Cyclone
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Lord Zee
Vec
JFK
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Thayr
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Bio
Back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, I got started with writing online on the Spore forums. Man, those were the days. We're talking like 12 years ago 2010-ish!
I've been here on and off for almost as long, and have GM'd a bunch of different things to varying success.
I've been here on and off for almost as long, and have GM'd a bunch of different things to varying success.
Word of my splendor:
Most Recent Posts
Whilst we were rebuilding the hives with our new material and deciding upon how to react to the beetle incursion, the beetles began to grow bolder. A series of skirmishes broke out, with each starting when large groups of the beetles would suddenly emerge from behind their lines and charge to the berry bushes. There they would quickly battle with whatever guard force was present and in the midst of the fighting, some of them would seize berries. Then after about only a minute of carnage, before more of our own warriors could arrive as reinforcements, they would begin to make off with their looted berries. Pursuit was futile, as more of them would be lurking in the trees and the fortified posts beyond.
A few of the beetles inevitably fell during these assaults, and though they tried to fight to the death, the warriors were able to take some live captives as requested. When placed near one another and observed, they can signal one another through twitching and clacking. Some patterns have been observed by the princes studying the captives, but the work in deciphering the beetles' language is probably quite hindered by how the warriors had to bite off numerous limbs and large chunks of the beetles' mandibles to subdue them, and being maimed like that limits the beetles' ability to communicate. The beetles don't seem to have possessed any secrets that helped them to fare better in the rain; we presume that they simply don't mind the mud, live mostly above ground where flooding is less of a concern, and can swim better than we can anyways.
While all of this nonsense occurred, we were naturally tunneling in preparation for our surprise attacks on the ambush points and bunkers that they'd stolen from us during the rainstorm. That plan had its merits, but it also necessitated a fair amount of time and caution. Fortunately the beetles seemed content to maintain their tactic of encircling the satellite hive and occasionally raiding the berry bush; no doubt they thought that this siege tactic was weathering us down, but of course the satellite hive's underground connection to the main hive meant that secret supplies and reinforcements kept coming in with the beetles none the wiser.
Interestingly, on a few occasions the warriors spotted gigantic beetles waiting behind the siege lines to receive the berries as an offering. These beetles are easily twice the size of their smaller peers, which range from equal to slightly larger than our own warriors, and they sport extra thick armor and even larger mandibles for it. Their bulk makes them quite intimidating; however, these giant beetles have never tried to partake in the raids and have never engaged us, which seems to rule out the initial suspicion that they'd developed a warrior type of their own.
The bees buzzed overhead throughout this entire standoff much as they always had; however, now that the hivemind understood the creatures' mannerisms better, it was clear that they were much more observant than we initially assumed. Though the drones always seem to be busy and occupied with their own tasks to the point of being oblivious to the ground, they in fact seem to break up their regular patterns and fly in different paths to investigate any battles or movements of interest. So they are certainly aware of our conflict with the beetles, but thus far have neither said nor offered anything.
Our preparations are now done. We've finished the tunnels and bred more drones to help replace some of those lost in the flooding, and numerous princes are standing by to command waiting armies of warrior drones to breach the last little bits of dirt separating them from the beetles' positions on the surface above. We could either give them the affirmative now, or stall a bit longer to do other things like request aid from the bees or reconsider our plans given this new knowledge of the mysterious giant beetles.
A few of the beetles inevitably fell during these assaults, and though they tried to fight to the death, the warriors were able to take some live captives as requested. When placed near one another and observed, they can signal one another through twitching and clacking. Some patterns have been observed by the princes studying the captives, but the work in deciphering the beetles' language is probably quite hindered by how the warriors had to bite off numerous limbs and large chunks of the beetles' mandibles to subdue them, and being maimed like that limits the beetles' ability to communicate. The beetles don't seem to have possessed any secrets that helped them to fare better in the rain; we presume that they simply don't mind the mud, live mostly above ground where flooding is less of a concern, and can swim better than we can anyways.
