Keilicaela

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Keilicaela don't sleep...they wait.

Thegalet, in a passing statement.


The Keilicaela (known to some humans as the Waspcaela) are a species of space-faring insectoid organisms hailing from the planet Namine.

History

To be added.

Factions

(This section will likely be converted from a list to a more expansive explanation of Keilicaela factions.)

Languages

Just during their non-space-faring existence on Namine, the Keilicaela have invented over 4,500 languages, each with multiple, diverse dialects. Keilicaelaac (not to be confused with Old Keilicaelaac, an almost completely different language used during the time of the Currai Imperium and Descendants of Thutria) and Namirec are the languages in the most widespread use, although many other Keilicaela languages have survived and remain in use as well. It is worth noting that this does not account for the unique dialects that are created over time when the Keilicaela colonize new planets; for example, Namian Keilicaelaac and Venguarkian Keilicaelaac have many noticeable differences, although they are both technically the same language.

Known Keilicaela Languages

Note: a word in parenthesis after a language signifies a specific dialect for said language. Only notable languages/dialects have been listed.

  • Old Keilicaelaac
  • Keilicaelaac (Traditional, Simplified, Namian, Venguarkian)
  • Namirec (Traditional, Simplified)
  • Metikren (Traditional, Thutrian)
  • Peritune (Traditional, Southern)
  • Zerexzki (Traditional, Simplified, Amended)

Lifespan

During their natural lives, Keilicaela can live up to about 220 years.

Anatomy and Physiology

Epidermal Layer

Rather than having skin as we know it, Keilicaela have a thick, hardened layer of chitin to protect their internal organs from environmental harm, predation, and any other kind of damage that may befall them. Should said damage come upon an exoskeleton, an organ known as the xaonok secretes a chemical that simultaneously softens and repairs the damaged area of the exoskeleton, allowing for regeneration. The newly regenerated soft chitin quickly hardens afterwards.

Stinger

To be added.

Venom

To be added.

Growth

Unlike other insectoids, Keilicaela do not shed their exoskeletons. Instead, when the time comes to grow, the the xaonok comes into play, secreting a modified form of the "healing chemical," one that solely softens the exoskeleton, making it malleable as to allow for a size increase. Once this size increase is complete, the exoskeleton re-hardens until the xaonok is activated again.

Due to the above, Keilicaela are not constantly growing. If the xaonok were constantly making the Keilicaela grow, they would be easy targets for predators. Thus, their growth periods are restricted to three phases, each phase adding a considerable size increase.

Phase One

The first growth phase of a Keilicaela begins when they are five years old. The xaonok activates for growth purposes for the first time around this age, allowing the height of the Keilicaela to increase by up to a foot, and the exoskeleton to an inch or so in thickness. This generally ends in a four-foot-tall child Keilicaela with an inch-and-a-half thick exoskeleton. This growth phase takes anywhere from three days to a week.

Phase Two

The second and perhaps most major growth phase occurs at the age of ten. When the xaonok activates, the Keilicaela will gain two more feet in height and yet another inch in exoskeletal thickness. The completed form can be anywhere from five to six feet tall (depending on how much that particular individual grew during phase one), and a two-and-a-half to three-inch thick exoskeleton (again, depending on the individual). This growth phase may take one to two weeks.

Phase Three

The final Keilicaela growth phase occurs only three years after the second one, at the age of thirteen. Keilicaela will reach their final height, ranging anywhere from six to eight feet tall (meaning if one grew to six feet in phase two, there could potentially be no change), and final exoskeletal thickness, which can be anywhere between three-and-a-half to four inches thick. Not only this, but the reproductive organs of the Keilicaela begin to function, bringing the Keilicaela into adulthood. The length of this phase varies between individuals, but is at least a week long and at most a month long.

Coloration

The coloration of the Keilicaela exoskeleton, stinger, and eye vary from individual to individual. However, there are a few rules that this trait follows:

Exoskeleton Color

  • The largest factor in a Keilicaela's exoskeleton color is subspecies.
    • Prevalent colors in Aen-Keilicaela phenotypes are red, yellow, and orange.
    • Prevalent colors in Chi-Keilicaela phenotypes are green, lime, dark brown, yellowish-green, and blue.
    • Prevalent colors in Ret-Keilicaela phenotypes are brown, tan, and orange.
    • Prevalent colors in Tvi-Keilicaela phenotypes are white, black, and gray.

