Vadim
Vadim
The Antlions
Section I: Overview, Morphology, Hierarchy, etc.
The Antlions are a species of highly social, insect-like creatures that function together as a hivemind. Antlions arrived from Earth during the portal storms, coming from Xen. Though their history goes back farther than their hives in Xen, and Earth. Having been present on the homeworld of the Vortigaunts. Vortigaunts and Antlions have a long history, both being displaced by the Combine, and both likely being among the last creatures from their now gone homeworld to survive the Combine.
Morphology
Antlions commonly have 4 large saltatorial legs. The "front" legs, actually extend out of the rear abdomen, with the muscle fibers allowing them to twist forward. To help aid their mobility, they possess a set of smaller wings underneath the hardened carapace that lines their back and thorax. These wings are too small to sustain continuous flying akin to creatures who have specialized into flying, though they allow them to glide short distances, and increase their jump height potential.
Antlions are blind, they possess no eyes though are extremely sensitive to vibrations and identify pheromones to designate targets and other Antlions. As a result of this, they can be exploited in several ways, the most common and notable is the Combine's use of thumpers to ward them off. The Antlion's body is incapable of swimming due to its lanky and heavy nature, meaning that they will drown upon entering water. Given that they are blind, they are susceptible to this especially.
Antlions are natural weapons, their bite isn't noteworthy, though it is strong enough that weaker creatures (such as humans) will face painful injuries if bitten. Their front legs are their main weapon, extremely sharp and powerful, they're known to be capable of piercing through humans with ease, as well as chopping off limbs. The Antlions are extremely mobile but are heavier than humans, allowing them to easily pin down a human if given the opportunity. These offensive measures allow Antlions to easily secure and dispatch prey in order to feed the rest of the Hive and grubs, as Antlions are carnivorous.
Antlions appear in several different castes, ranging from the larvae, the first stage of life for the Antlions, to the giant Antlion Kings, that can weigh up to 150 Tons. These castes typically do not vary in appearance, at least in the lower castes. All possessing the same four legs, set of small wings and a similar body. With ranging colors depending on caste, location and individual coloration. It should be noted that location and environmental factories weigh greatly on the Antlion's coloration. Though the Antlion Guard, Guardian and King stray greatly from their lesser counterparts.
Hierarchy & Hives
Antlions, as social creatures, possess a hierarchy responsible for making decisions in the hive, though advanced forms are only known to exist in exceptionally large hives. While a hive is young, Antlions may typically be more reserved, opportunistically snatching food to feed young, other Antlions and aid the growth of the Hive without endangering themselves too much, or at least, not being responsible for too many losses. As hives grow larger, the emergence of larger castes is inevitable. Guards usually molt first, acting as field leaders for Antlions in the place of any real hierarchy that has yet to exist.
Over time, multiple Guards will molt and come into existence, and with it the Hive has usually become large enough for a Guardian. Guardians are the first and most common "leader" of hives. Though they will almost exclusively remain in the hive and guard the nesting grounds, they are able to use their pheromones to order Guards and lesser castes, and as such a semblance of intelligence appears, as well as newfound aggression with their numbers.
Though exceptionally rare, multiple Guardians may exist in a giant hive, guarding their own nesting ground within and commanding their own brood. Though overtime, if the hive is large enough with enough Guardians and numbers, one of them may molt into a King. The absolute ultimate authority for a hive, ordering Guardians around. Hives at this stage become extremely aggressive, intelligent, and strategic in their moves as they seek to expand ever more.
Section II: Antlion Castes
Grubs
Section I: Overview, Morphology, Hierarchy, etc.
The Antlions are a species of highly social, insect-like creatures that function together as a hivemind. Antlions arrived from Earth during the portal storms, coming from Xen. Though their history goes back farther than their hives in Xen, and Earth. Having been present on the homeworld of the Vortigaunts. Vortigaunts and Antlions have a long history, both being displaced by the Combine, and both likely being among the last creatures from their now gone homeworld to survive the Combine.
Morphology
Antlions commonly have 4 large saltatorial legs. The "front" legs, actually extend out of the rear abdomen, with the muscle fibers allowing them to twist forward. To help aid their mobility, they possess a set of smaller wings underneath the hardened carapace that lines their back and thorax. These wings are too small to sustain continuous flying akin to creatures who have specialized into flying, though they allow them to glide short distances, and increase their jump height potential.
Antlions are blind, they possess no eyes though are extremely sensitive to vibrations and identify pheromones to designate targets and other Antlions. As a result of this, they can be exploited in several ways, the most common and notable is the Combine's use of thumpers to ward them off. The Antlion's body is incapable of swimming due to its lanky and heavy nature, meaning that they will drown upon entering water. Given that they are blind, they are susceptible to this especially.