While all of this nonsense occurred, we were naturally tunneling in preparation for our surprise attacks on the ambush points and bunkers that they'd stolen from us during the rainstorm. That plan had its merits, but it also necessitated a fair amount of time and caution. Fortunately the beetles seemed content to maintain their tactic of encircling the satellite hive and occasionally raiding the berry bush; no doubt they thought that this siege tactic was weathering us down, but of course the satellite hive's underground connection to the main hive meant that secret supplies and reinforcements kept coming in with the beetles none the wiser.
Interestingly, on a few occasions the warriors spotted gigantic beetles waiting behind the siege lines to receive the berries as an offering. These beetles are easily twice the size of their smaller peers, which range from equal to slightly larger than our own warriors, and they sport extra thick armor and even larger mandibles for it. Their bulk makes them quite intimidating; however, these giant beetles have never tried to partake in the raids and have never engaged us, which seems to rule out the initial suspicion that they'd developed a warrior type of their own.
The bees buzzed overhead throughout this entire standoff much as they always had; however, now that the hivemind understood the creatures' mannerisms better, it was clear that they were much more observant than we initially assumed. Though the drones always seem to be busy and occupied with their own tasks to the point of being oblivious to the ground, they in fact seem to break up their regular patterns and fly in different paths to investigate any battles or movements of interest. So they are certainly aware of our conflict with the beetles, but thus far have neither said nor offered anything.
Our preparations are now done. We've finished the tunnels and bred more drones to help replace some of those lost in the flooding, and numerous princes are standing by to command waiting armies of warrior drones to breach the last little bits of dirt separating them from the beetles' positions on the surface above. We could either give them the affirmative now, or stall a bit longer to do other things like request aid from the bees or reconsider our plans given this new knowledge of the mysterious giant beetles.
When the rain finally ceased, loss assessment and preventative measures for the future could begin. Despite damage control, there were hundreds of drones that drowned or died in collapses while parts of the food stores and other supplies were waterlogged, but the queens and the vast majority of the eggs and larvae were relocated and kept safe.
Good ideas had at least been generated for how the Hivemind should move forward. A great deal more berry bushes were planted in such a way as to form a ring around the central hive; the satellite one already had a good deal of foliage cover, and planting more berry bushes would have been difficult in such a densely forested patch of land. Following the earlier talks, the bees had greatly increased their presence around the berry bushes; they now seemed to feel more comfortable doing so. And they took notice of the new berry bushes sprouting, and to that they buzzed in delight; it seemed that we had inadvertently done what their queen had been trying to ask of us. In hindsight, it seemed rather obvious that she was trying to tell our prince that they wished for us to plant more bushes.
The new worker drones used sand and wood pulp to make their papery mortar, with the occasional pebbles stuck into the goop. This new biological concrete was being used to coat the walls of the underground tunnels and build up the above-ground mounds. It would take quite some time to finish, but the end product would one day be hives that were much larger and sturdier. They'd not just be less prone to weakening and collapse when wet, but also almost entirely resistant to wind erosion.
As our species recovered from the disaster, warriors and workers once again began leaving the hives in droves; however, the warriors found a nasty surprise when they tried to take up their old posts and patrols. While they had expected the various bunkers and ambush points along the border with the beetles to have been washed away and ruined, the posts had seemingly been repaired and occupied by the enemy! Beetle warriors had taken advantage of our vulnerable state to press their borders a good ways farther, forming a tight circle around the original patch of berry bushes and the satellite hive that protected them. Our own efforts to entrench that border had also been turned against us, for even though we obviously knew where we'd built all of those ambush points and redoubts, they were naturally in defensible spots that were now being manned by a vigilant and formidable foe.
There was at least some good news, though. Some messengers from the scouting expedition had finally made it back to report that our prince had ventured a long ways east and encountered no other creatures of note. There's just wide tracts of open grassland ripe for the taking, and while it seemingly lacks any new resources of note, it would make a fine place to direct future expansion. He is intent upon pressing farther east for a while longer before turning back.
