Formian

Formian

(Creature)

Type

Monstrous humanoid

CR

Varies

Environment

Any land or underground (Castrovel or Vesk-5)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Adjective

formian

Images of formians

Source: Alien Archive, pg(s). 50-51

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Formians are a race of ant-like eusocial monstrous humanoids native to the Colonies, a continent located in southern Castrovel in the Pact Worlds system.

Appearance

Formians resemble giant ants with humanoid upper bodies. Their exoskeleton is carved with images reflecting their name and achievements.

Ecology

Formians are divided into five castes, each specialised on a task. The queen of each hive is its ruler and sole egg-layer. Under her are the myrmarchs, taskmasters, warriors and workers. All members of a formian hive share a telepathic link to coordinate with one another.

History

In pre-Gap ancient times, formians were constantly fighting against other formian hives. These civil wars ended with the Meeting of Queens, where the leaders of several large hives agreed to work together in service to the concept of an Overqueen, the ultimate authority figure of the formian race. The newly unified Colonies then turned their conflicts towards the lashuntas of Asana in a series of wars that lasted for millennia until the insect-like shirrens brokered a peace treaty between the two parties in 287 AG, and event that is believed to have been necessary for the foundation of the [[Pact Worlds|Pact Worlds government in 291 AG. Following the cessation of war, formians began to industrialise their society by adopting the technology of other species.

Society

Formian society is strictly collectivist and authoritarian. The queen of each hive is its absolute monarch, ruling over the myrmarchs, taskmasters, warriors, and workers in a strict hierarchy. Unlawful behaviour is rare and can be overlooked or punished by re-education or death, although the shirrens have convinced some hives to send their 'dysfunctional' citizens to the Broken Minds colony. Due to influence from non-formian diplomats (often shirrens), most queens tolerate the individualism of other races as long as it still serves the formians' best interest.

Non-formian corporate employees are sometimes granted the status of honorary member of a hive and the permission to oversee formian workers, whose efficiency is only second to that of the best robots. Due to the formians' relative lack of concern for the environment, many firms have transferred their fabrication to the Colonies.

Formians also inhabit the ring orbiting Vesk-5, carving their hives out of chunks of rock and ice. For some reason, they were not mentioned in the Veskarium's pre-Gap chronicles, and were first encountered by the vesk when they first reasserted their control after the Gap ended. It is unknown if they were missed by ancient vesk explorers, or only arrived during the Gap. The vesk have recently grown concerned about the formians' recent expansion, particularly around Quariskt. High Despot Kesharkan maintains a close watch, aware that an impulsive reaction might lead to unnecessary confrontation.