X'rk't

The X'rk't, also called Serket by those who don't know their language, are a species of arthropod-like humanoids who resemble scorpions in appearance and live in nomadic tribes within the desert of Ka'aras.

Biology

Due to their invertebrate anatomy, the X'rk't, unlike most other humanoid species of Zairis, have an exoskeleton like the scorpions they resemble. They have two sets of arms, of which the upper pair sports pincers, most often used for combat, other strenous activities such as pushing and lifting, and intimidation, and the lower one is more like the hands of the other humanoid species, and is used for fine manipulation. They only have one pair of legs, however.

Their heads have a set of eyes (whose number depends upon the tribe a given individual belongs to), and a set of mandible chelicerae by their mouth, which facilitate standard mouth functions as well as their speech, which is comprised of clicks and hisses that are hard to imitate by other species.

And yet another feature that supports their relationship to scorpions is their tail, which starts at their posterior and curve up to rest over the head or shoulder of the X'rk't individual, where the stinger is. Whether the stinger is venomous or not depends on the tribe. Due to the absence of facial muscles, the X'rk't cannot emote with their face, and instead use movement of their tail to indicate their feelings.

The X'rk't tribes

Tribe G'rxk'rt, The Hunted

Also known as Tribe Gruskurt, the Tribe of the Hunted are notably more bestial than the other tribes, are noticeably larger in stature and take on a hunched, feral posture, at all times, sometimes even using four limbs for locomotion while in an aggressive state. Even the Tr'sk'ch, who are noted to be near fearless, will often refuse to try their skill against one of the Hunted.

Tribe Rsh'x'rk, The Drowned

Also known as Tribe Rashark, they differ considerably from the other tribes in another way - they are fully aquatic and interact mostly with the Aquantis Dominion.

Tribe Tr'sk'ch, The Burned

Also known as Tribe Traskech, the Burned are a divided people. About half of them have turned away from the Kami who created them, choosing to worship Qa Sol, the Golden Scourge of the Sands, instead. Those have in turn been, to a marginal degree, accepted by the majority-vulpine societies of the Ka'aras Sovereignty, and as such, are on the friendlist (albeit still uneasy) terms with the descendants of the Vul loyalist settlers of any of the tribes. However, the other half, which remains loyal to their creator, is strongly opposed to the presence of vulpines in the Ka'aran desert, and the way of telling those two factions apart is considered essential knowledge for any who would travel outside the Sovereignty's cities' walls. This tribe notably has the strongest venom in their stingers, which is strong enough to incapacitate a fully grown vulpine in a matter of two minutes, and kill in twenty.

Tribe V'rsx'tch, The Tested

Also known as Tribe Versucht, the V'rsx'tch were the tribe that came into the initial conflict with Vul loyalist settlers who arrived in Ka'aras. At the time, they were the largest and most powerful of the X'rk't clans, but they were vastly diminished in numbers after being driven from the Rhuxai delta. Following this, the tribe is now scattered into very small bands of desert wanderers who prey on unwitting adventurers who are foolish enough to travel in even smaller groups.

Tribe X'cht, The Lost

The existence of Tribe X'cht is only known of from the precious few records made by the Burned that they have shared with the Ka'aras Sovereignty. They have never been sighted in a verifiable capacity since before the calamity that created the Underdeep Blightlands, and it is theorized that whatever remains of them has been corrupted by the miasma witin.