, in the alleys Some thri-kreen, if forced to hunt sapients to survive, leave the pack and travel to a nearby human settlement, such as a city. Since most thri-kreen go to cities only after turning to raiding and eating sapients, many thri-kreen in cities are exceptionally savage, giving thri-kreen a bad reputation among other intelligent races.
Those who run arenas in the human cities quickly learn not to lock a hungry thri-kreen in pens with elves; if a thri-kreen has been driven to enter a city, that thri-kreen has likely already developed a taste for elves and other non-kreen. Prey is always available in cities, from vermin to beggars in the alleys. Thri-kreen in cities might be found eating prepared food in taverns or inns, if they can figure out how money work, obtain some, and use it to buy the food. However, despite a well-known eatery in Tyr that caters to and is popular among thri-kreen (The Hungry, Hungry Halfling, run by a halfling thief and a thri-kreen fighter named K'kikrik, few thri-kreen like prepared food enough to make a habit of eating it. They like fresh meat and the hunt far too much. If all else fails, thri-kreen in the wild sometimes turn to carrion-eating, and in extreme cases might turn on other thri-kreen. Occasional outbreaks of this type, which especially work to reduce the number of the young, are a natural control on the thri-kreen population; too many thri-kreen in an area would over hunt and destroy all the prey. Eventually, competing thri-kreen come into conflict, and a fight to the death for territorial rights ensues. In especially dire situations, the clutches within a pack might choose sides and war among themselves. The losers feed the winners. However, no matter how desperate a famine gets, clutchmate never battles clutchmate for food. Clutch members are eaten only if one of them dies and the survival of the rest is at stake; then the practicality of the thri-kreen mind demands the fallen member be eaten by survivors – the fallen clutchmate has done one last favor for the clutch, giving his or her body to them. Overall, the special cases are rare. A thri-kreen prefers fresh meat from an unintelligent mammal or reptile. Dried food is next, then city food, then the flesh of sapients, then carrion, then other thri-kreen.
Other Types of Hunt
Thri-kreen hunt primarily to survive, but the mindset of the hunt (tikchak) is so strong that it also shapes other aspects of their lives.
Combat: Combat is seen as an aspect of the hunt, and those who fall in battle against thri-kreen are considered "spoils of war”. Thri-kreen warriors fight as individuals; although they often cooperate, the concept of military drill and massed formations is foreign to them.
Trade: Trade is also considered an aspect of the hunt. When thri-kreen meet with others for trade-a rather rare occurrence – thri-kreen are good, if ritualistic, traders. The buyer is considered the hunter, while the seller is considered the prey. Money is a foreign concept to them; they do not use it.
Knowledge: Thri-kreen also engage in other types of hunts or searches, including philosophical, intellectual, and spiritual hunts, for enlightenment or information. Two of the more popular name roots among thri-kreen are ka, which means "seeker" or "to seek," and tik, which means "hunter" or "to hunt;" there are many words in the thri-kreen language for "hunt" and similar concepts, such as "search," "find," "stalk," "seek," and so forth. In this type of hunt, thri-kreen are just as relentless as they are during hunts for food. Though it might strike non-kreen as odd, adventuring thri-kreen are often on some sort of quest for knowledge or enlightenment.
Mentality and World View
Greatly influenced by tokchak (the clutch mentality) and the need for and persistence of the hunt, thri-kreen have an overall mentality quite different from that of non-kreen species. Besides those characteristics already covered, thri-kreen have evolved other abilities to help them survive. Cunning and wisdom have been granted in part by their racial memory. For thri-kreen, Wisdom translates directly into cunning needed for hunting; the enhanced Wisdom score is a direct evolutionary result of the ingrained thrikreen fascination with the hunt. Only a halfling might have a higher maximum Wisdom as a starting character. Thri-kreen do not gain Wisdom as they age, so older non-kreen sometimes have higher Wisdom scores than the wisest of thri-kreen. Thri-kreen have little use for memorization, and little aptitude for magic, thus simple intelligence is relatively unimportant. Their insect nature makes them largely incomprehensible to others, and makes them easy to dislike.
Tokchak: Clutch-Mind
As indicated, the clutch mentality shapes the thri-kreen's entire outlook on life. Tokchak dictates how the thri-kreen lives, even without a clutch. A thri-kreen without a clutch seeks to form one. The thri-kreen is compelled to find his or her place in the clutch; knowing where one falls in a hierarchy is important to a thri-kreen; not knowing this results in insecurity and possibly psychological problems. Tokchak also affects the thri-kreen in somewhat more subtle ways. For example, thri-kreen mate for life; mating is a sort of advanced form of the clutchmate bond, and the bond is impossible to break. Also, because they give to the clutch, thri-kreen tend to share things; they have little need to own or possess physical things, and they share what they find with others. A thri-kreen has no real need for money, so has no reason to keep it; when treasure is split, the thri-kreen would rather have one of the tasty eggs found recently, or maybe a pretty gem, than the heavy, useless, inedible and relatively unpretty coins.
