An excerpt from the paper "Peoples of Vrennell", by Conrad Ixion, Magus, Twelfth Degree.
Tn'lch
Overview
The Tn'lch are a race that lies in the vast gap between mammals and insects. They are warm-blooded, with both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton with a rubbery outer surface. Most have two eyes and are bipedal; it becomes difficult to generalize after that. The Tn'lch undergo a strange sort of genetic specialization at age ten, during their "pupa" stage. At this point, a Tn'lch youngster must decide which caste he will enter; a member of the Noble Caste injects him with certain enzymes, and the youth develops into one of several adult forms.
The Noble Caste (or Gial'chni, in their language) appears tall and spindly, nearly seven feet in height, with a brilliant blue exoskeleton, four eyes, and a tiny set of nonfuctional wings. The Gial'chni are the only caste that can make the enzymes that can change other Tn'lch, and as such, only a few pupae are chosen for this caste.
The Soldier Caste (Wu'chni) vary from five to six feet in height, with massive, hardened exoskeletal plates, curving, scimitarlike claws that extend from their wrists, and powerful jaws that can bite through almost anything. They only have two eyes beneath their bulbous, portruding foreheads, and their exoskeleton is typically black. It is also worth noting that the Wu'chni are the only Tn'lch that do not wear clothing.
The Merchant Caste (Clr'chni) appear almost homonid - they typically stand six feet tall, and their tan exoskeletons are so soft to the touch, and have so little segmentation that they can pass for human... if you happen to be exceptionally drunk at the time. Their eyes are still exceptionally large, and they have no body hair (as with all Tn'lch). The Merchant Caste is also the Tn'lch's caste of scholars and mages.
Finally, the Worker Caste (Ia'chni) appear something like tall, homonid beetles; their exoskeletons run the entire range of colors, their limbs are long and lean, but suprisingly powerful, and their long heads seem to seamlessly blend into their necks, which flow into long, ovoid bodies. They have two pairs of long wings that fold beneath a shell on their backs, and can fly easily.
Tn'lch reach adulthood at eleven years of age, and live to be between one and eight hundred years old, depending on their caste. They live in large Hive Cities, broad structures of ceramic, marble, and wondrous substances that members of the Ia'chni actually create within their bellies. These hives are all found in desert areas, especially the Eastern Steppes.
Tn'lch are beings of order, and while they are typically percieved as arrogant and condescending, they associate well with the Helvelings, and nominally well with the Drengu.
Society
Despite the attempts at revolution during the infamous Tn'lch Insurrection (Side note: For those of you that don't remember, the Tn'lch Synod was temporarily held ransom by a group of revolutionaries; the history of the event is fairly complex, but it involved them entering the Decade War in an attempt to subjugate the losing Trollish and Goblin peoples) the society of these insectoids has remained much the same. A carefully chosen Synod of Gial'chni watch over the affairs of the race; each member of a caste has a defined role in society, and performs this role to his or her best abilities. The Tn'lch could very well have become a postmonetary society, but they maintain a currency based in Platinum.
The Tn'lch are a people of unified vision and philosophy; however, they are divided in religion. Many take to the animist religion of the Helvelings. Many more have planted their faith in the Sacred Triune. Still others believe in a sort of divine philosophy, by which they attempt to transcend the "veil of the real". They tolerate all religions equally in their hive-states, as long as you can debate the key points of your religion well.
Magi aren't exactly common amongst the Tn'lch, but the ones they have do their job exceedingly well. Young Tn'lch Magi are often too hard on themselves when things go wrong, and thus lapse into other areas of study. Let it never be said that the Tn'lch do not believe in perfectionism.
The Tn'lch tend to live in especially hot climes, making traditional forms of gardening especially difficult for them. Instead, they grow massive underground crops of fungi, and overground farms of edible cacti, especially hardy peppers, and succulents. Likewise, they maintain herds of Guadons - two-story tall terrapins with hollow shells that the Tn'lch use for transportation and for beasts of burden - and giant tarantulas - which are harvested for both meat, and a digestive juice that the Tn'lch drink like alcohol.
