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  1. Races

Iktomi (Shepherd)

Humanoid

Farmers and Mendicants make up the majority of the Shepherd caste. Among the Iktomi it is the shepherds whom facilitate their great swarms of domestic insects. Shepherds are also usually responsible for caring for the young and infirm, as well as growing food and securing water within a hive.  Shepherds are the most common caste of Iktomi, and are distinct by their average size and lack of wings.


Iktomi are kindred to the myriad crawling and buzzing creatures of the world, taking forms that combine many of the traits of insects and arachnids with those of humanoids. A cooperative people, the bonds of clan and community are of chief importance to most Iktomi and many never venture far from the lands of their birth. Iktomi mature by the age of 12, and rarely live past the age of 50, with matriarchs having potential lifespans sometimes surpassing 500 years.

Physiology and Psychology

The Iktomi resemble humanoid arthropods, but the details of their appearance are quite diverse. Individuals typically stand from four feet to eight feet in height, and their builds can vary dramatically within this range. Iktomi each posses four arms, a primary pair and a secondary pair that lacks a dexterous grasp. Many Iktomi posses Antennae, mandibles, and compound eyes. They tend to favor clothing according to the culture of their clan, which is itself often influenced by neighboring humanoids. 

The appearance of an Iktomi is strongly influenced by their heritage. Each Iktomi is descended from a Matriarch whom has taken on an Arthropod totem, and incorporated its aspects into the appearance and habits of her clan. In this way some Iktomi might resemble spiders and focus on weaving silk, while others may resemble bees and tend to extensive apiaries. The morphological diversity of the Iktomi is such that some might mistake different clans and castes for entirely separate races. 

Each adult Iktomi is unique, shaped by their diet as larvae in addition to their clan heritage and caste. If an individual feeds on other creatures at any point during their early development, they may manifest physical and psychological features resembling those beings. These traits extend to aspects not normally present in arthropods, causing Iktomi children to develop into a hybrid of whatever they consumed and the traits inherited from their clan. These traits are nearly always cosmetic, and rarely enough to obfuscate the matriarchal lineage of an Iktomi.

Other races often find the Iktomi to be quite alien in both their outlook and behavior, for there are many things that the Iktomi comprehend differently from their humanoid peers. It is commonplace for the Iktomi to eat whatever food is available should the need arise, with this extending to the remains of enemies, humanoids, and even other Iktomi, with no taboo against this among their people.  Many Iktomi consider it foolish to allow materials to go to waste, therefore it is the aspiration of most hives to use all available resources for sustenance, crafts, or cultivation. This behavior can be benign, in harmony with the natural world, but some hives are more akin to locusts, stripping the land of its resources for the glory of their clan. In addition to their eating habits and resourcefulness, the Iktomi custom of inspecting individuals with their antennae can be disconcerting to the unfamiliar, as Iktomi are suited to living in close quarters and have weaker concepts of personal spaces.

 

Society and Culture

Though they often build their nests away from other humanoids, the Iktomi are exceptionally adaptive and make their homes wherever they can. Hives almost always develop as a tightly knit group under the leadership of a Matriarch, and sometimes such groups simply coexist near or within the settlements of other humanoids. Iktomi settlements are often single communal structures, but can take any form and are frequently influenced by the structural habits of other humanoids in the region. Iktomi dwellings are notable for the ubiquity of insect life and the shared nature of their interiors. Creatures such as spiders and insects, are often cultivated like pets or livestock, herded towards specific tasks in a settlement and even raised en masse to feed the hungry mouths of the clan. Prosperous Iktomi hives are often ostentatious in their expression, taking on aspects of neighboring cultures in an effort to integrate with the local milieu. 

Iktomi are born as the sons and daughters of a clan Matriarch, whom holds a position analogous to the queen of an ant or bee hive.  For most Iktomi their lives begin and end within their clan, and few things can supplant this dedication. Each Iktomi bears an natural inclination towards cooperation and familial association, creating a strong bond among their people. Failure or ambition can sometimes lead to exile, as few matriarchs are willing to abide an aberrant element among their brood, and the inter-reliance of the clan makes such distinct individuals difficult to accommodate. Despite this, the struggle to survive nearly defines the nature of Iktomi society, and such exiles often prosper within whatever groups they gravitate towards. Small groups of Iktomi sometimes form collective units outside the clans, though these pockets of Iktomi are the exception and far from the norm. Such groups generally lack the benefit of a matriarch and have great difficulty expressing their identity and fostering respect among the clans.

The Iktomi easily settle into relatively primitive lifestyles when isolated, but local cultures are often adopted when clans come into contact with other races. Philosophical and political ideas are also often learned from others, and over time the culture of a given clan might resemble an amalgamation of Iktomi values and the habits of their neighbors. Due to this, the culture within a given clan is often distinct from that of another. Politics between clans and hives is therefore always a major element of interactions between Iktomi, as individuals are divided by both morphological and ideological differences. 

 

Matriarchs and Dynasties

Matriarchs are the mothers of the Iktomi, continuing to grow in size and fertility for their entire lives. Each Matriarch is able to lay eggs prodigiously, acting as a singular parent to generations of her clan over the course of her lifespan.  Taking on the aspects of an arthropod totem upon her ascension, an Iktomi Matriarch passes the traits of her totem on to all of her offspring. Such totems are frequently related to the queens own heritage, and through this, dynasties of Iktomi become associated with a specific type of insect or arachnid. Totem creatures usually become incorporated into a clans diet and habits, being farmed, nurtured, and eaten in their settlements. This is done for resources as much as identity - in the same way other humanoids might take pride in their heritage and traditions. As a result, each clan is unique, related individuals are similar, and traditional allegiances clearly shown through physical heritage. 

Some powerful matriarchs style themselves as queens, and send their heralds into the world to bear their agenda to nearby settlements and other Iktomi clans. Truly ancient Queens may spawn dynasties, taking the title of Empress and holding dominion over multiple clans that share her lineage, each with its own Queen and differences in visage. Such dynasties from the foundation for fierce political jockeying among the Iktomi, for while loyalty to the clan is of foremost importance, each Iktomi bears the potential to become a matriarch and many bear the burden of this ambition. 

Every Iktomi carries the potential to become a matriarch, and the process is as simple as it is perilous. Consuming one of a matriarchs four hearts will invoke a metamorphosis in the Iktomi that causes them to shed the traits of their caste and clan, allowing them to develop into a matriarch themselves. This transformation begins after a day has passed, and takes a full week to complete during which time the would be matriarch is ambulatory, but loses all benefits of their subrace. Gender is no obstacle to this transformation, which leaves the individual forever and thoroughly altered in both body and spirit. Matriarchs nearing the end of their lives often arrange for their chosen successors to be nearby as they near their end, educating them and giving their bodies over to the future matriarch after their demise, thus allowing them to ensure the clan does not end with their death.

Many Iktomi attempt to curry favor with elder matriarchs in order to gain the right to succession, while some unscrupulous Iktomi plot to overthrow their leaders with murder and sly tactics in the hope of becoming a Matriarch themselves. Ambitious matriarchs sometimes even aspire to become an empress by having her brood raid other hives, and promoting those whom fed on the defeated matriarch into the leaders of their own clans.