Koromein

"In time the koromein began to, if not accept my presence, at least endure it, and I came to understand more of these mysterious and reclusive people... and the existential dread that shapes their minds. We humans often think little of the gods. They are a comforting presence, a sign that the ideals we strive for are worthy and real. But what would it mean to be unable to feel their touch? What would happen to a man if the gods spoke to everyone but him? This is the loneliness of the koromein."

The koromein are a species of hulking insectoid people. Most koromein live in the slopes and caves of the Hana Barr mountain range, relying on their excellent dark vision and their ability to spit up rock-dissolving acid to mine for valuable ores that they sell to the rest of Rideen in exchange for other resources. Due to their frightening appearance and reclusive culture, the koromein are distrusted and feared by many. It doesn't help that koromein who leave their communities to live among other species are usually exiles who have committed a serious crime.

## Origins

Nobody knows there the koromein came from, not even themselves. They first emerged from a network of tunnels below the Hana Barr mountains some 500 years ago, with only the memory of a lifetime spent digging through the earth and an oral history passed down through generations, fragmented and unreliable, that tells of a desperate flight from a desolate homeland. Their origin has been the subject of much research and speculation.

### The Eye of the Desolate

Almost all koromein accounts of their history include some mention of the Eye of the Desolate, though its role varies immensely depending on the storyteller. In some versions, the Eye was a gift from the gods that the koromein used for evil, eventually destroying their civilization with it. In others, it is a god itself, striking the koromein people's great cities to ash as punishment for some unknown crime. In still others it is the essence of the koromein spirit, once the source of their strength and now gone through some long-forgotten mechanism. Whatever the Eye really is, it clearly played a major role in whatever event led the koromein to leave their homes and come to Rideen.

## Anatomy

Averaging around six feet in height, koromein have a hard chitinous exoskeleton. Their faces resemble that of a beetle or ant, with compound eyes, large mandibles, and antennae. The exoskeleton contains korocite, a substance that erases all magical energy on contact. This makes them highly resistant to magic, but unable to use it themselves. In fact, koromein utterly lack a connection to the arcane plane. This has led some to speculate that they have no souls or no internal experiences, something they don't take kindly to.

Koromein must eat korocite semi-regularly to stay healthy. Without it their shells become brittle and their bodies lethargic, although they do not die. Korocite grows within the ground in places where the walls between worlds is weak, such as in the Hana Barr mountains.

Koromein have a pouch inside their jaw that can release small amounts of very caustic acid. They can use this to soften rock to release the korocite inside, but it is also strong enough to dissolve flesh and cloth. It is one more reason many other species are distrustful of the koromein.

On the koromein's neck, just above the sternum (where the suprasternal notch sits on a human) there is a small patch of flesh not covered by the koromein exoskeleton. As the most vulnerable spot on a koromein's body, the neck has symbolic value. It's believed to be the source of those emotions that make a person most vulnerable - love and anger.

### Ethnicities

Although koromein populations differ in shell color and physical features, they do not have a concept of race. That's not to say they're immune to prejudice; they adhere strongly to their communes as a source of identity. Non-koromein, as well as lone koromein from other communes, are distrusted.