Antlions are natural weapons, their bite isn't noteworthy, though it is strong enough that weaker creatures (such as humans) will face painful injuries if bitten. Their front legs are their main weapon, extremely sharp and powerful, they're known to be capable of piercing through humans with ease, as well as chopping off limbs. The Antlions are extremely mobile but are heavier than humans, allowing them to easily pin down a human if given the opportunity. These offensive measures allow Antlions to easily secure and dispatch prey in order to feed the rest of the Hive and grubs, as Antlions are carnivorous.
Antlions appear in several different castes, ranging from the larvae, the first stage of life for the Antlions, to the giant Antlion Kings, that can weigh up to 150 Tons. These castes typically do not vary in appearance, at least in the lower castes. All possessing the same four legs, set of small wings and a similar body. With ranging colors depending on caste, location and individual coloration. It should be noted that location and environmental factories weigh greatly on the Antlion's coloration. Though the Antlion Guard, Guardian and King stray greatly from their lesser counterparts.
Hierarchy & Hives
Antlions, as social creatures, possess a hierarchy responsible for making decisions in the hive, though advanced forms are only known to exist in exceptionally large hives. While a hive is young, Antlions may typically be more reserved, opportunistically snatching food to feed young, other Antlions and aid the growth of the Hive without endangering themselves too much, or at least, not being responsible for too many losses. As hives grow larger, the emergence of larger castes is inevitable. Guards usually molt first, acting as field leaders for Antlions in the place of any real hierarchy that has yet to exist.
Over time, multiple Guards will molt and come into existence, and with it the Hive has usually become large enough for a Guardian. Guardians are the first and most common "leader" of hives. Though they will almost exclusively remain in the hive and guard the nesting grounds, they are able to use their pheromones to order Guards and lesser castes, and as such a semblance of intelligence appears, as well as newfound aggression with their numbers.
Though exceptionally rare, multiple Guardians may exist in a giant hive, guarding their own nesting ground within and commanding their own brood. Though overtime, if the hive is large enough with enough Guardians and numbers, one of them may molt into a King. The absolute ultimate authority for a hive, ordering Guardians around. Hives at this stage become extremely aggressive, intelligent, and strategic in their moves as they seek to expand ever more.
Section II: Antlion Castes
Grubs
Grubs, Larvae, Hatchlings, they're the lowest caste automatically as they're the youngest of all the Antlions. They're extremely vulnerable at this stage of life, even being touched by outside sources can result in death. Antlion grubs possess an agent used by the Combine and, sometimes, the resistance inside their bodies which is known for its healing ability. This substance is in every Antlion larva, and when mixed with other artificial substances, can become an extremely potent medical agent. Soldiers
Workers
Workers are the main caretakers of the internal Hive. They maintain grubs, patrol the inside along with Soldiers, carve out new areas for the Hive to expand into, and act as a potent defense in case of intruders. Workers are the most strikingly different out of all the lesser castes, possessing a large bulbous head that produces the acid it spits, as well as lacking any armored carapace to protect itself. This caste possesses an extremely corrosive and fast acting acid, though its primary usage is for building and renovating caves and structures for Hive growth, its secondary use is to assist Soldiers with its acid spit. This caste rarely, if ever, leaves the Hive's tunnels. As the lack of armor means they're extremely vulnerable, though as a plus to the lack of armor, they're much lighter and can glide longer distances, perfect for excavating large tunnels for the Hive.
Warriors
This caste is a direct evolution from the initial Soldier caste, they possess a hardened carapace and are more dangerous in close spaces due to their front being near impenetrable by bullets. As a tradeoff for this specialized armor, their leg and especially their thorax armor have become especially weakened. Well-placed shots there can cripple or outright kill warriors with ease. Another downside of this hardened armor is that they mostly lose the ability to glide, or even sprint. Though it is not without its pros as well, this caste is specialized for digging, and have been known to do it in combat in place of gliding, able to appear closer to targets near instantly.Spitters
Antlion Spitters are the armored, combat oriented version of the workers. Their ability to rapidly produce acid has been greatly reduced, in favor of being able to spit with much more accuracy and be able to support a similar armor to that of a warrior. Their armor, as previously mentioned, is similar to a warrior's. It is lighter, though not noticeable during combat as it may still deflect bullets and other projectiles. As a result of these evolutionary changes, they are capable of hovering for short periods of time in order to more accurately spit acid. Spitters possess glands on the side of their head where they produce acid prior to spitting it, though as a consequence for their low capacity, they can only be in combat for so long.
Praetorians
Praetorians are regarded as the transitionary period between a warrior, and a Guard. During this time of molting into a Guard, there comes a stage where they gain the advanced pheromones of a Guard but are not fully done physically molting. They're left larger, tougher, and more mobile than the warrior they used to be, while still being weaker than a real Guard. Their physical appearance often varies between encounters, as they're considered a sub-caste due to them being mid-molt, though they are common enough to be considered their own thing.