As few-to-no Keilicaela are pure-breds of any particular subspecies, the subspecies-exclusivity of these colors widely vary depending on the particular mix of a given Keilicaela.

  • The second-largest factor in a Keilicaela's color is gender.
    • Red and yellow are the two most common colors of modern Keilicaela. Red is generally found on females and yellow is often a male color, but these are not rules; red males and yellow females exist and are more common than one would think.
    • Black is the least common of the most common, and is not exclusive to males but still rare in females.
    • Brown, white, blue, and orange have no gender preference.

Stinger Color

  • Stinger color is generally either yellow-and-black or orange-and-black.
    • Yellow-and-black is male-exclusive.
    • Orange-and-black is female-exclusive.
  • There are fairly common genetic mutations, however, that allow the non-black stripe color to be the same as the exoskeletal color.

Eye Color

  • Eye color can either be the same color as the exoskeleton (the eye will a different shade of the exoskeleton color, however), or an inverse of that color.
    • For example, blue Keilicaela often have a blue eye shaded differently from their exoskeleton. They can also have a red eye, or on occasion, a green eye.
    • Red Keilicaela can either have a different shaded red eye, a blue eye, or a yellow eye.
    • Green Keilicaela, as in the case of Vespid Heterodonyx, either have a different shaded green eye, a yellow eye, or a blood-red eye.
    • White Keilicaela have been noted as an exception to the rule, possessing a wide variety of eye colors from black to blue to green to orange.

Subspecies

There are five notable Keilicaela subspecies with four extant and one extinct. Despite four out of the five species being classified as extant, it is staggeringly rare to find a pure-blooded specimen of any of the four subspecies. Due to this, there is significant debate within many scientific circles that the subspecies should instead be classified as races. However, in light of the significant physical variances between the subspecies (for example, Chi-Keilicaela have four wings whereas the other subspecies only have two), most accredited scientific institutions continue to acknowledge the subspecies as just that: subspecies.

Aen-Keilicaela

The Aen-Keilicaela, nicknamed the Sunbaskers, ran through Namine’s vast, wide-open plains and savannahs, hunting down their prey with primitive weapons and forming hunter-gatherer societies. They gained their nickname from generations of running through the light of the twin suns with only the occasional tree to provide sparse shade from the blazing heat.

Chi-Keilicaela

The Chi-Keilicaela, nicknamed the Forestgliders, hunted and thrived in the lush tropical forests of Namine, where they were infamous for their hanging vine traps and forest rooftop abodes. They were nicknamed for their primary manner of travel: gliding high above green canopies until they needed to swoop down and catch their next meal by surprise.

Ner-Keilicaela

The Ner-Keilicaela, nicknamed the Murkdwellers, were a semi-rare Keilicaela subspecies that was present in the swamps and bogs of Namine. They could often be seen rising from the depths of murky, rancid lakes as a surprise hunting tactic. Many Ner-Keilicaela were famous for carving their habitations out of the monolithic trees that dotted Namine’s swamps--a tactic that the Chi-Keilicaela would adopt for use in their home forests. Unfortunately, all known Ner-Keilicaela were either killed or bred out of existence by the very Chi-Keilicaela that assimilated their (for the time) rich culture.

Ret-Keilicaela

The Ret-Keilicaela, nicknamed the Sandburrowers, originated in the Great Sharazdi Desert (although many later immigrated to the different desert areas of Namine), where they competed with the local Skornp for dominance. They were nicknamed for the sand burrows their cultures were fond of digging for both habitation and trapping purposes.

Tvi-Keilicaela

The Tvi-Keilicaela, nicknamed the Firewalkers, were abundant in Namine’s volcanic wastes and ashland regions, where they primarily hunted smaller animals and those creatures that were as steadfast as they against the double-punch of the binary suns and boiling magma rivers. They earned their nickname from generations of thriving in the unforgiving fires of the ashlands.

Notable Keilicaela

Trivia

  • The name "Keilicaela" is noted in many Keilicaela languages such as Namirec and Keilicaelaac. This is where the "-caela" suffix comes from in the outside-appointed name of "Waspcaela."
  • The word "keilisar" in the Keilicaelaac language is a term equivalent to "man" in the English language, and would be used in such contexts as "that man over there," and "what it means to be a man." The equivalent female term is "keilisae."

Related Quotes

The Keilicaela species has been referred to as many things, but never useless.

–Vespid Heterodonyx, commenting on his people.