The Hive

The Hive is the group of Chimera Ants located on the Belliscova, otherwise known as the New Continent.

## Lore

*There is a war taking place on the New Continent, "Bellicosva". The jungle has been silenced and the balance of nature has been upturned, for three warring factions have consumed everything in their hungering race for dominance.*

*It is in this environment that the last human of the human population dies, forced to cower in fear and hide in front of the might the three kingdoms possess. However it is not one of them who kills them, but a newfound fourth faction.*

*Seeing that there are barely any animals left and that the other kingdoms are both more numerous and more powerful than them, this new group bides its strength underground, consuming anything they can put their hands on and forcing only the strong to survive via cannibalization.*

*And now, it is time for them to emerge, forever changing the course of the war...*

### **Bellicosva**

#### Technology

* Proto-writing. Consisting of various symbols that represent ideas and concepts, people could communicate with one another, albeit in a very limited fashion.
* Bronze was in very common use during this time, used to make weapons and tools.
* Weapons were very primitive - consisting of clubs and axes. Those that could shape bronze could create spears and swords, but these couldn’t sustain constant use due to the softer nature of bronze. Shields would be used, but they would mainly be made from leather, wood or hide - though a few might use shields made from hand-beaten bronze, but this was timely to make so not many had these. Bows and arrows also saw their fair share of usage, and while the composite bow was quite effective, the arrowheads themselves were crudely made from flint or a similar material.
* Farming became more prevalent with the discovery of simple irrigation, along with bronze plows and other tools that made farming much more lucrative than the old hunter-gathering lifestyle.
* Herding is also practiced, with herders moving across the continent to feed their herds, wary of the dangers that lurk within the forest.
* Pottery and simple textiles exist - so simple pottery and simple woolen clothing wouldn’t be uncommon.
* Small communities would form - living in buildings constructed from stone accommodations through the use of wattle and daub consisting of clay or wet soil - and trading was a common way to secure yourself supplies instead of competing with the Chimera Ant populations. These communities weren’t very big, and could only be described as small villages as best. They were frequently raided by Chimera Ants, so communities would often be destroyed a short while after they were created.

#### Fauna and Flora

* The dominant species on the new continent are the Chimera Ant populations that have long since established control over the continent, engaging in bloody wars with one another. They have culled the native human population to the point where they have become a minority, and now only a few ants on the island find themselves free of human DNA in their body.
* Most flora on Bellicosva have evolved in some shape or form to deter predators. This is due to the fact that the Chimera Ants on Bellicosva have the ability to assimilate flora into their DNA. As such, many plants contain poisonous barbs, hallucinogens that release when the plant is agitated, vines that writhe and twist as if sentient and carnivorous plants are a common sight. Of course, some plants are rather passive and instead rely on the terrain - growing in precarious conditions such as cliffs or deep down in the dark where they can’t be found, even by the burrowing Chimera Ants.
* Fauna evolved in a manner similar to flora. Many grew defensive measures of some kinds, whether it be tusks, hallucinogens, poisons, or other things to deter predators. Scavengers were common - mostly feeding on the leftovers of the skirmishes between the Chimera Ants - and omnivores, herbivores were quite prevalent (at least, I’d imagine that carnivores wouldn’t be as prevalent considering they’d be going up against the Chimera Ants in terms of competitors)
* The continent consists of a lot of dense jungles and forests, each with a diverse range of ecosystems that are usually ruined by the Chimera Ant population.
* Noteworthy natural phenomena include the “Winds of Change '' - a period where dead organisms or migratory anomalies, such as animals or plants, from the known world would find themselves washed to the shores of Bellicosva. Chimera Ant skirmishes would be quite common during this period as they battled over the new genetic material from the known world, each Chimera Ant eager to find new (at least, new in their eyes) animals to compete with the others. This phenomenon occurred due to the strange tides and winds around the majority of the continent, making it extremely difficult to arrive there unless one washed ashore.
* The “First Explosion” was a particularly important event that occurred due to an unknown phenomenon, causing biodiversity to explode as many new species mutated and evolved, multiplying rapidly. Many account for this due to the fact that with the dwindling human population and the warring Chimera Ants, the fauna and flora at this time could flourish without outside intervention, and as such grew exponentially.
* The “Great Hunger” is the period that commenced once the three remaining warring kingdoms consumed most of the species that had sprouted and been born during the previous phenomenon, and thus many weaker ants starved or were discarded, or eaten.