Praetorians are rare in Hives, their presence usually signifies that the Hive has advanced from being a collection of unorganized soldiers and workers all attempting to further the Hive, into a more aggressive developed Hive. While molting, Praetorians usually reside within the safety of the inner hive chambers themselves, though excessive external pressure that threatens the well-being of the Hive itself may push one to take up the mantle as a Guard and field commander. They may emerge rarely in order to command other Antlions, and defend the Hive, but if the Hive is not in a precarious position, they are likely never seen.
Guards
Guards possess unique pheromones, allowing them to order nearby and even relatively distant Antlions by utilizing it. The receptors along its back allow for quick dispersion of Guard pheromones, usually being spread by nearby Antlions to one another. Though as a result of this, Guards usually do not appear in pairs or more when directly ordering other castes, or even within the Hive. Despite being a hivemind, conflicting pheromones will confuse lesser castes.
Guards will rarely emerge from the depths of a Hive unless circumstances for the Hive are dire, or there is a great opportunity for the Hive. As Antlions are naturally very opportunistic, Guards may be drawn out if there is the possibility of fighting a decisive battle that requires much more attention than commanding from afar. Despite their brutish nature and stupidity in combat, Antlions of Guard caste and higher are usually much more intelligent than their lesser counterparts, more so than they are given credit for.
Multiple Guards can exist within a Hive, they all work together in controlling lower castes in order to aggressively expand the Hive, accelerating their growth to the next stage of the Hive's life cycle.
Guardians
Guardians are the next evolution of the Guard. They provide a much more specialized purpose. Guardians are only found deep within the Hive itself, guarding large clusters of young Antlion larva and unhatched eggs. They patrol and aggressively seek out and kill intruders into the hive, all in defense of their own nest cluster. Though Guardians do not produce eggs, they claim nesting grounds within the Hive as their own. Through an unknown process, and an unknown amount of time, Extract may form under a Guardian's watchful eye.
Guardians are moderately tougher than Guards, but they are killed much less often, as their death will ruin the potency of the Extract. Guardians possess quills along their carapace, though tiny, with the force they hit intruders with, they're able to pierce clothes and armor to inject a lethal neurotoxin into enemies. The neurotoxin will paralyze anyone it hits within minutes if they are not immediately administered an antidote. They will drag paralyzed victims away to feed larva within their own nesting grounds.
Multiple Guardians are able to exist within a Hive, though they each will claim their own extremely large nesting grounds, which is why it is much more common for there to be only a single one, or at most two in a Hive. If multiple exist, they will remain exclusively to their own designated nesting grounds. Guardians are often aided by Guards when commanded to, as they both will regularly inhabit the inner Hives. Guardians will never leave the Hive unless in pursuit of those who have harvested extract from its own nesting grounds. If those who have harvested it do not wish to return and extract another one in the future, they would be able to kill the Guardian and the extract will remain potent as it has already been harvested.
Guardians are often referred to as "Ancient Guardians", this phrase mostly catches on from Vortigaunts referring to them as such. Vortigaunts will regularly raid Hives in order to harvest extract, usually being the same hive, as such Guardians are almost never killed by them, leading them on to live lives that can span hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Kings
Antlion Kings are the rarest caste of Antlion. They're extremely large, reaching colossal sizes, they only exist in the largest Hives. Kings on their own, are usually extremely tough. They are often accompanied by several Guards, a Guardian, and dozens, if not hundreds of other Antlions at their disposal. Their Pheromones are the highest authority of any Antlion, capable of subsuming entire other Hives in the area to join theirs if they exist. They often delegate the task of field commanding the hordes to the Guards and managing the Guards to the Guardians. In Hives where Kings exists, the Antlions become much more intelligent, opting to use strategies and planning at the discretion of Guards and Guardians.
Antlion Kings are seldom seen by humans, as any human that lays eyes on them is usually in an extremely dangerous position, and survival is extremely rare due to being in the heart of the Antlion Hive. They're akin to the Vortigaunt's Grand Elders, a few handfuls exist on Earth, and all of them are rumors, usually made by judging the size of the Hive. Only one King can exist per Hive, and due to their extremely rare status, they can almost never meet another King. If they were to meet another King, they would either fight each other, or their hives, until one of them or their entire Hive is wiped out, and the survivors subsumed into their own Hive.
Vortigaunts, when nurturing their own Hive, often upgrade to the next greatest Pheromone, when possible, in order to remain on top and in control, be it Guard or Guardian pheromones. When holding any of those pheromones, equal castes will see them as one of their own. The only exception is the King, his pheromones are unable to be harvested, and the appearance of a fully matured King in a Vortigaunt's Tribe means they will likely subsume them all under his control, effectively usurping the Vortigaunts previously in control. The only way to get it back is to practically wipe out the Hive to kill the King, or the much more common method of ensuring they never appear.