Thri-kreen often give away coins to their non-kreen clutchmates. This mentality makes them completely incomprehensible – and more than a little suspicious – to elves ("No, what do you really want? I mean, really?". Within the clutch, when an item is needed, it is freely given. What needs the thri-kreen might have for money outside the society of clutch and pack is handled by barter. See Chapter Four, "Trade," for more details.
The Individual
Thri-kreen do not like to be called "bugs" and do not like being referred to as "it." A thri-kreen is a person (kreen means "person " after all), with a life, a history, a place, and a gender. These things are important to the thri-kreen, just as they are to other sapient beings. The individual thri-kreen establishes a place through the hunt and through tokchak. The thri-kreen is a person to whom freedom and individuality are important, but who willingly accepts the great responsibility of being a clutchmate.
Birth, Life, and Death
Thri-kreen are pragmatic about the cycle of life. They lay eggs, and if the eggs are destroyed before they hatch, that is the way of things; the answer is to lay more eggs. Life is the hunt, and the clutch. Death is the natural end to things, after the thri-kreen has hunted and has given to the clutch. Thri-kreen do not fear death, because they know it cannot be avoided, and there is no sense in fearing that which is inevitable. However, neither do thrikreen welcome death, for it is the end of their usefulness to the clutch. Thri-kreen do not really believe in an afterlife, but have a rudimentary belief in reincarnation. Eggs are usually laid in the final resting place of old thri-kreen; the thrikreen believe the young inherit the characteristics, and sometimes even the minds, of their ancestors. Considering the thri-kreen racial memory, there may be more than a little truth to this belief. Infant thri-kreen in some areas are shown the belongings of thri-kreen among whose remains they hatch; if the larvae show an inclination for any of the possessions, they are considered reincarnations of the thri-kreen to whom the things belonged. Though debates still rage on, most tohr-kreen sages believe that larvae do carry the minds and personalities of parents or other ancestors into their new lives.
The World
A thri-kreen sees the world in terms of the clutch and the hunt. The world is the place that gave birth to and supports the clutch; it is also the environment for the hunt. Thri-kreen respect their world, and are ecologically mindful, taking care to not overhunt (if possible), and to avoid harming plants. Further, a thri-kreen will never poison a water supply; even evil thri-kreen have too much respect for the ecology to do something so heinous. Outside their natural environment, thri-kreen often find the world to be a confusing place, with intelligent nonkreen competing for their food, great cities squatting where prey used to roam, wizards summoning and controlling unnatural energies, and more. The clutch and the hunt allow the thri-kreen to categorize the things they find (clutchmate or prey, etc.), and gives them a set of parameters within which they can operate. Their world view might seem narrow or alien to some, but it work, and they survive.
Thri-kreen also have a fascination with the number three: a pack is considered better off when it consists of exactly three clutches; agreements are made to last three days or three years; and of course, the chatkcha and the head of the gythka both have three blades.
Thri-Kreen and Other Races
Thri-kreen relations with other races are influenced by tokchak (clutch-mind) and tikchak (hunt-mind). Those of other races who approach large groups of thri-kreen can speak with them and interact them, as long as food has not been scarce, in which case the curious often become prey. As is the way of tokchak, those of other races are seen as not-quite-people, unless they prove worthy in some way. In fact, thri-kreen test members of other races. If the thri-kreen are the majority, the tests are mainly to see if the other is worthy of acknowledgement as a person; if so, the other might further be considered as a potential clutchmate, and tested for that status. However, if a thri-kreen is among members of another races, the tests determine if the others are worthy of becoming clutchmates, and the place and ranking of the thri-kreen in their group. The tests are subtle, almost unconsciously performed by the thri-kreen: The thri-kreen observes the other, mentally noting if the other is honest and seems willing to defend the clutch. Strength, intelligence, and cunning are judged, as are various special abilities, such as psionics or spellcasting skills. A lone thri-kreen may try to exert control on the group, perhaps bullying others in many ways, because this is the quickest way for the thri-kreen to determine his or her place in the group dominance order. If others accept the bullying, the thri-kreen figures that he or she is leader of the pack; if someone stands up to and wins a challenge against the thri-kreen, the thri-kreen accepts a lower place in the dominance order and does what the "superior" says. When among non-kreen, more experienced thri-kreen are aware of the threat their carnivorous nature presents; though no other intelligent creatures eat thri-kreen, thrikreen are known to eat members of other races. Whether the thri-kreen has ever developed such tastes, or has inclination to, he or she usually understands the value of the threat, and the power it can provide over members of other races, when determining dominance order. Those susceptible to such a threat are not worthy of being clutchleaders. If a thri-kreen accepts others as clutchmates, packmates, or at least people, there are still many potential problems with the relationship, not the least of which is the common lack of understanding among non-kreen of tokchak. However, some tribes of humans and other nonkreen comprehend tikchak, and this may provide common ground. However, to others, thri-kreen often seem overly preoccupied with gathering food, hunting, and maintaining stock of travel food.
