Insectborn
Description
A lineage whose power is rooted in knowledge, surveillance, and chemical expertise rather than open force. Originating from a humid basin with dense arthropod biomass, they function as the planet's collectors, apiarists, and information specialists, maintaining influence through vast networks of sensory data.
Metabolic Cost
The use of their abilities is limited by the sheer sensory load of processing insect communications and the physical presence of sufficient insect populations. They are prone to immune-symbiome conflict, chemical hypersensitivity, and sensory overload, particularly when their specialized systems interact with other lineage biologies.
Ancestral Legacy
Originally the colonial research team assigned to study decomposition, nutrient cycling, pollination, and arthropod-fungal relationships within a basin of extreme arthropod biomass.
Notable Holdings
- •Humid basin (ancestral seat)
- •Information networks
- •Chemical and apiary guilds
- •Networked local archives
Biological Lineage
Descendants of the Entomir colony, they possess fine chemical perception, pheromone sensitivity, vibration detection, strong toxin resistance, and heightened immune regulation. Their extraordinary ability allows them to exploit insect chemical and vibrational signals to influence or coordinate entire swarms. In mixed-lineage contexts, they contribute intense chemical, microbial, and barrier-tissue specialization.
Political Alignment
They are integrated into the Inter-Lineage Council and the postwar order, utilizing their dense administrative and archival networks to maintain institutional accountability across the continent. They are often involved in the Academy and Neutral Ground, where their specialized sensory and chemical knowledge is institutionalized.
Heraldry And Symbols
Visual identifiers include smooth, washable layered garments, low-noise fastenings, sensory-conscious fabrics, and the use of veils or chemical barriers for pheromone isolation.
Theological Standing
They emphasize relational obligation, positing that no Trial occurs in isolation because every individual's actions alter the wider system. Their history, particularly regarding the figure Sira, remains a source of theological tension regarding state ownership of persons.
Timeline
Founding of Entomir
The original research colony is established in a humid basin to study arthropod biomass and nutrient cycling.
Hereditary Stabilization
Over generations, the colony population develops specialized traits like pheromone sensitivity and vibration detection, becoming the Insectborn.
The Creation of the Thread
Sira Aven, an Insectborn with exceptional network-perceiving gifts, creates a rebel information network during the War of the Trial.
Execution of Sira Aven
Sira Aven is captured, interrogated, and executed by the state, though her legacy exposes the 'False Weight' of state reproductive control.
Postwar Integration
The Insectborn information networks are integrated into the postwar order and the Academy to help manage inter-lineage stability.
Formalization of the Insectborn Label
Following the spread of the Trial Religion in 1,820, the old self-name Entomir is standardized to 'Insectborn' in the common tongue.
Establishment of Cross-Lineage Medical Protocols
Insectborn healers contribute to the development of symbiome management and chemical sensitivity treatments in Neutral Ground to support mixed-lineage children.
Explore more
The permanent establishment of human life on Antar and the start of the 1,485-year history of the Trial Religion, leading to the current year 3,305 status quo.
The Founding of the Eight Colonies
The permanent establishment of human life on Antar and the start of the 1,485-year history of the Trial Religion, leading to the current year 3,305 status quo.
Plot & Structure
A rocky planet featuring a single supercontinent surrounded by a global ocean. The landmass is divided into eight distinct ecological extremes—including volcanic fields, mineral-rich ore belts, humid basins, and permanent ice stations—separated by 'Frontiers,' which are unstable ecological transition zones. The Central Highlands, a neutral plateau of elevated valleys and rivers with thin air and hard-to-farm soil, sits at the geographic center. Architecture is constructed from durable materials like stone, ceramic, and glass to withstand biological degradation.
Antar
A rocky planet featuring a single supercontinent surrounded by a global ocean. The landmass is divided into eight distinct ecological extremes—including volcanic fields, mineral-rich ore belts, humid basins, and permanent ice stations—separated by 'Frontiers,' which are unstable ecological transition zones. The Central Highlands, a neutral plateau of elevated valleys and rivers with thin air and hard-to-farm soil, sits at the geographic center. Architecture is constructed from durable materials like stone, ceramic, and glass to withstand biological degradation.
Locations
The foundational era of Antaran history, marked by the arrival of a scientifically organized Earth expedition that established eight research colonies at ecologically extreme sites. This period represents the beginning of human presence on the planet and the start of the biological and social divergence that would eventually define the eight lineages.
Year 0
The foundational era of Antaran history, marked by the arrival of a scientifically organized Earth expedition that established eight research colonies at ecologically extreme sites. This period represents the beginning of human presence on the planet and the start of the biological and social divergence that would eventually define the eight lineages.
Timelines