Kings, due to their large size, require many months of a Guardian molting into one. Whilst doing so, they are stationary, requiring workers and soldiers to regularly feed them during the process. Given it is a lengthy process, any diligent Vortigaunt Tribe may wipe one out before it appears in their own hive.
It should be noted, that due to the extreme weight and size of the Antlion King's, if they were to move quickly it'd cause a quake large enough to push away their smaller castes. This is possibly an evolutionary advantage, so they do not accidentally injure the lower castes. As a result of this, Kings have evolved eyes and decreased vibration sensitivity.
Addendum
While Antlion Hives collectively have the same castes, outside factors may influence the creation of new castes, or the specializations of existing ones. Leading to sub-castes often granting the Hive an advantage in whichever unique situations they may find themselves in that call for the creation of such a caste. The Hive underneath City-24 had experienced a similar situation. Sub-castes called the "Drone" and "Fireant" appeared in the Hives, though these are not exactly on purpose, as these are mutations caused by the Alsace Wound.
Section III: Hives (cont.)
Hive Stages
Hives are categorized professionally into multiple stages in order to track their growth. The CPRD uses a more standard classification system to generally designate Hive growths, while various underground resistance movements worldwide, often use local terminology that may or may not be more accurate.
Notable Hives
The Larval Extract
The Extract is an extremely powerful substance to the vortigaunts, allowing them to transcend even time and space for a period of time. Submersing them completely within the vortessence. While it is unknown if the Extract, or even the Guardians, are connected to the vortessence in any way to make this possible, it is just as valuable to Antlions as it is to the vortigaunts.
An Antlion Hive starts from the bottom up, a few soldiers and workers will split off from a pre-existing Hive and settle elsewhere. Ranging from a few miles away to a few hundred, depending on where they have the most luck with prey, food, and available territory. Workers are able to produce eggs through unknown factors. This process is slow, and tedious, and inefficient for the Hive to grow rapidly. Hives at this stage are usually incredibly resourceful as every casualty matters to them.
The Extract allows workers to rapidly accelerate this process, utilizing essence from the Extract to "fertilize" eggs. Allowing biomass to be turned into a growing larva in days, as compared to weeks of constant tending without the Extract. For the Extract to be formed in the first place, a Guardian must be present. Guardians are able to secrete pheromones that influence Larva essence, what is normally used by the Combine or others as an improvised healing agent, is turned into a powerful substance capable of making life.
Once a Guardian has formed Extract, it may also additionally use it in order to facilitate the molting process of Antlions into Guards, or even other Guardians and Kings. Though Extract is not infinite, as it is used by workers and the Guardian it was formed by, it loses its power. Every month, the Extract will usually run out of essence, and a new one must be formed.
Section IV: History of Antlions on Earth
Portal Storms
During the 3 years of portal storms that shook Earth, Antlions were among the many species to take advantage of the situation. Antlions moved into Earth at a rapid pace, often major contingents of a Hive would invade and begin making their own Hive. Antlion Hives grew rapidly, unchecked, plaguing human populations as a major threat, as they are among the toughest invasive species from Xen. Antlion Hives of varying sizes began to appear around Earth, and humans often fled where Antlions were known to be. Many humans lacked the proper firepower and training to effectively hold their own against the hordes, displacing a great amount of people and Xen creatures.
Combine Occupation (2004-2015)
Recent History (2016-2019)
Guards will rarely emerge from the depths of a Hive unless circumstances for the Hive are dire, or there is a great opportunity for the Hive. As Antlions are naturally very opportunistic, Guards may be drawn out if there is the possibility of fighting a decisive battle that requires much more attention than commanding from afar. Despite their brutish nature and stupidity in combat, Antlions of Guard caste and higher are usually much more intelligent than their lesser counterparts, more so than they are given credit for.
Multiple Guards can exist within a Hive, they all work together in controlling lower castes in order to aggressively expand the Hive, accelerating their growth to the next stage of the Hive's life cycle.
Guardians
Guardians are the next evolution of the Guard. They provide a much more specialized purpose. Guardians are only found deep within the Hive itself, guarding large clusters of young Antlion larva and unhatched eggs. They patrol and aggressively seek out and kill intruders into the hive, all in defense of their own nest cluster. Though Guardians do not produce eggs, they claim nesting grounds within the Hive as their own. Through an unknown process, and an unknown amount of time, Extract may form under a Guardian's watchful eye.
Guardians are moderately tougher than Guards, but they are killed much less often, as their death will ruin the potency of the Extract. Guardians possess quills along their carapace, though tiny, with the force they hit intruders with, they're able to pierce clothes and armor to inject a lethal neurotoxin into enemies. The neurotoxin will paralyze anyone it hits within minutes if they are not immediately administered an antidote. They will drag paralyzed victims away to feed larva within their own nesting grounds.
