Krath

The Krath are a hostile, warlike race native to the Verion Cluster. They, along with the Asathai and the Dwerin, are members of the Union of Races. Krath are an insectoid species, capable of "evolving" into many different Forms. These range from the basic Warrior, to the non-combat oriented builder, to the massive Titan Form. Despite their warlike, hostile, and aggressive nature, they were able to mostly integrate into Union society, though they still result in much controversy. Never the less, the Krath remain in the Union as their soldiers and generals.

History
Much of the history of the Krath has been lost due to constant wars wiping out civilization. Their most recent recorded history began about 700 years ago, after a war that decimated their race. The Krath continued to fight amongst themselves, having several more major wars, until 242 years ago, when the nation of Telka conquered their entire planet. Being Krath, however, rebellions soon formed, plunging their world into war once again. Finally, after 40 years of civil war, the rebellions began to die down. The Krath began expanding into space, developing FTL travel and colonizing several star systems. It was mostly peaceful, however the peace would not last. Individual colonies began warring between eachother. The central Krath empire attempted to quell the infighting, resulting in yet another war. This one, however, was over quickly, with most of the Krath remaining unified. The war did cost the Krath several colonies, however, setting back their expansion considerably.

Oblivious to the nearby war between the Itana and the alliance of the Dwerin and Asathai, they continued expanding. At this time several small pirate factions formed, harrassing Krath colonies. During first contact with the Asathai, an Itana fleet attacked their colony. The Krath defended it bravely, slaughtering Itana ground troops. Their ships, however, were outnumbered and outgunned. It was at this colony that the Asathai earned their respect, bravely sacrificing their lives to defend the Krath colony. During the war, they fought with a ferocity like no other, which only intensified as the Itana burned their colonies and slaughtered their people. There was initially some hostility between the Dwerin and Krath, however they soon began to respect eachother as battle-brothers.

In the closing days of the war, during the siege on the Itana homeworld, Krath troops were landed with orders to pacify resistence. Unfortunately, being Krath, they went too far, resulting in mass slaughters of innocent Itana civilians. Soon afterwards, they joined the Union, acting as the military and security force. While they still have violent tendencies, the Krath are now much more peaceful and not prone to killing anything that looks at them the wrong way, making them contributing citizens of the Union on par with the other races.

Culture
Krath culture is rather simplistic, and has changed little over the years, though the recent leaders have been making efforts to reduce their warlike nature.

Religion
The Krath's main religion is polytheist, with a pantheon of dozens of diverse gods. The majority of Krath believe in this religion, with some that believe in others, while some believe in none. They believe that each race has its own god, which created them and moulded them to fit their sphere. The gods have varying degrees of power, with races the Krath see as "lesser" having less powerful or offensive gods.

The Krath's god is the God of Warfare, who is the most powerful god. The Asathai's god is the God of Peace, while the Dwerin's god is the God of Metal. Both of those gods are equal in power, and are nearly as powerful as the God of War. While this is the official opinion held on which gods represent which race, many Krath have their own beliefs in this matter. Some believe the Asathai's god is the God of Weakness, due to their preference for diplomacy over combat and their somewhat lacking physical abilities.

Krath will often pray to the gods for good fortune before major events, such as battle.

Forms
The Krath have many subraces, which they refer to as Forms. All Krath are born as the standard Warrior Form, but within them exist genetic markers which allow their "metamorphosis" into a predetermined Form. However, the markers are not always present, which results in many "pure" Warrior Forms. At ten years of age, which is Krath adulthood, the young adults are met with a choice. They can remain a Warrior Form, or they can "evolve" to a new one. Should they choose to evolve, they go dormant, forming a cocoon. They remain in it for up to a year, their body undergoing huge changes within. When they exit the cocoon, they have changed drastically. Should they choose to have children, the genetic markers of their Form are passed on to them. Should the Krath choose to remain a Warrior Form, however, they simply continue their life as normal.

Naming
Every Krath has two names. A given name, and a family name. When they come of age, a suffix is attached to their given name depending on their Form. Before they reach the age of ten, they lack a suffix. For example, before reaching ten years old, a Krath's name would simply be Tazr Relok. If he were to choose to evolve to a Shadow Form, he would become Tazr-kree Relok. If he chooses to stay a Warrior, he would be Tazr-var Relok. Another Krath naming practice which is becoming increasingly uncommon is adding additional suffixes when great deeds are performed by the Krath in question. As a result, many old and battle-hardened Krath have incredibly long names. This is quickly becoming uncommon, and most modern Krath address themselves by their full names, including their Form suffix but not any suffixes pertaining to deeds they have performed.

