Geungaoi (Old Lore)

## Introduction

The Geungaoi are a species of intelligent Zygoa naitive to the dimension of Xyrillia. They inhabit the majority of its humid coasts and jungles aswell as large parts of its underground. In modern days Geungaoi became the stuff of legend as they grew rare and insular in their hidden nests.

## History

It is unkown if the Geungaoi evolved naturally on Xyrillia or if they are remnants from the Age of Gods. However, their culture and structures had developed long before the first humans arrived on Xyrillia.

It has in fact been confirmed that they are related to the (...) and that their actions have created them. It is believed that a group of Geungaoi lords used their powers to develop the discipline of (...), a Kombination of Bornweaving and sorcery unique totheir kind. With that they where able to alter their Born into the gaseous Web of pheromeones that spans the entire dimension. They supressed the growth and fertility of the majority of their female population while strengthening their own. Since this day they use their powers to controll the minds of weaker subjects, forming an unstable hivemind of semiautonomous servants. Those that where resistent to their powers where sealed from their transformed Born, either through ill intend or natural resistence. These Geungaoi became known as the (...), the accursed. They quickly grew into an alienated race of Ghuls that roams Xyrillia to this very day.

Before the arrival of Malach and her people the Geungaoi waged a constant war against their former kin, one that slowly shifted towards the Unkins uttermost eradication. According to the Seerqueen *Gagante*, the humans had brought imbalance to this legendary war and without them, Xyrillia would be under their peaceful supervision since centuries.

## Castes

Through the manipulation of the (...), the Geungaoi queens have altered their kind to serve specific purposes. These castes subdivide during their pupation where the power of the (...) strenghtens desired attributes. Almost all Geungaoi are born female but their queens supress the expression of their sexual characteristics, making it impossible for them to breed or produce eggs.

### Queens

Queens are not born but chosen by a previous queens from her court of Handmaidens. Only one of them can grow into a fully fletched queen. Once they do, they grow into enourmous size as their bornpotential is fully unlocked. Their breeding system is overexpressed, growing so massive it imobilises the Queen. Geungaoi Queens never stop growing as their fleshy abdomen fills larger and larger areas of their nest. While the majority of their body is soft and vunerable but their head and upper thorax are still clad in thick chitin scales. Their breathinglegs grow into long and colorful. A queen usualy them as a feathered veil that conceals her from any servant. Only mating partners or respected individuals are gifted a look upon their upper form.

Despite their complete controll over (...) all Queens are skilled in the arcane arts and posses a unique form of Shadowbending known as (...).

### Handmaidens

Handmaidens are specially chosen and fed with a special nectar the queen produces; known as *Gelée royale*. When doing so they partially express sexual organs that allow them to breed, however they can only produce Servants which are directly bound to them. Handmaidens are gifted with a limited controll over the (...) while simultaneously possessing the power of (...). It is unkown if a Queen is able to scry the souls of her children to determine individuals born with this power or if they gain it through her *Gelée royale.*

Handmaidens are far larger then tougher then their inferior sisters. Despite making up the Queens royal court and the Geungaois nobility they function as local commanders that can controll their brethren in a limited radius.

### Servants

Unlike all other Geungaoi, Servants have no will of sentience of their own. They are mere biological shells animated by the will of their mother. They rarely leave their respective nests and are tasked with feeding, protecting, cleaning and representing their creatress. Servants can have all kinds of modifications like enlarged pincers, toxic stings or wings. Yet they mostly remain in a slightly enlarged standartform that is a combination of all other Servitor-forms. Handmaidens can create and controll their own Servants while their Queen has a wider arsenal of broods. Yet an elite core of Servants is tasked with her physical needs. If servants are not used they simply remain in a comatose state until being activated by the (...). Servants often have pale shells with black or grey marks to represent their status.

### Workers

Workers are the most standart of all castes and by far the largest. They have a small form with dull pincers and no modifications. They are easily regonisable by their mat markings and pale breathing-legs. Workers cultivate and carry food, take care of the broodpools and cocoons, dig new tunnels and scout the surface. Workers begin their lifes as jack of all traits. During their service they specialise themselfes of a task they carry out for the rest of their lifes.

### Carriers

Carriers have a special abdominal modification. Their breeding-apparat has been altered to carry food and liquids instead of eggs. Their abdomen can grow 12 times larger then the rest of their body, making them walking storages. In their nests Carriers remain in a comatose state while storing precious jellies or ressources. Should a colony travel, Carriers transport ressources or water filled with larvae that can hatch within the Geugaoi.

### Soliders

Soliders are among the largest and strongest of all Geungaoi individuals. They carry bulkier and more muscular heads with huge fangs that can pierce steel; enlarged pincers with sharp teeth on their edges and various abdominal modifications such as toxic stings or glants that allow them to spray acid across large distances. Soliders are among the most individual of Geungaoi. While they act as slaves to the will of their Queens within their nests; many of them are loyal and able to work on their own. More troublesome Soliders are always accompanied by a Handmaiden.