Good ideas had at least been generated for how the Hivemind should move forward. A great deal more berry bushes were planted in such a way as to form a ring around the central hive; the satellite one already had a good deal of foliage cover, and planting more berry bushes would have been difficult in such a densely forested patch of land. Following the earlier talks, the bees had greatly increased their presence around the berry bushes; they now seemed to feel more comfortable doing so. And they took notice of the new berry bushes sprouting, and to that they buzzed in delight; it seemed that we had inadvertently done what their queen had been trying to ask of us. In hindsight, it seemed rather obvious that she was trying to tell our prince that they wished for us to plant more bushes.
The new worker drones used sand and wood pulp to make their papery mortar, with the occasional pebbles stuck into the goop. This new biological concrete was being used to coat the walls of the underground tunnels and build up the above-ground mounds. It would take quite some time to finish, but the end product would one day be hives that were much larger and sturdier. They'd not just be less prone to weakening and collapse when wet, but also almost entirely resistant to wind erosion.
As our species recovered from the disaster, warriors and workers once again began leaving the hives in droves; however, the warriors found a nasty surprise when they tried to take up their old posts and patrols. While they had expected the various bunkers and ambush points along the border with the beetles to have been washed away and ruined, the posts had seemingly been repaired and occupied by the enemy! Beetle warriors had taken advantage of our vulnerable state to press their borders a good ways farther, forming a tight circle around the original patch of berry bushes and the satellite hive that protected them. Our own efforts to entrench that border had also been turned against us, for even though we obviously knew where we'd built all of those ambush points and redoubts, they were naturally in defensible spots that were now being manned by a vigilant and formidable foe.
There was at least some good news, though. Some messengers from the scouting expedition had finally made it back to report that our prince had ventured a long ways east and encountered no other creatures of note. There's just wide tracts of open grassland ripe for the taking, and while it seemingly lacks any new resources of note, it would make a fine place to direct future expansion. He is intent upon pressing farther east for a while longer before turning back.
At a modest yet reasonable pace, the princes were growing more mentally capable, and with that increased brainpower came something very unusual for insects...boredom. When faced with little to contemplate or do, they started to find things to occupy their time. Often this took the form of strange hobbies, like having the worker drones organize gathered sticks and pebbles by size or scour the riverside for pebbles of unusual colors. Sometimes it acted as a much more productive driving force, though. The thought of exploring the lands east of the forest and the central hive arose, and no sooner did it reach one restless prince's mind than he was rallying dozens of drones. Within an hour that prince was had launched the scouting expedition. To ensure that this group did not vanish into thin air as had that fateful group that ventured the other way into the grasslands, the prince was accompanied by mostly warrior drones and had made plans to send back small groups of messengers back at regular intervals.
Meanwhile, the prince that had been assigned to treat with the bees began attempting to explain the Hivemind's role in the creation of those new berry bushes, but the bee queen seemed to be well aware. Perhaps the drones that served her weren't as oblivious as they seemed. She brushed past the topic and kept pointing at the new bushes as well as their surrounding area, though the prince wasn't sure what to make of that. He in turn tried to express a receptiveness towards allowing the bees to drink the berry bushes' nectar (though he did also at least try to solicit some sort of favor in return) but communication was difficult and after the better part of a day, the queen grew tired of the talk and retreated back into the beehive. The prince was brought back onto the ground where his bodyguards waited, and then he made his way back to the central hive.
A period of some heavy rains followed. Flooding killed many drones and damaged parts of both hives, as well as made it quite difficult for the drones to leave the hive in search of food or to patrol the borders. The bees were not seen either, and seemingly were waiting out the bad weather in their nests and consuming stored food. On the other side were the beetles, who didn't seem so disturbed by the rain at all. They maintained an active presence patrolling in the forest even as our own hivemind's warriors hunkered down in their small outposts or retreated back to the nests for shelter.
The newly mutated worker drones that possessed the capability to make the papery material proved quite valuable. By coating the most vital tunnels and chambers in the nests with their biological building material, they were able to stop large parts of the nests from caving in. Still, large parts of both nests did collapse. That was the folly of living inside of dirt mounds.
The rain probably also explained why no word had come from the prince leading the eastward-bound scouting expedition; they too were likely rendered immobile by flooding, but unfortunately they probably had even less shelter than everyone else.
