Monstrous Race: Thri-Kreen

The thri-kreen are an insectoid monstrous humanoid race that primarily lived in the Shidarezakura, until they were forced out. The thri-kreen are a race of enlightened nomads and hunters. They are also known as mantis warriors and sometimes called "tri-kreen" (thrice born). A thri-kreen resembles a giant praying mantis, bipedal and standing 4.5–7 feet (1.4–2.1 meters) high and weighing 100–375 pounds (45–170 kilograms a full-grown adult averages at 6 feet (1.8 meters) and 200 pounds (90 kilograms). They have exoskeletons over their entire bodies. They have six limbs protruding from their thorax: two for walking and four for use as arms, ending in four-fingered claw-like hands capable of tool- and weapon-use. Their insectoid heads have two black, multi-faceted compound eyes; two small antennae sprouting from the top; and a complex jaw structure with large sharp mandibles. It is extremely difficult to distinguish the males and females. The carapace of a thri-kreen is typically a sandy yellow in hue, but could vary from a sandy brown to a pale green color, as best suited the environment. This enabled thri-kreen to blend in with the dry savannas and grasslands they dwelled in. Thri-kreen wear little to no clothing or armor. Instead, they wear only simple leather belts, harnesses, or slings to hold their food, equipment, and weaponry, and only as much as they needed. They do not make or wear any kind of adornments.
The enlightened race are the followers of the Titan Patient One. It is unknown if he created them but historians speculate this might be true. Thri-kreen legends tell another story. They were once a powerful race, before the time of the gods and titans, capable of using their minds to mold the world. When the First Gods came, their race died, only to be reborn among the Titans, far away from the conflict in the First Age, The Titan War. They've lost all of their powers, reverting to tribalistic animals that would wander the earth. It wasn't until a great cataclysm that swept the world, caused them to emigrate to an archipelago, now known as the Great Sakura Island and its surrounding islands. There they found peace and were reborn, born for the third time, and through meditatiation their harmonious souls were at ease. Many mortals would come to them, to learn the ways of enlightenment. The Thri-kreen say they invented the monastic orders, not the ancient followers of the Patient One. They didn't care about the politics of the civilization they were a part of (kinda), thus when the Fourth Age, The Calamity dawned and the people pointed at them as the fault of everything. They had a choice - either stay and allow their race to perish or flee and find peace somewhere else. Those that chose the former were brutally murdered in the hundreds, while the rest fled north into the Yangari Coast, over time founding the Laion nation.

On Tethys

Most Thri-kreen hail from Laion, outside that nation the Thri-kreen seem to be an unpredictable race, capable of sudden outbursts of violence. No wonder that the race sought harmony and peace, as it is opposite of their very nature. The tribalistic Thri-kreen have no clear or definable personalities as humans would know them. No emotions could be discerned from their insectoid faces or their patterns of behavior, though rapid twitching of their antennae or mandibles indicated agitation. Acting spontaneously, they are unpredictable and always of chaotic alignment, showing no inclination toward good or evil. These traits make them utterly alien and inscrutable to other races, and folk unfamiliar with them regarded them as savage and brutal monsters. In fact, tribal Thri-kreen simply view themselves and other beings in terms of the relationship between predator and prey. They se themselves as noble hunters, and are wholly focused on survival and the basic needs of existence, a life in which the weak die and the strong survive. 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 do not have to. By instinct, they see humanoid beings as food first and as trading partners or allies second. This is opposite of those harmonious Thri-kreen living in Laion. Enigmatic, mysterious and "more human" than their tribal cousins. The Thri-kreen seek peace above all else, reject their nature of the tribal Thri-kreen that they name Nido-kreen (twice born), who were the animalistic and instinctive Thri-kreen of the past, before they found Shidarezakura.

First World

It is speculated that before the first dragons arrived in the First World, there was a race similar to the Thri-kreen but was wiped out by a cataclysmic event.

Thri-Kreen

Ability Score Increase Dex +2; Wis +1

Size Medium

Speed 40 ft.

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Age. Thri-kreen live much shorter lives than their humanoids counterparts. A thri-kreen matures quickly, reaching adulthood within 3-4 years of hatching. Most thri-kreen only live to be 25 years old, although some live marginally longer.
Alignment. Thri-kreen tend towards a chaotic nature, uncomfortable living by the rigorous societal standards the other races subject themselves to and often acting in whatever fashion benefits the pack at the time. It is rare that thri-kreen are good and evil.
Size. A full-grown thri-kreen stands seven feet tall but can be as long as 7 to 9 feet, and can weigh between 450 to 470 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet. You sink in liquid and have a swimming speed of 0 feet.
Darkvision. Your compact eyes and deep instincts give you superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Chameleon Carapace. As a bonus action, you can change the color of your adaptive carapace to match the color and texture of your surroundings. When you do, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide until the start of your next turn.
Exoskeleton. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Multiple Limbs. You have a shorter pair of arms in the center of your chest. Your smaller arms have a reach of 5 feet, and you can use them to lift a number of pounds equal to five times your Strength score. You can use these arms to take an additional object interaction each round and hold objects. Your secondary arms can’t be used to do anything that requires manual precision such as attack, benefit from a shield, use an item or performing the somatic components of a spell.
Standing Leap. Your long jump is up to 30 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start. You cannot jump backwards.
Thri-Kreen Weapon Training. The thri-kreen are known for their martial prowess with the chatkcha and gythka. You have proficiency with the dagger, spear, pike, and glaive.
Torpor. Thri-kreen are known to enter a state of decreased physiological activity to prolong their survival. You only require 1 gallon of water each week, you do not require sleep and don't suffer exhaustion from lack of rest. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours of it in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Thri-kreen and can read and write Common. The thri-kreen language is composed mostly of clicking noises and hieroglyphics. It is relatively simple to read or write, but it is difficult for members of other species to speak it.