Odarite (Classic Journeys Era)

Odarite Summary: Conniving, logical, and plentiful, these mercantile insectoids are becoming an economic powerhouse in the Orion Arm. They are distantly related to the Mekke.

Physical: Standing at 4-6 feet tall and weighing between 160 and 220 lbs, Odarites are bipedal insectoids with segmented, colorblind eyes, two antennae, outer mandibles, and inner jaws. They have three body segments, two thin digitigrade legs with great leaping ability, four arms that end in tri-part, lobster-like claws, and two cicada-like wings. The wings, while not able to initiate flight, are able to help prolong jump distance and improve jump aim. Odarites are armored with a thick chitinous shell that protects them from injury and provides limited resistance to vacuum and cold. They have oil-toned black segmented eyes, and black carapaces, occasionally with subtle tints of color or other sorts of swirls of a different shade. Their lifespan is approximately thirty to forty years.

Diet: Omnivores, Odarite diet consists primarily of leaves, roots, stems, fruit, flowers, and insects, as well as a variety of manufactured supplements.

Cultural:

Odarites born in a yearhatch are always male, and the only times females are ever birthed is because a current Queen is about to die, or resources become plentiful enough to support another Queen.

After hatching, the offspring often never see the Queen again. Instead, they're raised by a group of community leaders in an almost militaristic fashion: intensely competitive with one another, but at the core, bonded to one another as members of a team.

By the age of two, they grow out of larvae and pupa stage, and into adult form. By the age of four, they are tested for what they excel at, and what will make the most profit. They are then placed in the appropriate school to help enhance and refine these skills, always with heavy profit-centered overtones.

By the time they are six or seven, they are allowed to apply for membership in the Odarite Merchants Guild. If accepted, they are taught in more detail for another two years or so, then are sent out into the field. If they do not apply or are not accepted, they're pretty much on their own. They may be asked to serve in the Guild in lesser functions, such as Maintenance, Industrial, Agricultural, and some Clerical work, or they may end up striking out on their own. Few do go out alone, though, because of their deeply-impatterned bonding to the Guild from birth, and their bonding to their fellow Odarites.