Family
A Tn'lch considers the entire Hive City he comes from to be his family, so much so that they use the name of the Hive in place of a family name. Tn'lch do not suffer from inbreeding, thankfully, or marriages would become a logistic nightmare; a typical Tn'lch family consists of a mated couple and their children. Once a child becomes an adult, he is no longer part of the family, although about half of the time they still act as if they are.
Cultural/Misc
Tn'lch food appears incredibly exotic; the food is always coated with thick, spicy sauces, and what's beneath is never what you expect. They have no "breads" to speak of, but they do have puffy mushrooms that look - and to an extent, taste - like dinner rolls. Their meats are typically insect, arachnid, or lizard meat, and their vegetables are never what they seem to be. Despite the frightening sound of it, it is absolutely addictive. My mouth still waters when I think of their Ceile Bowls - their most common lunch food, a deep bowl of ribbon fungi, sandcrab meat, and sour-sweet orange cacti jelly, served cold.
Tn'lch music is highly austere and ritualized; not suprisingly, operas are the most popular musical form among them. Members of the Gial'chni and Clr'chni are typically the center of these pieces, mostly because of their superior vocal range. However, one performance I went to recently starred a Wu'chni with an amazing sotto bass voice... halfway through the first movement, he hit a low "B" that you couldn't really hear, but you felt in your kidneys. Absolutely astounding.
Tn'lch literature is almost all history; fictionalized, mythic versions of what actually happened, but history nonetheless. They have a tendency to strap on the rose-colored glasses when dealing with their own race, and an equally annoying tendency to treat other races as barbarians... or worse, as younger siblings. I only visited one Tn'lch library; mostly because I couldn't stomach the thought of another librarian standing over my shoulder, offering to read the "Epic of Ime A'ts'ii" aloud for (I kid you not) the "proper dramatic effect". And before you draw the conclusion that I just had the misfortune to run into one of the truly odd ones, my guide (an Ia'chni himself) assured me that almost anyone with a passion for Tn'lch literature would act much the same.
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Clr'chni
Medium size
Base speed: 30 ft.
Adapted eyesight: Clr'chni can see twice as far as Humans in well-lit conditions. They gain a +4 on all Spot checks in such conditions, and cannot be blinded or dazzled by bright light. Other sight-based effects still affect them normally.
Exoskeleton: Clr'chni gain a +1 natural armor bonus.
Consummate Professionalism: Clr'chni always treat Profession as a class skill, and at every level beyond 1st, gain one free point in Profession.
Heat tolerance: Clr'chni can go twice as long as Humans without water, and go twice as long before making Fortitude saves to combat the effects of heat.
Redundant Skeleton: Clr'chni have both an endo and exoskeleton, and can function fine with just one of the two intact.
Favored Class: Wizard
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Gial'chni
Medium Size
-2 con, +2 wis. Gial'chni are fragile, but are suited for their tasks as rulers.
Base speed: 30 feet.
Exoskeleton: Gial'chni gain a +1 natural armor bonus.
Improved Eyesight: Gial'chni gain a +4 on spot checks in bright light, and can see 1.5 times the distance a normal human can in such conditions.
Enzyme Control: Gial'chni secrete the enzymes used for controlling Tn'lch growth and development. While the enzymes themselves are fairly innocuous to other races, they have an antidotic effect to most poisons; Gial'chni gain a +4 on saves against mundane poisons.
Natural leaders: Gial'chn gain the Leadership feat for free at twelfth level; if they already have it, they gain +2 to their leadership score.i
Favored Class: Aristocrat. PC Gial'chni may choose Cleric or Rogue as their Favored Class.
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I'll make the other castes as I go... do they seem unbalanced? Underpowered? Just right?
