Zhinfeng

The Zhinfeng are a species in the Boundless Fantendoverse, they're the most prominent hive race that has come into contact with the Orion Trade Federation and are considered a potential threat. Many often misattribute them as being a hivemind however each Zhinfeng individual has their own sense of self and several Zhinfeng have disassociated themselves from their hive.
==Appearance==
The Zhinfeng are a humanoid-insect race, with similarities to the Terran Wasp, they have a complex exoskeleton that forms an armour-like plating around their body to protect them from danger. Depending on which hive the individual is a part of will denote the dominant colour of their body, there are considered five grand hives who each have distinct colours; Gold, Lime-Green, Orange, White and Dusky Grey.
They have four large compound eyes which appear somewhat like goggles that wrap around their heads. They also have two long antennae which are able to emit a high frequency radio wave allowing for long distance communication between members of the same brood, this was initially mistaken as telepathy by other species. Their bodies are fairly lean and generally longer than they are wide, their abdomen's end in a twin stinger, this appears to have been an evolutionary advantage of their ancestors as the stingers regenerate after a period of time allowing a Zhinfeng to lose a stinger and still be able to fight at full capacity until it regenerates, fossil records show that mono-stinger Zhinfeng used to exist thousands of years ago but were likely outcompeted by the modern twin-stinger Zhinfeng.
==Culture==
The Zhinfeng are an expansionist society, devoted to increasing the territory of their hives, although from the outside they appear as a five-pronged united force, internally there is a constant struggle for power and the lesser hives are a frequent nuisance for the five grand hives as their positions of power are constantly threatened. It would be best to describe the Zhinfeng as one of the most tribalistic species known to exist as the balance of power constantly shifts as hives form and break alliances as well as forge treaties and agreements. The current form of the Zhinfeng's presence has only existed for approximately 25 years when the sixth grand hive at the time collapsed due to an internal struggle that arose from two lesser hives that had been gradually infiltrating and overtaking the grand hive's territory.
For those outside Zhinfeng internal conflicts, they appear as a very militaristic race although the various Zhinfeng who've defected from their hives have shown that the species is actually quite artistic, having a passion for botany which allows them to develop the planets they construct hives on with incredible proficiency.
==Abilities==
The strongest ability of the Zhinfeng is their communication skills, they have one of the most complex languages in all of the galaxy as a result of the multi-faceted methods they have of communicating through speech, vibrations, dance and bioluminescence. The swarming capabilities of the Zhinfeng are also something rather unique to the species as they often favour smaller spaceships which they can build on mass and are easily expendable when needed.
In close quarters combat, a Zhinfeng can prove dangerous thanks to the venom in their stingers although they have remarkable control over this and a Zhinfeng will not poison their target unless they intend to kill. Physically a single Zhinfeng is not overly strong however due to their nature of travelling in groups it is rare to have to fight a Zhinfeng one-on-one and the opponent will usually be overwhelmed by the combined strength of the swarm.
==History in the Fantendoverse==
The Zhinfeng have a combative history with the rest of the Fantendoverse, the grand hives throughout history have engaged in various conflicts ranging from small skirmishes to full-blown wars, currently they're attributed as part of the reason why the Neo-Terra Community cannot unify due to the blood oath between the Grand Hives and the Adorha's Chain of Flowers. Despite sharing common interests the Zhinfeng do not trust most of those in the Orion Trade Federation believing they're deceptive tricksters who seek personal glory before anything else.
Category:Species
Category:Races
Category:Boundless Fantendoverse Species