The Xenlak

*"Eusocial creatures of a shadow world, it is not likely that the Xenlak will reach interstellar status in the near term without outside influence. Though even for Eusocial creatures they are a bit of an oddity, almost to the point of being a full colony organism. Even simple tasks require many members of a hive to band together, and under firm direction overcome their own limitations."*

- Account from the Anoban Xenobiological Survey

## Overview

Subsurface natives of the molten planet of Nebrex, the Xenlak exhibit one of the most common body plans encountered, the limbless "worm". They are pale white, silicon based segmented creatures that make their lives in large hives constantly burrowing through the rock of their home. Hives have been known to contain thousands of individuals, and are collectively capable of complex tasks. There is a deeply entrenched biological caste system, where epigenetic factors determine an individual's form and role within the hive. As a whole, they have no concept of individuality.

### Description

There are several notable Xenlak morphs, but. there are common traits that unite them all. All Xenlak are blind and deaf, their chief senses are touch and chemoreception. Their skin, while typically soft and malleable, is. a highly refined sensory organ and contains their prime evolutionary innovation. One their skin resides numerous hooks, that they have conscious control over, allowing them to stick together and form large aggregates. It is their principle form of existence and cooperation.

Basic Morph: The Basic Morph is as the name implies, the base unit of any hive. In some ways it is inaccurate to think of them as individual organisms, they are entirely instinct driven and act more as living machinery for the hive's more complex morphs. They tend to be 1-1.5 meters in length, thoughts variation was observed across hives and not within hives, the Basic Morph of any given hive is standardized to that hive's preferences.

Driller Morph: With thicker skin on their dorsal surface, larger mouthparts, and armed with corrosive secretions, the driller morphs are the vanguard of large scale boring expeditions. Somewhat smarter and larger at 1.6 meters, they are often found on the outside of aggregates, as their tougher hide on one side of their body makes it more difficult for other Xenlak to adhere to them in that location.

Replete: A mix of food storage, and food processing, a Replete is a grossly inflated Basic Morph responsible for feeding the Hive. All pre digestive activity has been delegated to them, and without them a hive would starve to death, even if surrounded by food.

Nerve Morph: A variant of the Basic Morph with increased brain matter, they serve as coordinators of aggregates, and spend their entire lives within them. Chemical signaling allows the. chains of Nerve Morphs to receive information, process it, and send back instructions to the aggregate. They are rather long, varying from aggregate to aggregate, with an observed maximum of 6 meters, typically there's no more than a handful in any aggregate. In addition to their dependence on aggregates is their inability to feed themselves, and they must be fed manually by a Basic Morph.

Soldier Morph: A somewhat intelligent variant of the Driller morph, they have adapted their corrosive secretions into a projectile weapon effective against other Xenlak. Like the Driller Morph, they have thickened skin on their dorsal side, and enlarged mouthparts. Though they form aggregates, Soldier aggregates have been observed to be much smaller, and longer than normal aggregates. The only morph types known to partake in soldier aggregates are the Soldier and Nerve Morphs, with the Nerve Morph's acting as battlefield commanders. The Hives of Nebrex remain locked in near constant territorial wars, and as such, members of this caste have low-life expectancies. Soldiers appear to be fairly standard three meters length.

Scout Morph: Possibly the most independent of all Xenlak, Scout Morphs spend the least amount of time in aggregates of any morph, their role is as geological surveyors, keeping vigil over formed tunnels to detect faults and alert Nerve Morphs to instability in the rock. Some of their skin hooks have been repurposed into long feelers so that they may "listen" to the seismic activity, and cover large swaths of tunnel quickly. In short, they are the hive's universal alarm system. Like with soldiers, they are 3 meters in length.

Brain Morph: The most intelligent of the Xenlak, and a further development of the Nerve Morph, they are the leaders of the hive. Always hidden deep within the hive, they are the coordinators, the thinkers, and the governors. Any semblance of culture displayed by this species comes chiefly from them. They have developed advanced mathematics, written language, more efficient aggregate layouts and tunneling methods, and of course, grand strategies in their wars on their enemies.

Brood Morph: Brood Morphs are the only fertile members of a hive, and reproduce with each other. Due to their role, and the fact that there are only 2-10 of them depending on hive size, they are massive egg filled sacks that have difficulty doing anything other than creating the next generation. Due to their relative immobility, they are always in an aggregate with at least two nerve morphs and countless Basic Morphs. Soldiers will instinctively and ferociously defend brooding chambers, and the Hives of Nebrex seem to have some form of agreement to never target brooding chambers in their campaigns against one another. Though in the worst case scenario, Soldiers will cut off a piece of a brood morph, and carry it off. As the Xenlak can reproduce by fragmentation, this piece can be coaxed into becoming another Brood Morph. They tend be 10-12 meters long, with virtually no intelligence to speak of.