#### The Three Kingdoms

* The Three Kingdoms were the three major Chimera Ant colonies that controlled the majority of the continent. All of these colonies had a Born King leading them, as compared to Made Kings, so all of the Three were very powerful when compared to the minor colonies and factions.
* These Three Kingdoms were at constant war with one another, and many Chimera Ants would flock to one of these three as they could guarantee a slow and steady growth compared to the unstable life of a lone Chimera Ant.
* These Kingdoms often followed a very simple structure. Generally, everyone in the colony was a combatant. They would skirmish with the other factions in squadrons. These squadrons consisted of a hierarchy of a few peons - those at the bottom of the rung in the social structure - followed by an officer or two, and then a squadron leader. These squadron leaders were directly under the Royal Guard, and were the highest a Chimera Ant would typically go - unless they were to break off and form their own colony, of course. Those at the higher end of the social spectrum were treated better - they were given better food options to strengthen themselves compared to peons who only got the scraps. Peons usually didn’t rise up in ranks, but if they did it was down to the fact that they had scavenged an especially powerful animal and got a strong boost. Officers were like middle-class citizens who enjoyed a reasonable amount of food, not good but not the best either.
* The main objective of these skirmishes was to weaken the enemy kingdoms and secure food. Food was essentially the currency of the Chimera Ants, for it made them stronger. As such, stronger beasts were highly coveted by the larger Kingdoms to increase their fighting potential. Some smaller kingdoms even contracted wandering Ants with promises of food to fight for them for a while.
* It was very hard to close the gap between a Made King and a Born King through simply eating food, as Born Kings were genetically superior in every way. As a result of this, however, most foods didn’t do much to increase a Born King's power, and only those at the level of a Royal Guard would provide any sufficient boost in power. Kings didn’t like to do this however as birthing a Royal Guard was a very time-consuming process, and all of them were very strong, granting the King more control over their colony rather than if they were to rule it just by themselves. A replacement would be very hard to come by.

#### Life and Community

* The weak are killed and eaten, up to the point where only the true best Ants have survived until this period.
* Agriculture is the main method of survival, but it is barely enough to feed the fast metabolism or carnivorous DNA Ants, which makes the colony permanently stay hidden. This has recently been somewhat salvaged with the cultivation and domestication of plankton and some small fish that has been gathered from an underground river. These last developments have helped the colony establish a better diet, and to strengthen the members that cannot be lost.
* Most ants do not remember their past lives at all, as by the time the Queen managed to get to spawning, the human DNA was already scarce.
* The Colony is hidden, almost entirely underground and covered by trees. Only a small portion of the colony leads to a hidden clearing that could only be reached by prolonged flight; staying too long in the clearing is forbidden, for danger of being caught.
* The king…
* Fighting the enemy comes with the danger of extermination. You take care of the colony first, and don’t leave unless you have a sure kill. Avoid combat, as much as possible.

### The Royal Guard

*In hiding, their king commands.*

*In hunger, the Hive unites.*

*In hunger, forgiveness is lost.*

*In battle, their spirits tested.*

*In silence, three knights await their orders. One, with wisdom. One, with ambition. One, with power.*

*Together, they shall reign supreme.*

*Together, they await.*

#### Marladi

Marladi can be described as arrogant, gluttonous and loyal. Her natural strength and regeneration made her overly confident in her abilities. She is very proud of her roots as a chimera ant, ████████. ████████ She sees most chimera ants as beneath her and the Royal Guards. Her relationship with the other Royal Guards is well, with Marladi feeling a sisterly bond with them. She ███████████████often listens to their wisdom and knowledge. She enjoys fighting  ████████████████████████.