Suffixes
Every form has varying identification suffixes. They are given to Krath when they come of age, whether or not they choose to evolve to another Form or remain a Warrior Form. The suffixes are attached to the end of the Krath's given name.
 * var: Warrior Form
 * jor: Builder Form
 * kaas: Warmonger Form
 * haav: Banshee Form
 * kree: Shadow Form
 * vis: Warlord Form
 * takk: Titan Form

Physiology and Appearance
Varies between Forms.

Warrior
The most basic Krath Form, and also the most common. They are 7 feet, or 2.1 meters, tall. Their carapace is black with a green sheen. They have spines running down their backs, which can be folded down. They have two large outer mandibles with a smaller set of inner mandibles, both very sharp and serrated. They are digitigrade, and have three fingers and toes which end in hooked, serrated claws. They have two red glowing compound eyes on their heads.

Builder
A weak, non-combat oriented Form, Builders are one of the more common Krath Forms. They are 6 feet, or 1.8 meters, tall. Their carapace is dark green with a green sheen. They are digitigrade, and have three pairs of arms, ending in five fingers with small claws. They have five toes ending in small claws. They have a single sharp set of mandibles. They have two red glowing compound eyes.

Warmonger
A more powerful, larger variant of the Warrior. They often lead squads of Warriors into battle. They are 9 feet, or 2.7 meters, tall. Their carapace is black with a green sheen. They have two rows of spines running down their backs, which can be folded down and are very sharp. They have two pairs of arms, one below the other. The lower arms end in scythe-like blades. They have one set of mandibles, which is sharp and serrated. They are digitigrade, and have three fingers and toes which end in hooked, serrated claws. They have four red glowing compound eyes on their heads. Their back eyes are larger and slightly higher than the front eyes.

Banshee
A flying Form. When not in the air, they stand at 6 feet, or 1.8 meters, tall. Their carapace is black with a green sheen. They have four large, insectoid wings which retract into their carapace for protection when they are on the ground. They have a mouth, unlike most other Krath forms, with sharp teeth and fangs. Their snout extends about 15 centimeters from their head. They are digitigrade, with three fingers ending in hooked, serrated claws. They have three toes ending in talons. They have a tail, ending in a sharp stinger, capable of injecting venom. They have two red glowing compound eyes.

Shadow
A stealthy Form. They are 6 feet, or 1.8 meters, tall. Their carapace is lightweight and is black. They have a row of spines down their backs, which can be folded down. They have two pairs of mandibles, both very sharp and serrated. They are digitgrade, and they have three fingers and toes ended in hooked, serrated claws. They have blades made of bone on their wrists, which can be retratced into of their arms when not in use. They are very lightweight. They have two black compound eyes.

Warlord
The second most powerful Krath Form, capable of commanding armies. While the Titan form is more powerful, the Warlord is a battlefield commander. They stand at 9 feet, or 2.7 meters. Their carapace is dark green with a brighter green sheen. They have two pairs of mandibles. The inner ones are smaller, and both are very sharp. They are digitigrade, with three pairs of arms, the bottom two ending in five fingers with hooked, serrated claws. The top pair of arms has two large scythe-like blades. They have three five, ending in hooked, serrated claws. They have four red glowing compound eyes. The back eyes are larger and slightly higher than the front eyes.

Titan
The most powerful Form, and also the largest. Standing at 15 feet or 4.5 meters, they can barely fit on Union ships, having to uncomfortably crouch down. Their carapace is dark green with a brighter green sheen. They have a row of spines running down their backs, capable of being folded down. They have two pairs of mandibles, the inner ones smaller than the outer ones. Both are very sharp and serrated. They are digitigrade, with two pairs of arms. The top arms have giant scythe-like blades. The bottom arms have three fingers with hooked claws. They have three toes with hooked claws. They have long, prehensile tails ending in a long barb. The tails have spikes going down the sides, to stab enemies when whipping, and are manueverable enough to curl around things and grasp them. They have four red glowing compound eyes, the back eyes slightly higher and larger than the front.