Multiple Guardians are able to exist within a Hive, though they each will claim their own extremely large nesting grounds, which is why it is much more common for there to be only a single one, or at most two in a Hive. If multiple exist, they will remain exclusively to their own designated nesting grounds. Guardians are often aided by Guards when commanded to, as they both will regularly inhabit the inner Hives. Guardians will never leave the Hive unless in pursuit of those who have harvested extract from its own nesting grounds. If those who have harvested it do not wish to return and extract another one in the future, they would be able to kill the Guardian and the extract will remain potent as it has already been harvested.
Guardians are often referred to as "Ancient Guardians", this phrase mostly catches on from Vortigaunts referring to them as such. Vortigaunts will regularly raid Hives in order to harvest extract, usually being the same hive, as such Guardians are almost never killed by them, leading them on to live lives that can span hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Kings
Antlion Kings are the rarest caste of Antlion. They're extremely large, reaching colossal sizes, they only exist in the largest Hives. Kings on their own, are usually extremely tough. They are often accompanied by several Guards, a Guardian, and dozens, if not hundreds of other Antlions at their disposal. Their Pheromones are the highest authority of any Antlion, capable of subsuming entire other Hives in the area to join theirs if they exist. They often delegate the task of field commanding the hordes to the Guards and managing the Guards to the Guardians. In Hives where Kings exists, the Antlions become much more intelligent, opting to use strategies and planning at the discretion of Guards and Guardians.
Antlion Kings are seldom seen by humans, as any human that lays eyes on them is usually in an extremely dangerous position, and survival is extremely rare due to being in the heart of the Antlion Hive. They're akin to the Vortigaunt's Grand Elders, a few handfuls exist on Earth, and all of them are rumors, usually made by judging the size of the Hive. Only one King can exist per Hive, and due to their extremely rare status, they can almost never meet another King. If they were to meet another King, they would either fight each other, or their hives, until one of them or their entire Hive is wiped out, and the survivors subsumed into their own Hive.
Vortigaunts, when nurturing their own Hive, often upgrade to the next greatest Pheromone, when possible, in order to remain on top and in control, be it Guard or Guardian pheromones. When holding any of those pheromones, equal castes will see them as one of their own. The only exception is the King, his pheromones are unable to be harvested, and the appearance of a fully matured King in a Vortigaunt's Tribe means they will likely subsume them all under his control, effectively usurping the Vortigaunts previously in control. The only way to get it back is to practically wipe out the Hive to kill the King, or the much more common method of ensuring they never appear.
Kings, due to their large size, require many months of a Guardian molting into one. Whilst doing so, they are stationary, requiring workers and soldiers to regularly feed them during the process. Given it is a lengthy process, any diligent Vortigaunt Tribe may wipe one out before it appears in their own hive.
It should be noted, that due to the extreme weight and size of the Antlion King's, if they were to move quickly it'd cause a quake large enough to push away their smaller castes. This is possibly an evolutionary advantage, so they do not accidentally injure the lower castes. As a result of this, Kings have evolved eyes and decreased vibration sensitivity.
Addendum
While Antlion Hives collectively have the same castes, outside factors may influence the creation of new castes, or the specializations of existing ones. Leading to sub-castes often granting the Hive an advantage in whichever unique situations they may find themselves in that call for the creation of such a caste. The Hive underneath City-24 had experienced a similar situation. Sub-castes called the "Drone" and "Fireant" appeared in the Hives, though these are not exactly on purpose, as these are mutations caused by the Alsace Wound.
Section III: Hives (cont.)
Hive Stages
Hives are categorized professionally into multiple stages in order to track their growth. The CPRD uses a more standard classification system to generally designate Hive growths, while various underground resistance movements worldwide, often use local terminology that may or may not be more accurate.
Stage 1
The very beginnings of an Antlion Hive. Often a small collection of soldiers and workers.
- Noticeably less aggressive
- More reserved; opportunistic
- Cautious of potentially high casualties
- Soldiers & Workers
Stage 2
Slightly larger, more growth. Appearance of warriors and spitters begins.
- Begins to gain confidence
- Will take more risks
- Warriors & Spitters (rarely)
- Won't back down as easily
Stage 3
Warriors & Spitters begin being common. Growth spreads rapidly.
- More aggressive
- Not afraid of casualties
- Warriors & Spitters used
- Praetorians may or may not be present
Stage 4
Guard sighted, though are rare. Growth begins spreading into conflicted territory.
- Guard(s) present
- Not afraid to fight battles of attrition
- Begin using slightly complex strategies
Stage 5
Guardian sighted; Extract possibly confirmed. Exponential growth increase.
- Appearance of a Guardian
- Multiple Guards, regularly used in conflict
- Warriors & Spitters used strategically
- More intelligent, won't rush suicidally
Stage 6
Multiple Guardians, unstoppable growth. Horde able to hold and fight back Combine with ease.
