V Is for Veracious
veracious: (adj.) speaking or representing the truth
“Heed my words! The Cerise Queen demands you accept only two dogmas. First, the only sin is failure. Second, everything not forbidden is compulsory. Abide, and the Colony welcomes you. Dissent means rejection and destruction.”
That message, delivered by an intelligent alien species native to Myrmidia to the human colonists of Thessalia II, signaled the beginning of the end. The colonists had come to Myrmidia, attracted by its untouched natural resources and rich soil. Thessalia II thrived almost from the get-go, and the colony grew to include more than 500 families.
The colonists quickly mounted a defense against the Myrmidians. At first, it seemed as if the colonists had little to fear. Their postech armaments proved more than a match for the ant-like aliens. Unfortunately, initial surveys seriously misjudged the size of the Myrmidian population. The surveys also failed to account for the vast psychic powers wielded by Myrmidian queens.
Myrmidian culture, divided into dozens of mutually hostile Colonies, is a telepathic collective. Except for each Colony’s queen, no individual Myrmidian is reckoned of any importance at all. The queen’s will rules over all, and her slightest whim carries the weight of undeniable truth. For Myrmidian workers and warriors, their queen embodies truth. She is incapable of deceit or error, and to disobey the queen is unthinkable. Maybe even literally unthinkable.
Thessalia II fell to the Cerise Queen in a matter of hours once the full force of the Colony was brought to bear. Most of the human colonists died, sliced to pieces by powerful mandibles for food in the birthing caves. The Myrmidians took others captive, adding them to the host of workers.
Myrmidia
Atmosphere: Breathable mix
Temperature: Warm
Biosphere: Human-miscible
Population: Alien civilization
Tech Level: 3
World Tags: Tyranny, Warlords
Myrmidian Worker
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 2
Attack Bonus: +2
Damage: 1d6 bite
No. Appearing: 10d10
Saving Throw: 14+
Movement: 45 ft.
Morale: 9
Workers appear very much like terrestrial ants, but much larger, growing to lengths of four feet.
Myrmidian Warrior
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4
Attack Bonus: +5
Damage: 1d8 bite/1d6 sting
No. Appearing: 2d10
Saving Throw: 13+
Movement: 30 ft.
Morale: 11
Warriors grow up to twice the size of workers. They attack with oversized mandibles and a venomous sting.
Myrmidian Warrior Venom: Toxicity 8, Interval 10 minutes, Virulence 2, Damage 1d8. The first failed saving throw inflicts no damage but instead paralyzes the victim.
Myrmidian Queen
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 10
Attack Bonus: +8
Damage: 1d10 bite
No. Appearing: 1
Saving Throw: 10+
Movement: 15 ft.
Morale: 10
A Myrmidian queen is larger, tougher, and slower than others of her kind. Each queen is the mother and absolute ruler of all Myrmidians in her colony with a maximum range of a few dozen miles. She is in constant telepathic contact with all of her children. A queen possesses powerful psychic abilities. A typical queen has mastered up to level 8 in Telepathy as well as up to 6 levels divided between two or three other disciplines. Most queens have 5d4+15 power points.
