Aschliqa

The imbecile that named it must have been blind! Baltaan and I were counting that day.
It’s clearly twenty-five!

- Legendary chiraki hunter Xander

Aschliqas (hundred-hooved) are large, insect-like chirakis commonly bred in the Chiraki Abyss.

Anatomy

Aschliqa’s segmented bodies are protected with a hard exoskeleton. Female shells are thicker, allowing them to survive powerful direct hits from other chirakis. They possess venom glands, deploying the substance through long pincers.

Aschliqa limbs can be divided based on the location (cervical and abdominal) or thickness (thick and thin). The thick limbs resemble a goat, except for the first pair, which is more robust and possesses dextrous fingers. The thin legs, meanwhile, act as sensory organs.

Similar to other chirakis, aschliqas are biologically immortal, only dying from severe injuries and starvation. They can regenerate grave wounds as long as they inhale Abyss’s air. A sure way to kill an aschliqa is decapitation or crushing their chest.

Dietary needs and behaviour

Aschliqas are omnivorous, eating a variety of plant and animal chirakis. They keep the prey still using cervical limbs, while pincers inject venom. When threatened, aschliqas curl up in a ball. It’s usually enough to deter most chirakis. If the assault persists, aschliqa unravels and bites the attacker.

Reproduction

Males produce a sack filled with spermatozoids for the female to pick up. This makes breeding aschliqas especially easy, where farmers can present the preferred sacks to the females.

A female lays up to 20 eggs after a short incubation period. She picks the eggs using the thin abdominal limbs and tucks them close to the body. She occasionally brings them closer to the cervical limbs for grooming, checkup, and to eat the damaged eggs.

The mother takes care of her children for up to a month. The hatchlings miss most of their thin cervical and abdominal limbs, which grow after each moult.

Aschliqas are most comfortable in upper and lower layers. The Abyss’s middle third is cold, making the creature slightly sluggish. The sensory feet allow aschliqas to walk easily in complete darkness.

Uses

Aschliqas can traverse through various terrains, from steep cliffs to shallow rivers. Females are used as mounts, owing to their larger size and sturdier build. Their venom glands are removed early on, making them safer to handle.

Male aschliqas are kept for breeding, meat and venom. Thanks to their docile nature, farmers safely milk the venom, which is used for various chiraki potions.

Aschliqa meat resembles a lobster and is quite filling. Hunters often roast the cleaned flesh over fire, put it in stews or grind the shell into powder and add to other meals.

Farmers often carve chitin shells into various trinkets and charms, which are popular with merchants and visiting nobles. Pictured is an amulet resembling a chiraki plant, Rubytooth (Glarefruit).

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