The [[Szekeres]] (zeh-CARE-ez) are an insectile alien species that arrived in the [[Mobius System]] 350 years ago, when their ship miscalculated its course through hyperspace and crashed into the moon [[Iusem]], causing The Shattering—a cataclysm that fractured the moon into pieces and killed virtually of the prior inhabitants. > [!infobox|right wikipedia] > # Name > ![[Thri-kreen.png|cover hsmall]] > ###### Biological Information > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Type** | Monstrosity | > | **5e Species Basis** | [Thri-kreen](https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/lineage:thri-kreen) | > | **Size** | Medium or Small | > | **Speed** | 30 feet | > | **Vision** | Darkvision 60 ft. | > | **Abilities** | <ul><li>Chameleon Carapace<li>Secondary Arms<li>Szekeres Telepathy</ul> | > ###### Physical Characteristics > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Height** | 3-5 feet | > | **Lifespan** | ~45 years | > ###### Sociocultural Information > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Mobian Class** | Alien | > | **Primary Locations** | <ul><li>[[Iusem]]<li>[[Mobius]]</ul> | > | **Environments** | <ul><li>item1<li>item2</ul> | > | **Languages** | <ul><li>item1<li>item2</ul> | > | **Notable Members** | <ul><li>item1<li>item2</ul>| > [!Table of Contents]+ > 1. [[#Appearance]] > 2. [[#Traits and Abilities]] > 3. [[#History]] > 4. [[#Society]] # Appearance Szekeres have insectile features and two pairs of arms. Their bodies are encased in protective chitin. They can alter the coloration of this carapace to blend in with their natural surroundings. Szekeres speak by clacking their mandibles and waving their antennae, indicating to other Szekeres what they are thinking and feeling. Other creatures find this method of communication difficult to interpret and impossible to duplicate. To interact with other folk, Szekeres rely on a form of telepathy. # Traits and Abilities - **Chameleon Carapace.** While you aren’t wearing armor, your carapace gives you a base Armor Class of 13 + your Dexterity modifier. As an action, you can change the color of your carapace to match the color and texture of your surroundings, giving you advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in those surroundings. - **Darkvision.** You can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray. - **Secondary Arms.** You have two slightly smaller secondary arms below your primary pair of arms. The secondary arms can manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, pick up or set down a Tiny object, or wield a weapon that has the light property. - **Szekeres Telepathy.** Without the assistance of magic, you can’t speak the non-thri-kreen languages you know. Instead you use telepathy to convey your thoughts. You have the magical ability to transmit your thoughts mentally to willing creatures within 120 feet of yourself. A contacted creature doesn’t need to share a language with you to understand your thoughts, but it must be able to understand at least one language. Your telepathic link to a creature is broken if you and the creature move more than 120 feet apart, if either of you is incapacitated, or if either of you mentally breaks the contact (no action required). # History The Szekeres are an ancient race, predating the evolution of intelligent life in the [[Mobius System]] by millions of years. Thousands of years before The Shattering, the Szekeres were spread all over their home system, known as the "Crystal Spheres," at a time when a new religious sect arose among their people known as the People of the Celestial Mantis. Historically, most Szekeres were not religious and had no established faith, nor gods of their own. Instead, they preferred druidic traditions of nature worship. But what started as a small, insignificant cult began to rise in power. The People of the Celestial Mantis were strongly religious, worshiping the Mantis God of the Eternal Lotus. The tenets and philosophy of this sect at that time were largely incomprehensible, yet the People of the Celestial Mantis had a strong belief in the need to spread their religion among the Szekeres residing in the Crystal Spheres. When others did not convert to the faith, they attempted to use their small spacefaring navies to force "infidels" to convert. Initially they met with very limited success, as religion was largely incompatible with most Szekeres approach to life and beliefs about the world. Then, about four centuries ago, the People of the Celestial Mantis discovered the preserved body of an ancient Szekeres warrior named Tiktikik. The warrior's body had been preserved for some forty centuries in a flow of amber. Tiktikik, after learning about the Mantis God of the Eternal Lotus and allegedly discovering a "lost apocrypha" of his people entitled Lyric of the Eternal Lotus, came to believe themself to be their new holy leader. Within only four months, Tiktikik had convinced them to unite under their leadership and redouble their efforts to convert all Szekeres to their religion. Under Tiktikik's leadership, the religion grew in power rapidly, and amassed a formidable spacefaring navy. Tiktikik's fleet surrounded the Rock of Bral—the palace of the Szekeres royal family—and demanded their conversion to the faith of the Mantis God of the Eternal Lotus, prompting the Szekeres ruler, Prince Andru, to abandon their palace and flee the system. It was Prince Andru's fleeing ship that crashed into [[Iusem]]. # Society Szekeres do not have clear or definable personalities as most humanoids would know them. It is difficult to discern emotion from their insectoid faces or their patterns of behavior, and the rapid twitching of their antennae and mandibles is often interpreted by other species as agitation. In fact, Szekeres culture evolved on their home planet, where they viewed themselves and other beings in terms of the relationship between predator and prey. They saw themselves as noble hunters, focused on survival and the basic needs of existence, a life in which the weak died and the strong survived. They are not cruel or evil if they have no need to be, but nor do they go out of their way to aid others if they did not have to. Their alien thought patterns make it hard for them to understand the concepts or social rules of other species. While they do not place as much importance as other cultures on principles like devotion, honor, or loyalty, they respect skill and strength and recognize the convenience of working with talented companions. They maintain few traditions, and see little benefit in the traditions of others. They place little value in possessions. What few treasures or trinkets they have are kept for their usefulness or decorative purposes. Predictably, it can be difficult for Szekeres to deal with others, and they are hard to negotiate with. They neither avoid nor seek out other species, but merely exist alongside them, sharing territory without conflict. They appreciate folk who live off the land, respectfully hunt prey, and care for the environment. Farmers and city-dwellers are seen as "not-hunters", not worthy of attention nor hostility. However, those who overhunt, despoil the land, or otherwise waste natural resources, are seen as dangers to be driven off or destroyed. A Szekeres pack will attack such people without pause or consideration for their own safety.