#### Sephiana

Sephiana can be summed up in a single word: that being, “single-minded”.

To name a few of her “hobby’s” - fighting, eating, taking casual walks and talking about gossip. From this, one can see that Sephiana is a rather worldly individual, someone that seeks to do nothing but fulfill her base desires; that is, to enjoy herself.

This description of her is quite literally reflected in everything she does. Being a very energetic individual; more so than most other people, she’s constantly moving in some sort of way, shape or form. She has a bubbly exterior and usually gets along with everyone quite well. Laid-back, she doesn’t even lose face when in a predicament, and she wears a smile so often you’d only be able to wonder how her face isn’t sore.

Sephiana is known to have quite a ruthless streak; despite her friendly appearance, she wouldn’t hesitate to decapitate you in a real fight, and then proceed to mount said decapitated head and treat it as a simple trophy and show it off to everyone - whether they asked to see it or not.

She’s not very knowledgeable - or smart, for that matter, and comes off as quite obtuse at times; albeit in an endearing way. She can come off as flirtatious at times, though more in a “cute” way compared to some more lascivious individuals, though she is fully aware of how gifted she was with her looks compared to some other ants.

#### Berezarok

Berezarok is normally a pretty relaxed and calm individual. They are not one to get angry easily, and have quite the amount of patience with their ant subordinates. Their most noticeable characteristic however would be their seemingly insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Whenever they can Berezarok likes to get their hands on multiple objects and things they find interesting be them leaves from trees nearby to cellphones to even other living creatures. After getting their hands on something they study it ad nauseam, only getting rid of them after gaining the most out of it.

## Chimera Ant Making Procedures

Below you will find the ruleset as to creating your ants, but do keep in mind that in order for you to do that you will need a member of the staff to monitor and help you out on the process. You can ask them to do this with a specific channel that will be implemented with the following update.

Each Chimera Ant will be born on Bellicosva as the remnants of the last human civilization disappear for them to exist. Under the newborn King, they will accomplish the role of Squadron Leaders or below and as such their overall strength should match that of the role they have.

Because of lore constraints, the amount and rank of Chimera Ants that someone will be able to create will be dictated by their role, starting from Hunters all the way up to 3 Star Hunters. (The general lore of the expansion will be revealed as the plot line is advanced, and will remain mostly hidden at the start of the expansion. Think of this as a MMORPG expansion, akin to WoW or Genshin Impact).

### Number of Ants per Role Status:

 Officer
 Squadron Leader

Due to the nature of Chimera Ants, backstory for them is not required. Instead, you will be required to fill out the genetic material with up to three different animal and vegetable life forms, (not taking into account Human and Chimera Ant DNA, which is obligatory for every character created in this manner). It is of note that a vegetable life form is mandatory because of the environment where the ants are going to be born in.

Because of the particular characteristics of CAs, some aspects of their biology may be implemented into their hatsu (should they have Nen) that will facilitate normally impossible hatsus by human standards.

It is worth noting that there's a rule related to "exotic creatures". Said rule states that "if staff is required to look up a certain creature in Google to understand your OC, then it is NOT allowed". As of the first release of the expansion, we are trying to push for simpler Chimera Ants at the start, to push complexity with our next release.

We also find it necessary to clarify that while the Chimera Ants will be able to be used on casual roleplay, they will have their own separate channel for that specific purpose, meaning normal characters and Ants won’t be able to interact. Please keep this in mind and refrain from using them on the Hunter’s Tavern, Battle Olympia, etc. We are working on a way for introducing them in the near future on their own specialized channel as well as game mode, so please be patient while we work on it! Lastly, both Chimera Ants and the New Continent can be used on both canonical and non-canonical campaigns, although the final decision belongs, of course, to the DM.

### Summary

* You can create Chimera Ants in a limited manner as of right now, utilizing the new channel we have made to ask for Staff Assistance.

* The created Ants can have 3 DNA samples (+ Human and Chimera Ant, which don't count).

* Ants cannot be "exotic things" which means those things one has to Google to find out about, as the island is quite dry of resources.