- Multiple Guardians (?)
- Extract confirmed
- Multiple Hives combined into one
Stage 7
King confirmed.
The very beginnings of an Antlion Hive. Often a small collection of soldiers and workers.
- Noticeably less aggressive
- More reserved; opportunistic
- Cautious of potentially high casualties
- Soldiers & Workers
Stage 2
Slightly larger, more growth. Appearance of warriors and spitters begins.
- Begins to gain confidence
- Will take more risks
- Warriors & Spitters (rarely)
- Won't back down as easily
Stage 3
Warriors & Spitters begin being common. Growth spreads rapidly.
- More aggressive
- Not afraid of casualties
- Warriors & Spitters used
- Praetorians may or may not be present
Stage 4
Guard sighted, though are rare. Growth begins spreading into conflicted territory.
- Guard(s) present
- Not afraid to fight battles of attrition
- Begin using slightly complex strategies
Stage 5
Guardian sighted; Extract possibly confirmed. Exponential growth increase.
- Appearance of a Guardian
- Multiple Guards, regularly used in conflict
- Warriors & Spitters used strategically
- More intelligent, won't rush suicidally
Stage 6
Multiple Guardians, unstoppable growth. Horde able to hold and fight back Combine with ease.
- Multiple Guardians (?)
- Extract confirmed
- Multiple Hives combined into one
Stage 7
King confirmed.
Notable Hives
The Boreal Swarm
Residing in Greenland, this Hive is classified by the Combine as a Stage 6, possibly Stage 7 with the unconfirmed presence of a King. As far as the CPRD's classification of Antlion Hives go, this is the most developed Hive on Earth, taking up a large portion of Northern Greenland and rapidly spreading beneath the surface of the permafrost. As a result of their geographic location, their colors usually range from a light blue to white in order to camouflage into the environment.
The Boreal Swarm's actual territory resides mostly underground, in a series of highly developed tunnels. Mostly large chasms with branching tunnels connecting each other, with thousands of workers and tens of thousands of other castes, or more. They prefer building deep under the permafrost, in the rock and frozen Earth beneath. Though while hunting, they can proficiently and rapidly dig through the layers of snow in order to ambush prey.
The Boreal Swarm does not have much prey in close proximity to their largest nests, though they regularly leave the Hive itself in large parties consisting of hundreds of Antlions, venturing up to 600 miles away from the Hive itself in order to find large groups of prey and return it to the Hive. Most of the food for the Boreal Swarm comes in the form of washed up, dead, sea life, the occasional xen wildlife present, and any humans close to where they venture out.
One key adaptation they have to survive the scarcity of food is a slowed metabolism, and the ability for Antlions of this Hive to enter a hibernation if close to starvation. When in Hibernation, they can survive for months without feeding, and will awake when presented with any amount of food. If needed, though, other Antlions may choose to cannibalize another Antlion in hibernation to feed larva or other Antlions.
The Scorched Hive
In the Eastern Sahara, the Scorched Hive covers a great expanse of the barely habitable desert. Forming a series of shallow tunnels underneath the Surface. Out of all the Hives on Earth, by sheer size the Scorched Hive covers the most area, though, are only considered to be Stage 5, as they have a single Guardian in their Hive. The Scorched Hive possesses a unique sandy yellow color, and a bright red color most commonly on their castes as camouflage.
The Hive thrives in the desert, despite the lack of prey. The soft substrate underneath the sand allows them to make long tunnel systems, though smaller than a typical Antlion Hive, they can be made rapidly. Allowing Antlions in this Hive to effectively burrow through the Sand and hunt prey while avoiding the burning sun. This Hive has been known to utilize intelligent strategies to attack large groups of humans and combine that travel through or around their territory, carving out pits underneath the sand to trap those who walk over them, similar to Sand Barnacles.
While the Saharan desert is usually devoid of prey in the form of humans, there are plenty of other invasive Xen wildlife that inhabit it alongside the Scorched Hive. Sand Barnacles provide an easy source of food for the Hive due to their inability to flee. Bullsquids, Houndeye packs, and other Xen wildlife compete above ground and below ground against the Antlions, though usually are little match once multiple arrive. Food is scarce for the Hive, leading them to take any and all chances to secure prey, they're one of the most aggressive Hives on Earth.
The Alsace Horde
Despite being a relatively small Hive in comparison to the other two notable ones, the Alsace Horde is infamous for being directed straight to City-24, and completely overrunning the eastern side of the city. The Alsace Horde is considered a Stage 4 by the CPRD, but their numbers have been rapidly shrinking as a result of synthetic intervention on the surface. The huge hordes that once ruled the surface and underground of the eastern city, have now been reduced to stragglers remaining underground, biding their time until the synthetics leave.
