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By Benjami
02/25/2024 - 11:53:21

Type: Colonial creature
Rating: 7.5 (Good)
Tags: necien form

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Description

Xocal physiology is a result of integrating Herb, a mutating catalyst to the species, into the cultural and biological infrastructure of the xocal society. There are multiple variants of xocal, most common form being nconien xocal. Nconien xocals are designed for strength and longevity, and thus are the standard type of xocal each whelp is transformed into. It also serves as the base for any further transformations.

The second most common form is that of necien xocal. This type of xocal does away with most of their exoskeleton and muscle, allowing their bodies to redistribute calories into supporting their brains. Their smaller bodies also allow for increased lifespan.

The Necien Ritual is granted to those whelps who show promise in the more intellectual paths, such as that of scribes or engineers. As they tend to hold much of the knowledge that benefits xocal society, they are discouraged from taking part in war, and thus ineligible to serve as knights or warriors. To serve as Queen, one is required to be necien.

There is a common misunderstanding that non-xocals make, regarding necien xocals as females and nconien xocals as males. In reality, xocals are biologically sexless, though they do need another of their kind to reproduce. Regardless, their Herb-given forms are unrelated to the process.

As a note regarding xocal culture when it comes to offspring, xocals place no importance on bloodlines. When a xocal gives birth, their child is immediately taken to a whelp house, separated from their birth parent. The whelp house serves as an educational institution that raises and trains the whelps, guiding them to a career based on their characteristics. Once the time comes for a xocal to choose someone to inherit their trade, they visit a whelp house and pick the whelp that most matches their requirements. This is how Knights pick their Squires, for example.

To raise one?s own biological child would be seen as dishonourable and selfish, as that would be putting the vanity of one?s own genes over choosing a whelp that better matches the needs of one?s trade. But to do that is rare, as xocals have a genetic dislike towards their biological kin, and can only form parental bonds with unrelated whelps. This genetic trait, along with others that help the xocal society function, are imprinted in the xocal genetic code via the mandatory Nconien Ritual that each whelp is made to take soon after being brought to a whelp house.

Once the whelp has been chosen to be taken in by an adult xocal, any possible Herb rituals required of the trade are undertaken, usually after a test to confirm the whelp?s suitability for the job. For most trades, the basic nconien form will do. If a whelp remains unchosen for a trade by the time they reach maturity, they become either a common labourer or a warrior.

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