Sha'az

The sha'az were a semi-humanoid insectoid race that dwelled upon the arctic ice.

Description
The sha'az body combined both insectoid and humanoid characteristics, with the large thorax and abdomen of an insect but the torso and head of a humanoid. It had six insect-like limbs ending in strong retractile hooks. The four hind legs were dedicated to walking and climbing. The two front legs attached to the torso had smaller prehensile hooks that served as hands. The sha'az typically stood erect on its four hind legs and used its fore legs as arms. The limbs and body were very slender with wiry musculature. The torso had a narrow but muscular waist and a broad chest.

It had a partial exoskeleton, with chitinous plates upon the thorax, back, and shoulders. Thick gray skin covered the rest of the body, particularly the legs, neck, and abdomen. All over, it was covered with a furry white down for warmth; this was thickest on the lower hind legs, which had an additional dense growth like felt.

The head was almost humanoid, with a deep-set eyes and hooked nose over a mouth, but with a pair of big serrated mandibles that protruded from its cheeks. The same white fur grew on its head in a thick mane.

The sha'az had a significant sexual dimorphism. A male sha'az had four wings of fragile and translucent appearance that rested on his back amidst the white down, as well as a potent venom on his mandibles. A female sha'az had no wings or venom.

Abilities
The sha'az were well-adapted to arctic conditions. Their warm fur guarded them against the cold and their hooked feet could move over snow and grip slippery ice and the steepest slopes with ease.

The wings of the male sha'az let them fly well in most conditions, except in extremely poor weather.

The venom of the male sha'az caused those bitten by their mandibles to progressively freeze over a matter of minutes until they either resisted the poison or were wholly frozen and died. This venom could only be used once a day.

A sha'az knight had a limited empathic ability with which it could communicate with the queen. Used when outside the hive, it worked without fail up to away, but beyond this it grew unreliable. It had a 10% probability of failing every minute up to away, increasing by 1% for every additional mile to a maximum of 90% no matter how far. When the empathy failed, it could not be attempted again until the next day.

Combat
Sha'az favored fighting in numbers, particularly when on a hunt. A lone sha'az would avoid battle, and if the threat was great, sha'az would try to alert their hive to the danger. Otherwise, they were courageous foes.

Though they did not wear armor, sha'az would use shields and weapons. Warriors favored spears, swords, bows, and nets, as well as their own mandibles and venom. They could even use their bows while flying, though at a penalty.

Drones had little combat ability and would only fight if they had no other option or the sha'az queen was threaten. They were rarely armed.