The Ashlyn


Background
Started as a genetic project of the Ashen people their scientists worked on a way to initially deliver genetic specific poison against their targets braking down the DNA of the programmed creature and ultimately destroying it with the neuro toxin. This was done by a few pioneers that had been dissastified with waiting generations to destroy the populace of a world.

Mutating a smaller insectoid species of the back water primitive planet of Ashlyn in deep space the Ashen gave the insects many of their abilities though evolution changed many of them.

When the main body of the Ashen found out about this the project was shut down and the genetically engineered bugs had been released. There were few of them and the story might have ended there if not for the fact that the bugs were far more aggressive and began taking over other colonies.

These insects were irrelevant in the grand scheme of things but primates were gathered up, their warm bodies used to incubate the eggs while the Ashlyn brough genetic samples to their queen allowing the queen to produce eggs compatible with the host body. Initially the queen was suppose to manufacture the very toxin that the drones would collect to eradicate species but the Ashen did not develop those abilities in the Ashlyn and they quickly adapted in using that to protect their eggs by gving them familiar genetic markers.

The colony grew and grew and grew for their were no natural predators of them and thus the colony broke off several times.

When pirates came to the world to use it as a hideout the Ashlyn over powered them and easily worked out the function of the ship. They keep a pilot alive and dominated them. One engineering queeen took to the stars spreading the plague of the Ashlyn throughout the quadrant. They have recently arrived at the edges of Ashen space taking over one of the facilities there when a dominated puppet makes a discovery based on a report by a probe ...

Appearance
The Ashlyn appear as giant ants of various sizes, the smallest being the size of a house cat, the largest, their queen about the size of a horse. The queen and drones sport wings and all of them sport a pair of retractable tentacles at their sides that are about three feet in length.

Their exoskeletons are red after the Ashen genetically changed their original coloration from black to warn of the innate danger of the new strand.



Abilities
alter perceptions (all)
approdisiac (drones)
digestive slime (workers)
distress pheromones (all)
dominate (queen)
hive Mind – immune to telepathy (all)
inject eggs (queen)

Alter Perceptions – The Ashlyn can generate audio and visual illusions of limited capacity when their colony have 5+ members.

Aphrodiac – The drones have stingers that can inject powerful aphrodisiacs. They also have a suction cup like tentacle that allows them to gather up the sexual fluids of a female.

Digestive Slime – only the workers can digest foods using this slime. They rejurate food and feed it to the other members of the colony. In addition the slime is very sticky and can be used to restrain. It dissolves clothes, leather and some organic material (mostly vegetable). Workers are usually charged with restraing victims.

The Aschen have used the Xagi slime as a model. In addition to digesting food the Ashlyn can produce a blue slime to counter the digestive one to brake apart the bonds formed by their green digestive slime.

Distress Pheremones – When injured an Ashlyn emites a pungant odor that other Ashlyn pick up on and are attracted too.

Dominate – Sometimes the colony needs a skill that they do not posses such as piloting a ship. The queen can dominate a mind, making them essentially a drone for the colony. A queen can have only one person dominated at a time and usually has a pilot dominated. Strong willed people eventual break down given the strength of the “minds” behind the queen though reducing them to a puppet-like stage takes time. Those with mental or psionic effects may shrug off this effect. Even a weak defense works against this ability but it is only a matter of time for all others.

Hive Mind – the Ashlyn individually have no minds though in large numbers their intelligence grows. Why this is, is thought to be tied to the genetic manipulation the Ashen put them though. In groups of 5+ they are as smart as dim humans, 10+ they are as smart as a typical human and their intelligence scales up one notch for each doubling (20 are equivalent to a bright human, 40 a genius and 80+ mimic Ashen levels of intellect). Since they have no true mind mental attacks are ineffective against them.

All those within 10 miles count towards the hive mind though should one of the Ashlyn venture out of this zone or removed from it become non intelligent. The queen can direct here hive through this communial link, should the queen ever die the largest drone changes sex and grows to become the next queen though until this cycle is complete the Ashlyn are no smarter than any other insectoid.

Inject Eggs – Ashlyn queen inject their eggs into the bodies of males while they are still alive, when they hatch the larval Ashlyn eat their way out of their host. It takes about a week for the eggs to hatch and about two excruciating days for them to eat their way out of their hosts who are usually restrained and kept in the nursery until the eggs hatch. A humanoid target of rouhly man sized cane host up to 20 eggs at one time. The eggs can be surgically removed or killed with exposure to extreme cold.


Sizes
workers – cat sized
soldiers and drones – dog sized
queen – horse sized

Roles
workers – feed others, restrain targets
soldiers – protect the colony, wage war
drones – gather genetic codes, mate with queen
queen – lay eggs, cooordinate through the hive mind.

Weaknesses
Attraction – Ashlyn are attracted to hot areas and if they have a choice will take a path in a warmer area unless pursuing prey where they may enter into a colder area. They never willingly enter an area beneath 60 degrees though.

Cold Suscptibility – The Ashlyn become sluggish in temperatures beneath 60 degress Fahrenheit, beneath s 50 they die.

Daze – Smoke causes them to become docile and even disperse them if they are in swarm mentality.

Sonic Vulnerability – The Ashlyn have keen hearing but it is rather sensative. Eceptionally loud noises stun them though others attact them like the hum of generators.

I'm trying to understand this one...

Is it going to be primarly space?

Yes, space only.

I only had intended to use them for a thread or two but wanted to post something to take care of any concerns before hand with those stories.

Then I'll have to move the thread to the space-only area.

Thanks, nearly blind and after all this time I never saw the forum thinking I was just going into the new monster forum when I did blindness can be so annoying at times.