Cultures/Qrthan
The Qr'than
Hailing from the tropical rainforests of Callum-Thea, the qr'than are an ant-like insectoid species with a rich culture and fierce sense of community. Like many insectoids on Arcis, they have a chitinous exoskeleton, secondary arms, compound eyes, mandibles, and antennae, and they also possess a small pair of wings that some qr'than can use to glide.
Qr'than communicate using a combination of vocalizations, body language, and pheromones that are impossible for other species to perfectly reproduce. In turn, qr'than are capable of speaking non-insectoid languages only haltingly, and rely heavily on a limited form of telepathy for communication with outsiders.
Adapted to Forest Life
Qr'than develop quickly, reaching adolescence around 2 years and maturity around 5 years, and live around 50-60 years. Upon reaching adolescence, qr'than adapt their bodies to a role in qr'than society such as worker, warrior, or matron, taking on physical characteristics specialized towards that role.
Only qr'than matrons are capable of bearing children, and since they are less numerous than other castes they take on multiple partners; however, mating bonds are quite strong and typically lifelong. Qr'than children are raised communally, but bonds between related qr'than are stronger than those of the colony.
Unlikely Adventurers
Because qr'than are so dedicated to their role in their colony, it is quite rare for qr'than to venture off on their own. Outside of extreme circumstances, a qr'than that leaves their homeland would be considered an oath breaker.
Qr'than Names
Qr'than have long, compound names that encode their identity within the colony, roughly mapping to Colony'Brood'Role'Identifier. Full names are almost never used however, and individuals are rarely referenced by name within qr'than society.