Meanwhile, the prince that had been assigned to treat with the bees began attempting to explain the Hivemind's role in the creation of those new berry bushes, but the bee queen seemed to be well aware. Perhaps the drones that served her weren't as oblivious as they seemed. She brushed past the topic and kept pointing at the new bushes as well as their surrounding area, though the prince wasn't sure what to make of that. He in turn tried to express a receptiveness towards allowing the bees to drink the berry bushes' nectar (though he did also at least try to solicit some sort of favor in return) but communication was difficult and after the better part of a day, the queen grew tired of the talk and retreated back into the beehive. The prince was brought back onto the ground where his bodyguards waited, and then he made his way back to the central hive.
A period of some heavy rains followed. Flooding killed many drones and damaged parts of both hives, as well as made it quite difficult for the drones to leave the hive in search of food or to patrol the borders. The bees were not seen either, and seemingly were waiting out the bad weather in their nests and consuming stored food. On the other side were the beetles, who didn't seem so disturbed by the rain at all. They maintained an active presence patrolling in the forest even as our own hivemind's warriors hunkered down in their small outposts or retreated back to the nests for shelter.
The newly mutated worker drones that possessed the capability to make the papery material proved quite valuable. By coating the most vital tunnels and chambers in the nests with their biological building material, they were able to stop large parts of the nests from caving in. Still, large parts of both nests did collapse. That was the folly of living inside of dirt mounds.
The rain probably also explained why no word had come from the prince leading the eastward-bound scouting expedition; they too were likely rendered immobile by flooding, but unfortunately they probably had even less shelter than everyone else.
Hey guys, somebody suggested that I make a Discord for this and I figured why not. So here you go. Come strategize or hang out if you want!
Whispers of engineering a rivalry between two augmented 'warlord' princes with independent hives ultimately had to be rejected due to a lack of resources. With the Hivemind only having two hives, two queens, and a little over a thousand drones to work with, a project of such a scale was deemed infeasible at the current time.
Some attention was directed towards further evolution, though. Adding stronger forelegs and chitinous barbs to the warriors was easily done, and it has increased their effectiveness. There was also effort devoted towards mimicking the venom of spiders and snakes, as well as on the webweaving ability of spiders, but for now those have yet to fully meet the desired results. A subset of worker drones has adapted to generate proteins that turn their saliva into a sticky goop, and a matching ability to spit this fluid a short range with some accuracy. While that initially seemed like a failure as they lack the ability to draw out threads of the protein and finely weave it like spiders do, it's still somewhat useful. They are able to chew bits of wood and other organic matter, allow it to mix with their adhesive saliva, and then regurgitate it as a sort of papery material that is useful for construction. Their spitting might also be useful in combat situations as a distraction or as a means of constructing sticky traps; we could consider adapting this new worker type to fulfill a supportive role to the warrior drones much like the proposed smaller and better armored "bait" warriors, or we could instead evolve them to gradually become more like spiders. Or we could perhaps just accept their current state and use them for construction workers.
One of the newly enhanced princes left the main Hive, accompanied only by a few bodyguard warrior drones. It attempted to hail and observe the various bees that it saw, but most seemed to just buzz by obliviously. Eventually it grew frustrated and took a more direct approach, marching to the nearest beehive and sitting underneath it. For a long time the prince looked expectantly at the beehive, occasionally clacking its mandibles together and gesticulating (in what it hoped was a non-threatening way) with its various limbs. A few bees hovered closely to investigate this strange visitor, and after some more time passed, one of them returned into its hive. A few moments later, dozens of other bees emerged. They began to slowly circle around, with about seven of eight of the little buzzing things edging closer and closer to the prince. The bodyguard warriors were apprehensive and their instincts were screaming to bite at the bees, but sensing that such an effort would have been futile, the prince made them stand down and offered no resistance as the bees grabbed onto his bulk and slowly lifted him into the air, up to the hive. They set him down upon a small branch up in the tree just next to their hive, and then from out of the beehive's opening peeked the head of one massive bee, their queen!
