The Karshvick are a species of large sentient cockroach mantis hybrids. They are the bulk of the population in the valsh_nar_empire as well as for the military.

Karshvicks look like a large bipedal cockroach with the head of praying mantis, as well as a set of scything talons below their first set of arms. Covering the Karshvick is an outer exoskeleton in a normally brownish tone that acts as a natural armor.

A Karshvick's head is very similar to that of a praying mantis, meaning that it is triangular in shape and sports a set of large compound eyes on either side.The eyes in question work very well and at close range allow precise binocular and stereoscopic vision. Also on the head is a set of antennae that allow the individual to communicate telepathically as well as being able to 'taste' the air and detect subtle movement. Finally also located on the head is the mouth, consisting of four mandibles. Each mandible can operate on its own, letting the Karshvick manipulate food or anything in its mouth with ease.

The average Karshvick, though insectoid in nature has a very robust cockroach like though hulking figure. On average they can measure between 5'8 and 8 feet tall, though some can grow as big as 8'6 in some cases (Mostly from the Sho Clan). They are also bipedal, walking on two legs while there other two limbs are used as two sets of arms. A Karshvick's outer carapace though a solid color (barring a clans markings) can vary in different tones. The majority, roughly 86%, are a dark reddish brown color where as the remaining 14% are distributed between a light brown, Black, and a dark navy (10%,3%,1% respectively). Aside from coloration the Karshvik's carapace also is its primary form of defense, behaving exactly like the carapace of any normal insectoid though on a larger scale. Although alike to an insect, a Karshvick carapace is much more durable, the exoskeleton being about as tough as ceramic plating (In game terms a Karshvick's carapace counts as [:DR] of 5).

Karshvicks have two sets of arms the top set ends with 4 digit hand with 3 fingers one thumb, while the bottom set is a set of scything blades capable of cutting through a decent amount of armors. With these limbs they are able to climb near any surface with a combination of special grips on their hands as well as sinking their lower set of arms into to a surface to keep them in place. A Karshvicks legs are robust like the rest of its limbs and are Digitigrade and are bent slightly forward, much like the rear legs of a canine with its legs ending in a somewhat large hoof,which can be cleft or solid.

A Karshvick is a being almost built for combat its body structure housing several 'fail-safe' organs to keep it moving and alive after being severely injured. To be specific, a standard Karshvick has:

• 2 Hearts
• 4 Lungs
• 2 stomachs
• 1 small pre-stomach that filters out toxins that have been ingested.

Because of the sets of stomachs the Karshvick can eat just about anything for energy, though any indigestible parts would be excreted through the mouth in a pellet form, the rest being converted into energy. They are also capable of going long periods of time without food or water, storing it as fat underneath the carapace on its back. This is primarily used for space travel where they can go into a hibernation of sorts until they reach their destination. Finally a Karshvick has an electric blue color to its blood.

Reproduction for a Karshvick is identical to how a kudah reproduces. Because all Kudah are Asexual they reproduce by injecting a (preferably dead) host with an egg. Once that egg hatches the small larva begins to eat the internals of the host, slowly morphing into a small Karshvick, or Zapchup in valsh. Once it has reached the final stage of morphing it emerges from the the host and grows much like a human for three weeks in which it reaches its full adult size.

Like the rest of the Empire, Karshvicks are very psychically talented, though far less talented than their kudah counterparts. Another distinguishing feature is that all Karshvicks are psychically linked with each other, the closer the distance the stronger the connection allowing them to make coordinated attacks as well as not rely on technology for communication. These factors make them a formidable force, able to attack with surprising force even in the bleakest of conditions. An odd quirk has developed from the mental linkage, and that is that they refer to themselves as a whole and very few individuals have names. For example a single Karshvick will respond with something like “We fly the ship” when asked what it does.

• clans
• culture

riko created this article on 2015/08/24 19:23.