The Alsace Horde is unique in the fact they have undergone multiple unpredicted and accidental mutations as a result of their proximity to the Alsace Wound. The Alsace Wound's effects on the Hive have led to the accidental creation of multiple sub-castes of the Soldier, though very few have become officially bred into the Hive's roster of castes.
The two most prominent sub-castes are the "Drone" and the "Fireant". The Drone is a Soldier with a darkened carapace, and distorted patterns along their bodies. Their armor is heavier, allowing them to be tougher than a typical soldier while maintaining the same level of mobility, though their teeth and front legs are not as sharp as regular soldiers, almost blunt. Despite this, they are still formidable in combat. Often being on the frontlines alongside the rest of the Soldiers due to their ability to shrug off more hits.
The Fireant is extremely special, and rare within the Alsace Horde. The Fireant is instantly told apart from the rest of the soldiers due to its smaller size and bright red coloration. The Fireant's teeth and claws are lined with a venom akin to that of the Bullet or Fire ants humans are used to. Every attack inflicts incredible pain onto their targets, weakening them much quicker and allowing the Fireant to quickly overpower prey despite its smaller size.
The Alsace Horde calls the City-24 underground systems their homes, infesting a large amount of the sewer systems. Many nests have been set up, and workers have been sighted commonly when intruding. As Synths have been deployed on the surface to combat the horde, they've been forced almost exclusively underground, and as such, have become adept at burrowing through the hardened concrete that makes up City streets and infrastructure. Often lying in wait just beneath the surface in groups before ambushing prey nearby.
The Toulouse Pocket
One of the oldest remaining Hives still in existence on Earth, the Toulouse Pocket comprises of two Hives, joined into one. Together, they were responsible for sealing the fate of the city of Toulouse. The Antlions dug so many tunnels underneath and surrounding the city, whole blocks and buildings collapses, making the terrain in and around Toulouse extremely treacherous.
The Toulouse Pocket has enjoyed a relative isolation after the city fell, as the Combine gave up their efforts of reclaiming it after taking note of the state it was in. Though one of the Hives that made up the pocket had been wiped out during street battles with the Combine's synthetics. Though, most of their losses back then have been made up since. The Hive possesses Extract and can spawn new Antlions at an alarmingly fast rate.
When two separate Hives meet, they will not attack one another, but they are not guaranteed to join together either. Most of the time, the Hives would scuttle the meeting tunnels and expand in other directions, but if two Hives meet near a location with abundant prey, they may combine. When two Hives start combining, Guards will exchange pheromones with one another, and begin spreading it to the rest of their Hives. The assimilation process may take a few days, to a few weeks depending on the size of the Hive.
Residing in Greenland, this Hive is classified by the Combine as a Stage 6, possibly Stage 7 with the unconfirmed presence of a King. As far as the CPRD's classification of Antlion Hives go, this is the most developed Hive on Earth, taking up a large portion of Northern Greenland and rapidly spreading beneath the surface of the permafrost. As a result of their geographic location, their colors usually range from a light blue to white in order to camouflage into the environment.
The Boreal Swarm's actual territory resides mostly underground, in a series of highly developed tunnels. Mostly large chasms with branching tunnels connecting each other, with thousands of workers and tens of thousands of other castes, or more. They prefer building deep under the permafrost, in the rock and frozen Earth beneath. Though while hunting, they can proficiently and rapidly dig through the layers of snow in order to ambush prey.
The Boreal Swarm does not have much prey in close proximity to their largest nests, though they regularly leave the Hive itself in large parties consisting of hundreds of Antlions, venturing up to 600 miles away from the Hive itself in order to find large groups of prey and return it to the Hive. Most of the food for the Boreal Swarm comes in the form of washed up, dead, sea life, the occasional xen wildlife present, and any humans close to where they venture out.
One key adaptation they have to survive the scarcity of food is a slowed metabolism, and the ability for Antlions of this Hive to enter a hibernation if close to starvation. When in Hibernation, they can survive for months without feeding, and will awake when presented with any amount of food. If needed, though, other Antlions may choose to cannibalize another Antlion in hibernation to feed larva or other Antlions.
The Scorched Hive
In the Eastern Sahara, the Scorched Hive covers a great expanse of the barely habitable desert. Forming a series of shallow tunnels underneath the Surface. Out of all the Hives on Earth, by sheer size the Scorched Hive covers the most area, though, are only considered to be Stage 5, as they have a single Guardian in their Hive. The Scorched Hive possesses a unique sandy yellow color, and a bright red color most commonly on their castes as camouflage.
The Hive thrives in the desert, despite the lack of prey. The soft substrate underneath the sand allows them to make long tunnel systems, though smaller than a typical Antlion Hive, they can be made rapidly. Allowing Antlions in this Hive to effectively burrow through the Sand and hunt prey while avoiding the burning sun. This Hive has been known to utilize intelligent strategies to attack large groups of humans and combine that travel through or around their territory, carving out pits underneath the sand to trap those who walk over them, similar to Sand Barnacles.