Much clicking and clacking and buzzing followed. Without any mutually intelligible language, communication was very difficult and slow, but the queen bee seemed to be of a reasonable intelligence and to have some desire, or at least receptiveness, towards taking the time to communicate. The queen bee gestured repeatedly in the general direction of our central hive, towards the berry bushes that we planted and which were just now beginning to bloom for the first time!
Some attention was directed towards further evolution, though. Adding stronger forelegs and chitinous barbs to the warriors was easily done, and it has increased their effectiveness. There was also effort devoted towards mimicking the venom of spiders and snakes, as well as on the webweaving ability of spiders, but for now those have yet to fully meet the desired results. A subset of worker drones has adapted to generate proteins that turn their saliva into a sticky goop, and a matching ability to spit this fluid a short range with some accuracy. While that initially seemed like a failure as they lack the ability to draw out threads of the protein and finely weave it like spiders do, it's still somewhat useful. They are able to chew bits of wood and other organic matter, allow it to mix with their adhesive saliva, and then regurgitate it as a sort of papery material that is useful for construction. Their spitting might also be useful in combat situations as a distraction or as a means of constructing sticky traps; we could consider adapting this new worker type to fulfill a supportive role to the warrior drones much like the proposed smaller and better armored "bait" warriors, or we could instead evolve them to gradually become more like spiders. Or we could perhaps just accept their current state and use them for construction workers.
One of the newly enhanced princes left the main Hive, accompanied only by a few bodyguard warrior drones. It attempted to hail and observe the various bees that it saw, but most seemed to just buzz by obliviously. Eventually it grew frustrated and took a more direct approach, marching to the nearest beehive and sitting underneath it. For a long time the prince looked expectantly at the beehive, occasionally clacking its mandibles together and gesticulating (in what it hoped was a non-threatening way) with its various limbs. A few bees hovered closely to investigate this strange visitor, and after some more time passed, one of them returned into its hive. A few moments later, dozens of other bees emerged. They began to slowly circle around, with about seven of eight of the little buzzing things edging closer and closer to the prince. The bodyguard warriors were apprehensive and their instincts were screaming to bite at the bees, but sensing that such an effort would have been futile, the prince made them stand down and offered no resistance as the bees grabbed onto his bulk and slowly lifted him into the air, up to the hive. They set him down upon a small branch up in the tree just next to their hive, and then from out of the beehive's opening peeked the head of one massive bee, their queen!
Much clicking and clacking and buzzing followed. Without any mutually intelligible language, communication was very difficult and slow, but the queen bee seemed to be of a reasonable intelligence and to have some desire, or at least receptiveness, towards taking the time to communicate. The queen bee gestured repeatedly in the general direction of our central hive, towards the berry bushes that we planted and which were just now beginning to bloom for the first time!
In order to satiate the Hivemind's newfound curiosity with the other local insects and their means of communication, the bugs begin to watch the bees and beetles in a different manner. Previously the drones had mostly paid attention to where the other insects were, where they were going, and how many of them were about; however, now they were looking very closely at other species' strange biology. The goal was to try to find some pattern to the madness that was the other bugs' mannerisms, but it seemed futile. Perhaps more promising was the idea that these other bugs might communicate with some sort of smells or chemicals, so whenever the bees or beetles would leave an area, our own drones would quickly try to sweep it for any pheromone trails or other scents that might have been used for communications. If there were any pheromones, they weren't the same ones that our species evolved to smell and utilize.
It seemed like a rather Sisyphean task, at the end of the day. Though the Hivemind as a whole was undeniably sapient and capable of logic and imagination, far less could be said for the bugs as individuals, especially in the case of the worker drones. Those bugs just acted almost like tools, using almost all of their limited autonomy and brainpower to interpret and fulfill their orders, rather than to think critically on a higher level. The warriors were slightly better off; they had to have some innate understanding of tactics in order to effectively work together and protect the Hive. Still, their intelligence was highly specialized and their minds were mostly concerned with things like searching for interlopers and how to most optimally fight beetles.
