Formics

Heraldry of the Collective

**The Formic Collective** are among one of the more recent species to arrive on the galactic stage, their culture is one of control and rigid conformity. **Very little deviancy and free expression is allowed** for those not among the hive's queens.

A very protective and isolationist nation, the Formic Collective is primarily made up of three species, the **Formic Hive** which makes up the ruling majority of the Collective, the **Nreli** who form the bulk of lower administrative and scientific positions, and the **Celtran** who act as soldiers and laborers along with their Formic masters. However, with their growth to the galactic stage, they have begun eyeing up other races for absorption into the collective, be it through **diplomacy** or **warfare**.

## Anatomy and Physiology

Formics are an **insectoid race**, composed of a hardened exoskeleton and three pairs of limbs, 4 arms and two legs. Warrior breeds are equipped with a pair of blades on each arm as well as a stinger while the queens have a set of wings on their back in addition to the aforementioned natural weapons. While the introduction of firearms into their society diminished the need of these natural defenses, warrior caste Formics and some queens still train in their use in case close quarters fighting is necessary.

Their most prominent feature is one that many species are unaware of. Being a hive society, much of their **communication is based around the use of pheromones** in connection to the wills of the ruling queens among the population. The striking thing about these pheromones is their ability to not only affect members of the hive **but, given enough time and exposure to them, they can also influence the mental states of other humanoid species**. Though not full mind control, those that are around Formics for long periods, especially the higher castes, will find themselves becoming more agreeable to their counterpart's words. Longer exposure can allow some species to pick up vague feelings on what the formic wants as the pheromones shift. This kind of adaptation is very slow to occur though, with only the **Celtran** and **Nreli** having gained this ability at a species wide level.

## History

The history of the **Formic Collective** begins on a continental world known as **Nelralis**. The world was composed of four large continents, two of which were connected by a smaller strip of land, and the remaining territory consisted of several small oceans and waterways separating them. **Three different humanoid races** came to be on the world, the **insectoid Formics**, the **mamalian Celtran**, and the **reptilian Nreli**. For most of recorded history, the Celtrans and Nreli were in one form of conflict or another, each on their own continent and looking to outperform or outright dominate the other. More often than not, it was the **more militaristic Celtrans** who instigated many of the bloodier conflicts between the two peoples. Though the Celtran were more numerous and had an edge in terms of weaponry, **the Nreli were a more advanced people as a whole**, making up their lack of numbers through superior tactics or through mechanized means as their technology advanced. While these two groups fought, the **Formics** had settled themselves into their own domain on the other side of the world, having **isolated themselves** somewhat from the constant warring between their neighbours.

Things came to ahead though, when yet **another war** broke out between the two. The **Formics** had began colonization efforts on the continent that **bordered the Nreli**. The area was pretty much written off by their neighbours as unusable and not worth bothering with, but was deemed suitable to the Formics as their society **was used to harsher environments and thrived** underneath pretty much any terrain. The existence of the colony was known to the other groups and they had agreed to leave the area be, at the time. As the fighting seemed to stalemate again, the Celtrans attempted a different approach. They planned on landing on the area where the Formics had been colonizing, intending to press through the seemingly impassable terrain to hit the Nreli where they were least defended. When this plan was **revealed**, their opponents launched a **counter attack**. The two sides fought several bloody clashes on formic territory, many of their people ending up in the crossfire and all diplomatic condemnation was promptly ignored by both sides. This atrocity **sparked a change in the mindset of the Queens**. Outsiders were unable to be trusted. They were violent and refused to be held accountable to their own promises. **The only way to protect their hive was to bring the threat under control**.

As the war continued to drag on, the collective began a complete **overhaul of their industrial centres**. With many of their heavy industries being partially underground, very few in either the Celtran or Nreli governments suspected any sort of issue, and those that did wrote it off as them just preparing to defend their own territory. What neither suspected was that while the build up was occurring, warrior expeditions had been dispatched to scout out and map possible attack routes into both nations and their capitals. They would bide their time, **waiting till both sides bloodied each other** **enough to become vulnerable**. That time came when the first rounds of peace talks began between the two sides. It had become clear that neither one had much strength left to continue fighting and yet another cease fire was going to be declared. **The attack by the Formics** was as surprising as it was brutal. Military targets were obliterated without mercy, while civilian rulers were rounded up and interred. **Within a year**, all major resistance had been annihilated and the queens began the next part of their plan. With the militaries of both nations effectively removed, **they began to insert themselves into the civilian roles** left behind, taking direct control of both nations and their people. Resistance was present but died down quickly, both as **retribution by the Formics** **was brutal** while the large quantities of the insects roaming the streets allowed them to spread their pheromones far and wide. Within two generations, the population of the world had been pacified and now **obediently**, though reluctantly for some, **endorsed the formal creation of the Formic Collective**. Three more decades would pass before they turned their eyes skyward, the disparate nations now a distant memory as the three populations had become **integrated fully into the Formic hives and their castes**.

## Society and Culture

Formic society is highly stratified with a **deeply ingrained caste system**, designed to mimic the hive structure as close as possible. Each formic is born into a particular caste, be it warrior, worker, trader, science, etc. Social mobility between these castes is highly regulated and rarely happens save for when a particular member expresses particular skill in the desired caste. **For non-formics**, this process is somewhat easier, though their conditions start off much lower. **Newly inducted peoples start out as slaves**, performing manual labour and working in heavy industrial jobs. They shall stay there till it is clear that they are becoming **more receptive to the influence of the formic pheromones**, and are therefore considered trustworthy enough to be granted limited freedoms. As this process can vary heavily in how long it takes, it may take anywhere from a **few months to one or two generations** down before this can happen. Once they reach this stage, they are offered more traditional roles and accommodations for those of the worker class, though still of low quality. it is possible to rise further and further if one is obedient and performs well, though the formic never allow aliens to take positions that would put them in a position of power over a Formic. **In their eyes, they are at best on equal terms with those of the worker caste**, in terms of respect.

Much like their caste system, **Formic industry and economics are tightly regulated** and organized in a way to allow strict control over goods production and use. Economic output is put under specific restrictions by the **Council of Queens** depending on the current needs of the Collective and the availability of resources. Due to the nature of their hive structure and the **heavy reliance on pheromones for guidance**, **corruption is rarely a problem within this system** and what does come up is quickly found and punished brutally by the Queens. This has proven to be a double edged sword at times though. While the heavy hand on economic input and output has allowed for a highly efficient use of resources, **it renders them somewhat vulnerable to sudden shocks**, be them from internal or external sources. Though they are capable of quickly coordinating in order to try and counter the shocks, it is not instant and **requires time to adjust**.