Dwarves, Muls, and Humans
These non-kreen races are generally viewed favorably by thri-kreen, and are the most easily accepted as people, as packmates, and as clutchmates. Dwarves are consistent, and as long as their focus is compatible with the goals of the thri-kreen, they make good clutchmates, despite being very slow. Muls are strong warriors with great stamina; if anyone could be as formidable a hunter, it would be a mul. Muls are generally the only beings who can join a pack composed only of thri-kreen. While rare, it is not unknown for an escaped mul slave to join a thri-kreen pack and live the life of the hunter. Humans are also quite acceptable, being adaptable enough to understand tokchak and tikchak. In fact, there are tribes of humans who live as hunters, accepting their own brand of tikchak as a way of life. While thri-kreen get along well with human hunters on an individual basis, pack and tribe sometimes come into conflict. A wise and well-led tribe of human hunters soon learns where the thri-kreen hunt, and what they hunt, then chooses a different area, or at least different prey. In contrast, human city dwellers are nearly incomprehensible, with their concern for money, lack of understanding of tikchak, and their preconceptions about thri-kreen. Even so, many city dwelling humans can eventually adapt enough to learn thri-kreen ways. While a thri-kreen can usually assess a dwarf quickly, and muls with a little more time, it often takes much longer to figure out what to do with a human, especially one who doesn't understand tikchak.
Halflings
Since the home environment of halflings is radically different from that of thri-kreen, and uncomfortable to thri-kreen as well (thri-kreen have difficulty climbing, and do not do well in humid, forested areas), thri-kreen seldom interact with halflings. Since halflings are the only race that might eat thri-kreen, and have given them trouble in the past, tradition tells thri-kreen that halflings are to be avoided. Still, once thri-kreen and halflings meet, their can common reverence for tikchak often makes them quick friends. Halflings make fine clutchmates, except for their slow rate of movement compared to thri-kreen.
Half-Giants
Half-giants are something of a mystery to thri-kreen. While formidable in a fight, half-giants need copious amounts of water to survive. They are also not terribly dexterous or cunning. Still, while a half-giant does not keep up well enough to be accepted into a pack of rapidly-traveling thri-kreen, a half-giant might make an acceptable member, provided that he or she can be taught to be a good clutchmate.
Elves
Thri-kreen have problems relating to elves; they are the most difficult with which to deal. Though thri-kreen do not consider elves as a race to be enemies, elves do feel that way about thri-kreen. Elves consider thri-kreen their greatest enemy; they even have a profession in their tribes, the thri-kreen slayer, whose life is dedicated to eradicating thri-kreen. Thri-kreen have no such equivalent in their packs and clutches. While some might argue it does not exist because all thri-kreen are "elf slayers," this simply is not true; thri-kreen eat sapients only in times of need, and some go their entire lives without eating an elf. Still elves hate thri-kreen. From the elven view, the hatred is probably valid; seeing one's friends eaten by a creature is likely to give one a poor impression of the entire race. The majority of elves have little reason to believe that most thri-kreen simply are not like that. To make the situation worse, thri-kreen really do enjoy the taste of elf flesh; once they taste it, they tend to want more. Because elves fear thri-kreen as much as they hate them, and the elves' fear-scent is attractive to thri-kreen, this is a problem. A thri-kreen might be perfectly willing to meet with and talk to an elf, but an elf who runs into a thri-kreen almost immediately produces the fear-scent, creating an instinctive reaction of hunger in the thri-kreen. To a thri-kreen who has tasted elf flesh, this hunger creates an urge to kill the elf. In a thri-kreen who has not tasted elf, the hunger seems unnatural and can make the thri-kreen uncomfortable. Since elven merchant caravans and nomadic tribes also compete for the same prey, and occasionally water, as the thri-kreen, difficulties are to be expected. This is rather a shame, because elves and thri-kreen have a similar mentality: a love of freedom and running, hunting and taking, and strong racial unity and a disregard of other races. This similarity is another problem; neither race trusts easily, and tends to wait for others to make the first move. When a thri-kreen and an elf are together, each waits for the other to show they can be trusted, neither willing to make a beginning.