So neither the drones nor the warriors were able to glean much through their continued observations of the other bugs. Even if that obstacle could be overcame, with what resources and abilities the Hive possessed, composing and delivering some sort of message would have likely been difficult even if they discovered the mechanism by which the other species could communicate. But ever persistent, the Hivemind did not give up. In order to solve these issues it generated a plan that was maybe just crazy enough to work, and impulsively began work on it immediately.
Numerous ideas were floating around for how the Hive might best direct the species' evolution, either through enhancing the warriors or through trying to have the workers emulate the spiders' natural silk, but all were pushed aside at least temporarily while the forgettable prince caste underwent some drastic changes. Prior to this point the princes only had been charged with one job, and they had done it admirably; they lived for just a few weeks, and existed only to mate with the queens. All of their spare time was spent idling around and being utterly unproductive, despite them being more numerous and certainly far more expendable than the queens.
That unfulfilled potential was shaped into a new purpose by the evolution of much more sophisticated neural networks inside the princes. They grew to be intelligent, more than any of the drones and even the queens. To accommodate the increase in autonomy and intellect, the princes' bodies grew larger to the point that they could rival or even surpass the warrior drones in size if not sturdiness and ferocity. Their lifespans also became greater than before. They still are fleeting to the point that they individually might struggle to innovate or advance much, but it is no matter. They can work together, and the Hivemind remembers. If one generation dies too soon and leaves something unfinished, the next will be ready to pick right back up where they left off.
Eventually these princes might become even more autonomous, to the point that they could act as extensions of the Hivemind by organizing and directing the drones around them, and perhaps acting as ambassadors or generals. But for now, they are just smart enough to perhaps succeed where all others failed in studying the beetles and bugs. We'll just have to figure out exactly how they should go out and try to get the other bugs' attention.
It seemed like a rather Sisyphean task, at the end of the day. Though the Hivemind as a whole was undeniably sapient and capable of logic and imagination, far less could be said for the bugs as individuals, especially in the case of the worker drones. Those bugs just acted almost like tools, using almost all of their limited autonomy and brainpower to interpret and fulfill their orders, rather than to think critically on a higher level. The warriors were slightly better off; they had to have some innate understanding of tactics in order to effectively work together and protect the Hive. Still, their intelligence was highly specialized and their minds were mostly concerned with things like searching for interlopers and how to most optimally fight beetles.
So neither the drones nor the warriors were able to glean much through their continued observations of the other bugs. Even if that obstacle could be overcame, with what resources and abilities the Hive possessed, composing and delivering some sort of message would have likely been difficult even if they discovered the mechanism by which the other species could communicate. But ever persistent, the Hivemind did not give up. In order to solve these issues it generated a plan that was maybe just crazy enough to work, and impulsively began work on it immediately.
Numerous ideas were floating around for how the Hive might best direct the species' evolution, either through enhancing the warriors or through trying to have the workers emulate the spiders' natural silk, but all were pushed aside at least temporarily while the forgettable prince caste underwent some drastic changes. Prior to this point the princes only had been charged with one job, and they had done it admirably; they lived for just a few weeks, and existed only to mate with the queens. All of their spare time was spent idling around and being utterly unproductive, despite them being more numerous and certainly far more expendable than the queens.
That unfulfilled potential was shaped into a new purpose by the evolution of much more sophisticated neural networks inside the princes. They grew to be intelligent, more than any of the drones and even the queens. To accommodate the increase in autonomy and intellect, the princes' bodies grew larger to the point that they could rival or even surpass the warrior drones in size if not sturdiness and ferocity. Their lifespans also became greater than before. They still are fleeting to the point that they individually might struggle to innovate or advance much, but it is no matter. They can work together, and the Hivemind remembers. If one generation dies too soon and leaves something unfinished, the next will be ready to pick right back up where they left off.
Eventually these princes might become even more autonomous, to the point that they could act as extensions of the Hivemind by organizing and directing the drones around them, and perhaps acting as ambassadors or generals. But for now, they are just smart enough to perhaps succeed where all others failed in studying the beetles and bugs. We'll just have to figure out exactly how they should go out and try to get the other bugs' attention.
