Kruthik
Location:
Large bugs with spear-like legs and thick carapace.
Hard to hunt - so carapace is valuable.
#alex 4/5/2025
Though they are extremely bug-like, Kruthik are technically reptilian in nature, but covered in chitinous plates- a strange evolutionary stage mixing a turtle shell and scales. They communicate through a mixture of a series of chittering, hisses, and pheromones, and what you heard before their attack was likely a coordination. While they are not as intelligent as a typical humanoid, they are above mere beasts.
They likely sensed you guys not through blindsight, but through their ability to keenly sense vibrations on the ground around them, which they also use to send more subtle signals amongst each other.
This becomes especially useful in their lairs- sprawling underground tunnel structures that look like if an ant colony got blown up to 1000 times its size and an engineering team helped each of them graduate. Their lairs can be complex, maze-like, filled with fungal farms that may be dangerous to other creatures, and sometimes even require the ability to burrow through earth to reach certain sections.
These creatures typically stay away from civilization, as they are intelligent enough to understand that drawing attention to themselves could spell trouble. They typically stick to the countryside and remote locations, preying on local fauna and flora (but mostly the former) alike. The fact they attacked you guys on the road is confusing and mildly concerning.
Additionally, while the adults you fought might be called Drones, the leading creature is likely what is referred to as a Hive Knight. They are basically elite units just above Drones, more specialized in combat with their acidic spittle and wings.
Their legs can be used as based material to fashion a Shatterspike weapon (Sword, spear, pike)