Miscellaneous Races
The numerous other intelligent races of Athas – aarakocra, belgoi, gith, and so forth – are seldom encountered, at least peacefully, and are almost never accepted as clutchmates. The thri-kreen know gith and belgoi as competitors and prey, and the natural inclinations of those races make them unwilling to prove the thri-kreen wrong. The case is similar with most other intelligent races, such as anakores, braxats, ettercaps, yuan-ti, and so forth. The bird people, aarakocra and kenku, are so seldom encountered by thri-kreen that they are viewed simply as large birds – that is, as prey. If a bird person talk to a thri-kreen, the thri-kreen will be surprised, and might be willing to respond. However, the thri-kreen mentality is so different, they seldom find any common ground for commerce or communication.
Sleep
Regardless of the other interactions between thri-kreen and members of other races, the issue of sleep is somewhat important. Thri-kreen do not sleep; all other intelligent 77 Races beings do. Thri-kreen recognize sleep; they often use it against their prey when hunting, because attacking sleeping animals more likely to be quickly successful. Thri-kreen regard sleeping as a weakness. They cannot seem to entirely grasp why any intelligent being would want to sleep; rather than seeing it as a need, they often see sleep as simply a bad habit. Those who indulge in such useless lying around are regarded as lazy, which makes them seem unworthy of being proper clutchmates. A thri-kreen often grows impatient with sleepers, waiting anxiously for them to wake up. Thri-kreen are active through the night; those who need to restore psionic power or regain spells take care of such business, but otherwise hunt, scout, and guard. Thri-kreen usually hunt during the day and settle somewhat at night, as the conditions are less conducive to hunting; the dark hours are when thrikreen tell stories and talk to others. Though a thri-kreen might be perfectly willing to stop in one place for the night, he or she probably wants to talk with companions. In groups of non-kreen, most thri-kreen eventually learn to tolerate sleep, and can overlook this odd habit in otherwise worthwhile people. An advanced thri-kreen may eventually come to recognize sleep as a need in nonkreen. Some thri-kreen are fascinated by sleepers, and watch them closely. This can be quite discomforting. for the human or elf who wakes to see a thri-kreen looking down, only a foot or two away.
Thri-Kreen Magic and Psionics
Thri-kreen have special view of magic and psionics. They have been a psionic race for thousands of years, but have never been adept at using preserver or defiler magic. Thri-kreen are good with psionics, and have developed several special techniques and preferences. Thri-kreen also have a few relative disadvantages with psionics, such as when they try to use telepathic powers with non-kreen. The thri-kreen body and mind are not built to channel wizard magic; though they can use scrolls and other magical items just like other races, thri-kreen cannot cast wizard spells themselves, ever. If a wizard were reincarnated into the body of a thri-kreen, he or she could no longer cast wizard spells.
Life Without Wizards
Thri-kreen society has no wizards, and thri-kreen like it that way. Because they are in touch with their environment and respect ecology, thri-kreen tend to dislike defilers and attack them in preference to many other enemies. Preservers, while not disliked by thri-kreen, are not needed by them either. Thri-kreen are quite well adapted to life in the desert, and they get along just fine with psionics and with the magic of druids and elemental priests. Since they are unaccustomed to wizard magic, thrikreen may be briefly startled by unfamiliar spell effects. Thri-kreen are knowledgeable about priest magic, so they are not unaccustomed to the idea that spellcasters can cause impressive effects: thri-kreen are not awed by magic. For example, a thri-kreen unused to wizardly magic would not be familiar with a fireball spell, and might be briefly startled by its shape, size, and explosive effect. However, a thri-kreen who has seen a flame strike spell, or another equally impressive clerical spell, would not be awed by the fireball or the person who cast it.
Psionic Powers
About half of all thri-kreen in the Tyr Region have
at least some psionic ability. The profession of chakak
(psionicist) is also common, and thri-kreen have developed
their own methods for teaching the Way. Psionics use is
acceptable in challenges for dominance order within the
clutch. Psionics are used without reserve; they are simply
another natural ability for the clutch, and are used by the
thri-kreen as needed.