After eating the berries, the bugs spat out the seeds. Some worker drones gathered these and ported them a short ways outside the main hive before dropping them onto the ground, and after continuing this for a long enough time, we managed to get a patch of sprouts to emerge. There are green bushes poking out of the grass, but so far they have yet to bear much fruit.
As the new generation came of age and grew to their adult sizes, the Hive became very crowded with the presence of no less than a thousand of our species. So it was split up, with hundreds of drones as well as a new queen establishing a satellite hive on the other end of the tunnel to the forest, further cementing control over the berry bushes and allowing for the Hivemind to project more of its power into that region. Using the new hive as a base of operations, more troops of bugs were sent out to scout the forest.
The Hivemind was conflicted and so the warriors have not yet agitated or attempted to capture the bees, but they did note the creatures' presence and report back the exact location of three beehives. There was of course the one that the Hive had previously seen and long known about, up in a tree near the forest's border, but the drones also found another two beehives deeper into the forest. It's unclear if the three beehives are independent or if they work together as our Hivemind, but in either case, it would be easy enough to send warrior drones up a tree to storm one of the hives using the element of surprise; the bees have never really paid attention to us or seen us as a threat, after all. Of course, one expects that there would still be quite a few casualties when attacking a beehive.
Scouting troops also managed to figure out where all these beetles are coming from--deeper into the forest is a huge fallen log covered with fungi, and next to it is a pile of fallen leaves and sticks. The beetles swarm out from burrows under the log and the leaves. It's impossible to get an accurate count, but there could easily be 300 of them in that nest and the surrounding area. This information didn't come freely though. Despite trying not to engage, several small scouting groups were attacked by the beetles, and some were wiped out altogether. It seems that those bugs have grown quite intolerant of us, and any presence in their territory is met with immediate aggression. Skirmishes along our border are somewhat rare, though. The beetles still keep to their side of the forest. It seems as though they've wisely ceded the berry bushes to us, and all the beetles that we see skulking around the edges of our territory are more akin to border guards than some raiding force.
Directed by the Hivemind's will, the warriors have develop larger mandibles with more crushing force. They still retain the paralytic venom, which has been useful against larger foes like spiders and snakes. We've long since rooted out the population of spiders and snakes that resided within the vicinity of the berry bush and our forest nest (and the spoils of that were spidersilk, snakeskin, meat for it, and knowledge of their various traits), but occasionally some of them still wonder in from outside and need to be dealt with.
As the new generation came of age and grew to their adult sizes, the Hive became very crowded with the presence of no less than a thousand of our species. So it was split up, with hundreds of drones as well as a new queen establishing a satellite hive on the other end of the tunnel to the forest, further cementing control over the berry bushes and allowing for the Hivemind to project more of its power into that region. Using the new hive as a base of operations, more troops of bugs were sent out to scout the forest.
The Hivemind was conflicted and so the warriors have not yet agitated or attempted to capture the bees, but they did note the creatures' presence and report back the exact location of three beehives. There was of course the one that the Hive had previously seen and long known about, up in a tree near the forest's border, but the drones also found another two beehives deeper into the forest. It's unclear if the three beehives are independent or if they work together as our Hivemind, but in either case, it would be easy enough to send warrior drones up a tree to storm one of the hives using the element of surprise; the bees have never really paid attention to us or seen us as a threat, after all. Of course, one expects that there would still be quite a few casualties when attacking a beehive.
Scouting troops also managed to figure out where all these beetles are coming from--deeper into the forest is a huge fallen log covered with fungi, and next to it is a pile of fallen leaves and sticks. The beetles swarm out from burrows under the log and the leaves. It's impossible to get an accurate count, but there could easily be 300 of them in that nest and the surrounding area. This information didn't come freely though. Despite trying not to engage, several small scouting groups were attacked by the beetles, and some were wiped out altogether. It seems that those bugs have grown quite intolerant of us, and any presence in their territory is met with immediate aggression. Skirmishes along our border are somewhat rare, though. The beetles still keep to their side of the forest. It seems as though they've wisely ceded the berry bushes to us, and all the beetles that we see skulking around the edges of our territory are more akin to border guards than some raiding force.