### Males

Male Geungaoi, also known as Drones, are secular and not a part of the regular colonies. They live outside the Geungaoi nests in small groups although some prefer to spend their whole lifes within a court to breed Queens and Handmaidens. Geungaoi have a natural repugnance towards intercourse with males that hatched in their own colony. For that reason, Males leave their nest after they are fully hetched. The majority of them lives in nests of their own, small lairs only inhabited by their sex. When a Queen ovulates, the sends out a signal in the (...) that draws all Males in reach towards them. Those that breed a Queen are either directly consumed after the act or allowed to serve her court until the next ovulation. A Queen only requires sperm once every 4 years, yet many prefer to be breed more often to increase the genetic diversity of their colony.Males have a strong sex drive, yet they are usually too afraid to enter a nest on their own. An ovulationsignal is usually enough to overcome their natural hesitation.

It is not known if Geungaoi feel pleasure during their relativly short intercourse. Queens often reward chosen Handmaidens with a Male to breed them. If they desire this out of lust or simply to enhance the strength of their Servants is something Xyrillian biologists have yet to discover.

Males can travel large distances rather quickly since their breathing-legs are expanded to large wings which amplify their speed and oxygen intake.

### Others

#### Gaoi-Builderforms

Geungaoi do not only use Workers to build and uphold their nests. Gaoi are their smaller cousins. They have a very different anatomy closer to that of crabs. Gaoi are about as large as a human hand and roam their nest to cultivate fungi or clean certain areas. They can attach to one another with their pincers and mandibles to form stable structures like bridges (horizontal and vertical), walls, block tunnels or form furniture. When doing so, they fall into a comatose state and require little to no ressources while their grip to their partners holds on tight. Gaoi are under full controll of their although hatching indipendently. If she dies, the leave their nests in panic. Without an intelligence to guide them they are little more then animals.

In defense of their nests, Gaoi often swarm intruders to devour them or inject poison. They are especially effective against other Geungaoi or other Zygoa with limited flexibility.

#### Crocia

The Geungaoi hatch specililised protists that can dissolve stone and feed on the carbon and minerals inside. For the chemical reaction necessairy for this process they require a constant intake of ressources, mostly sugar. They are applied to the deeper chambers of a nest where they slowly expand the tunnels and deposit chitin at its insides. In later stages of this process, the colonies are connected to the Queens body so that she gains full controll over these microorganisms. This way the entire nest becomes a living being part of its ruler.

## Colonies

Geungaoi colonies are spread across all of Xyrillia. While each of them is independant many form temporary alliegences or long time cooperations. All of them are hidden deep under the surface in a nest that consists of a complex framework of tunnels and chambers. The most notable are the *Royal Chambers* in which the queen resides, the *Breeding Halls* which store cocoons and breeding pools for their larvae aswell as *Storages* for food and riches. A colony hosts between 1.000 and 500.000 Geungaoi.

### Subspecies

Geungaoi host several subspecies with speciliased castes and colors. A subspecies largely works together while being in war with all others aswell as the (...) and Humans from times to times.

**Black Geungaoi** are the most well explored of their kind and most likely the most numerous. Their carapax is black with white marks on it. They inhabit the underground of *Saoleng* and the *Sanchai Riverlands*. They develop enforced pincers and are generally larger then the rest of their kind.

**Red Geungaoi** are specialised in toxins and develop large stings that can inject acid or deadly venom. They are smaller and faster then their eastern cousins and inhabit the *Osho Highlands*, the *Osho Valley* and the *Eastern Mountains*.

**Yellow Geungaoi** are the smallest of their kind and inhabit the Kai Steppes and southern coasts. A unique caste of Soliders has developed wings, often combined with abdominal glants that can fire acid. They are among the most aggressive and prefer to overwhelm their foes with numbers and ranged attacks.

**Green Geungaoi** are the most mysterious. They inhabit Yokura and have a wide arsenal of toxins, acids and gases to attack their enemies and defend their nests. While the majority of them are small and quick, there are specialised Soliders larger then elephants.

## Faith

The Geungaoi are not necessairly known for their spirituality. Yet those in closer contact with them discovered a set of religious practices. While all Geungaoi corpses are brought to their respective queen to be devouered; the Queens herself are buried in the deepest point of a nest before being sealed off.

Several Handmaidens have described this practice as The Returning of the Spirit. According to them they need to be buried like this so that their spirits can join the "Gods below", also known as "Great mothers". This way they are turned back to the depts where all life came from. The spirits of their fallen Queens guide their species and can communicate with their offsprings through the (...). If this is true has not been confirmed yet as the true nature of the (...) is still mysterious.

There has been an instance where Xyrillian forces managed to invade and take over a nest. When they breached the sacred seals around the former Queens burial chambers they found them completly empty.