Tiktani

Overview
The Tiktani represent a symbiotic collective of highly specialized arthropodal peoples that have the ability to communicate memories and feelings through a poorly-understood aggregate telepathic link that strengthens with proximity and group size, appearing only when the local population numbers in the millions. They refer to this as “The Chorus.”

Their cities and countries exist in a complex underground webway that allow for the most specialized of the collective to be fully enriched by the experiences of their members who possess generalist adaptations. Those who qualify to venture out of their communities are collectively known as “Soloists” and separate from The Chorus until they return and carry the expectations of their entire culture with them. There are several known Choruses independent of one another and the massive excavation efforts to link them have caused conflict with other Sapient peoples.

Biology
The degree of biological variance in the Tiktani cannot be overstated, and it is uncertain that the full breadth is known even to them. The only known traits that distinguish them from other large arthropods are their telepathic link and the societies it allows them to build. Tiktani soloists generally have chitinous exteriors, two large primary forelimbs and two smaller secondary forelimbs. Both sets of forelimbs are equally dexterous, but the primary set is much stronger and favored for gross-motor activities. Soloists range in length/height from 4' (1.2m) to 8' (2.4m) and in weight from 60lbs (27kg) to 320lbs (145kg) due to extreme polymorphism.