Directed by the Hivemind's will, the warriors have develop larger mandibles with more crushing force. They still retain the paralytic venom, which has been useful against larger foes like spiders and snakes. We've long since rooted out the population of spiders and snakes that resided within the vicinity of the berry bush and our forest nest (and the spoils of that were spidersilk, snakeskin, meat for it, and knowledge of their various traits), but occasionally some of them still wonder in from outside and need to be dealt with.
Those drones that ventured off into the grasslands never do return. They were expendable and so not terribly missed, but their disappearance was still foreboding enough that no further expeditions were sent in that direction.
The Hivemind dispatched a sizable troop into the forest. Usually the drones didn't go much farther than the outskirts (or fell prey to snakes, birds, or any other manner of terrors if they did) but that was when they went alone and had no warriors to protect them. This time, the troop ranged deeper into the forest than the Hive had ever dared to go before. Along the way, they were attacked by a giant spider, but through the use of sheer numbers and a newly evolved paralytic venom inside the warriors' mandibles, they were able to slay it with only a few casualties taken. Bees buzzed obliviously overhead as the spider was dismembered and sent back to the Hive in pieces to serve as food. Waste not, want not.
After that was sorted, the troop pressed on and they found a great thicket filled with berry bushes. There was immediately a skirmish between the troop and several beetles that had been inhabiting the area. Despite the beetles having a nasty bite of their own and being like tanks with shells too thick to be pierced by the warriors' mandibles, they were defeated. The beetles simply were not as numerous or coordinated as our species and so they were easily pinned down and rendered helpless while their legs were bitten off.
Some of the beetles scurried off and retreated deeper into the forest. Instead of pursuing, the troop of drones began gathering huge quantities of berries and carrying them back to the Hive. More expeditions followed, made easier by a winding tunnel that was eventually dug from the nest all the way to the edge of the forest. More beetles were seen skulking around in the following days, and though they've been driven away from the berry bushes, they probably have a nest somewhere and the Hivemind can only wonder at what other resources they might still control.
With the berry bushes now solidly inside the Hive's territory, the food supply has massively increased. Things got frisky back at the Hive, and the Queen spawned an unprecedented horde of larvae. There are currently only about 250 drones and one queen, but there's about to be a population boom of hundreds when the new generation grows. This opens up the possibility of establishing more Hives, or perhaps even launching a full invasion into the forest or somewhere else.
The Hivemind dispatched a sizable troop into the forest. Usually the drones didn't go much farther than the outskirts (or fell prey to snakes, birds, or any other manner of terrors if they did) but that was when they went alone and had no warriors to protect them. This time, the troop ranged deeper into the forest than the Hive had ever dared to go before. Along the way, they were attacked by a giant spider, but through the use of sheer numbers and a newly evolved paralytic venom inside the warriors' mandibles, they were able to slay it with only a few casualties taken. Bees buzzed obliviously overhead as the spider was dismembered and sent back to the Hive in pieces to serve as food. Waste not, want not.
After that was sorted, the troop pressed on and they found a great thicket filled with berry bushes. There was immediately a skirmish between the troop and several beetles that had been inhabiting the area. Despite the beetles having a nasty bite of their own and being like tanks with shells too thick to be pierced by the warriors' mandibles, they were defeated. The beetles simply were not as numerous or coordinated as our species and so they were easily pinned down and rendered helpless while their legs were bitten off.
Some of the beetles scurried off and retreated deeper into the forest. Instead of pursuing, the troop of drones began gathering huge quantities of berries and carrying them back to the Hive. More expeditions followed, made easier by a winding tunnel that was eventually dug from the nest all the way to the edge of the forest. More beetles were seen skulking around in the following days, and though they've been driven away from the berry bushes, they probably have a nest somewhere and the Hivemind can only wonder at what other resources they might still control.
With the berry bushes now solidly inside the Hive's territory, the food supply has massively increased. Things got frisky back at the Hive, and the Queen spawned an unprecedented horde of larvae. There are currently only about 250 drones and one queen, but there's about to be a population boom of hundreds when the new generation grows. This opens up the possibility of establishing more Hives, or perhaps even launching a full invasion into the forest or somewhere else.
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