Kalin

Kalin are able to attack with two forward slashing limbs like swords as well as a bite from its mandibles. It will try to grip an opponent with its mandibles to better hit it with its limbs, only letting go if severely hurt. Kalin have the ability to walk up cave walls and across ceilings due to the sticky barbs on the end of each of their long limbs. They can even carry riders on these trips, provided the riders are prepared and holding on tight. Kalin riders are trained to travel wherever the kalin decide to go. Each insectoid emits a sticky strand from its thorax. Like a spider’s web, the strand can be used to lower a kalin from the ceiling to the ground below to surprise enemies.

Dregoth and his followers discovered the kalin living in the under-region when they arrived. While aggressive, the kalin are not as chaotic as the wallwalkers of Kragmorta. (The two species do seem to be enemies, however, competing for the same food and living space in the under-region.) The templars were eventually able to train a small number of kalin to serve as mounts for their elite warriors. In addition to the 100 or so kalin in the templars’ service, the nearby tunnels and caves are home to many wild kalin that have yet to be tamed. In the wild, kalin are solitary predators who are nomadic in nature. They do not establish nests except to lay eggs. Then, they join as mated pairs until the eggs hatch, at which time the parents and offspring go their separate ways. The kalin serving the templars of New Giustenal barely get along, as their aggressive natures make it difficult to have more than a few in close proximity. The pens where they are kept are designed to keep the creatures separate in order to lower the incidents of kalin attacking kalin. Kalin naturally live to be about five years old, reaching maturity in as little as six months’ time.

Kalin eat meat, often hunting their own food, though the trained kalin receive food on a daily basis. Kalin females lay eggs once per year, averaging 10 offspring per season. Eggs hatch three months after being laid, and the male remains with the eggs throughout their incubation period. The second generation dray use the chitinous plates of the kalin to fashion armor, weapons, and tools. They rarely kill kalin for this purpose. Instead, they wait for mounts to die or search the nearby tunnels for wild kalin that have expired.