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The Kriechen are a eusocial pest species that infests Ja’luhhor’Alothian infrastructure. They are usually docile, ignoring non-Kriechen organisms or retreating from them, although in certain scenarios they may become a nuisance or outright hostile.

The Kriechen originally inhabited the Genesis Fields, where they were sustainably slaughtered; their corpses to be processed into sustenance or burned as fuel. After a critical malfunction of the Reproduction Inhibitors induced by intentional sabotage, the Kriechen overbred beyond the scope of what the Aesoteric could contain. In mere minutes, the Kriechen escaped the Genesis Pits to infest Ja’luhhor’Alotha and beyond.

Description

Long ago, the Kriechen’s forms were adequately designed by manipulating their growth. Using an aggressive form of cancer, the Kriechen were very rapidly grown by the Aesoteric using their profane designs. Originally, the Kriechen were quadrupedal organisms with a plump body and a putrid, faceless head. With a simple circular hole which acts as a consumption and respiration orifice.

When the Kriechen escaped the Genesis Fields, the carcinogenic biomatter that allowed them to mature so quickly began to malfunction and decay, causing the beasts to mutate out of control. Now, every Kriechen is almost completely unique. While most Kriechen die upon their birth, there are enough survivors to continue the species onwards. The majority of the Kriechen have convergent traits or appearances.

Biology

The Kriechen are not truly a collective species, not anymore. Instead, they are the equivalent of macroscopic cancer. No being is alike, superficially at least. While visually different due to their extremely mutagenic phenotypes, the Kriechen are all generally similar; their dermal tissue, behavior, and diets are all similar if not identical among individuals.

Kriechen are similar to common city rodents originally found in the cities of Homo Sapiens, scrounging for sustenance and fleeing when non-Kriechen organisms encroach on their path. While hostility is rare, it may occur if the individual is cornered or a Kriechen hive is sieged.

Colonialism

Kriechen are colonial, living in vast hives in which a rudimentary caste system is employed. As no specific Kriechen is truly developed for any task other than growth, the beings practiced a form of primitive democracy to delegate tasks to individuals. The structures, bridges, and habitations are formed from the mutated bodies of Kriechen who have long since lost their ability to locomote. This suggests that Kriechen are not just living macroscopic cancer cells, but living and highly mutagenic organisms.

Kriechen hives will continue to grow until they reach a critical point, multiple individuals will coalesce and melt into great pustule-like obelisks. These obelisks will terraform the hives directly into an ideal environment that promotes the growth of the Kriechen.

Kriechen hives are considered nuisances at the weakest and outright threats at their strongest. As the Kriechen are highly resilient, Kriechen hives have formed in the Spine’s tunnels, large Switchchambers, and other highly dangerous locations for beings that do not know how to effectively use them.

Kriechen Titans

As the Kriechen evolved and grew over time, the critters began to mesh with each other. Which created living mounds of living Kriechen bodies, from which enormous Kriechen formed. These Kriechen, known as Titans, wreak havoc upon Ja’luhhor’Alotha until slain. How these titans form, and how many Kriechen are required to from these creatures, is unknown. It is possible that the titans are singular Kriechen that have mutated beyond control, or colonial multi-organisms that have grown to insane sizes.