While the Saharan desert is usually devoid of prey in the form of humans, there are plenty of other invasive Xen wildlife that inhabit it alongside the Scorched Hive. Sand Barnacles provide an easy source of food for the Hive due to their inability to flee. Bullsquids, Houndeye packs, and other Xen wildlife compete above ground and below ground against the Antlions, though usually are little match once multiple arrive. Food is scarce for the Hive, leading them to take any and all chances to secure prey, they're one of the most aggressive Hives on Earth.
The Alsace Horde
Despite being a relatively small Hive in comparison to the other two notable ones, the Alsace Horde is infamous for being directed straight to City-24, and completely overrunning the eastern side of the city. The Alsace Horde is considered a Stage 4 by the CPRD, but their numbers have been rapidly shrinking as a result of synthetic intervention on the surface. The huge hordes that once ruled the surface and underground of the eastern city, have now been reduced to stragglers remaining underground, biding their time until the synthetics leave.
The Alsace Horde is unique in the fact they have undergone multiple unpredicted and accidental mutations as a result of their proximity to the Alsace Wound. The Alsace Wound's effects on the Hive have led to the accidental creation of multiple sub-castes of the Soldier, though very few have become officially bred into the Hive's roster of castes.
The two most prominent sub-castes are the "Drone" and the "Fireant". The Drone is a Soldier with a darkened carapace, and distorted patterns along their bodies. Their armor is heavier, allowing them to be tougher than a typical soldier while maintaining the same level of mobility, though their teeth and front legs are not as sharp as regular soldiers, almost blunt. Despite this, they are still formidable in combat. Often being on the frontlines alongside the rest of the Soldiers due to their ability to shrug off more hits.
The Fireant is extremely special, and rare within the Alsace Horde. The Fireant is instantly told apart from the rest of the soldiers due to its smaller size and bright red coloration. The Fireant's teeth and claws are lined with a venom akin to that of the Bullet or Fire ants humans are used to. Every attack inflicts incredible pain onto their targets, weakening them much quicker and allowing the Fireant to quickly overpower prey despite its smaller size.
The Alsace Horde calls the City-24 underground systems their homes, infesting a large amount of the sewer systems. Many nests have been set up, and workers have been sighted commonly when intruding. As Synths have been deployed on the surface to combat the horde, they've been forced almost exclusively underground, and as such, have become adept at burrowing through the hardened concrete that makes up City streets and infrastructure. Often lying in wait just beneath the surface in groups before ambushing prey nearby.
The Toulouse Pocket
One of the oldest remaining Hives still in existence on Earth, the Toulouse Pocket comprises of two Hives, joined into one. Together, they were responsible for sealing the fate of the city of Toulouse. The Antlions dug so many tunnels underneath and surrounding the city, whole blocks and buildings collapses, making the terrain in and around Toulouse extremely treacherous.
The Toulouse Pocket has enjoyed a relative isolation after the city fell, as the Combine gave up their efforts of reclaiming it after taking note of the state it was in. Though one of the Hives that made up the pocket had been wiped out during street battles with the Combine's synthetics. Though, most of their losses back then have been made up since. The Hive possesses Extract and can spawn new Antlions at an alarmingly fast rate.
When two separate Hives meet, they will not attack one another, but they are not guaranteed to join together either. Most of the time, the Hives would scuttle the meeting tunnels and expand in other directions, but if two Hives meet near a location with abundant prey, they may combine. When two Hives start combining, Guards will exchange pheromones with one another, and begin spreading it to the rest of their Hives. The assimilation process may take a few days, to a few weeks depending on the size of the Hive.
The Larval Extract
The Extract is an extremely powerful substance to the vortigaunts, allowing them to transcend even time and space for a period of time. Submersing them completely within the vortessence. While it is unknown if the Extract, or even the Guardians, are connected to the vortessence in any way to make this possible, it is just as valuable to Antlions as it is to the vortigaunts.
An Antlion Hive starts from the bottom up, a few soldiers and workers will split off from a pre-existing Hive and settle elsewhere. Ranging from a few miles away to a few hundred, depending on where they have the most luck with prey, food, and available territory. Workers are able to produce eggs through unknown factors. This process is slow, and tedious, and inefficient for the Hive to grow rapidly. Hives at this stage are usually incredibly resourceful as every casualty matters to them.
The Extract allows workers to rapidly accelerate this process, utilizing essence from the Extract to "fertilize" eggs. Allowing biomass to be turned into a growing larva in days, as compared to weeks of constant tending without the Extract. For the Extract to be formed in the first place, a Guardian must be present. Guardians are able to secrete pheromones that influence Larva essence, what is normally used by the Combine or others as an improvised healing agent, is turned into a powerful substance capable of making life.
Once a Guardian has formed Extract, it may also additionally use it in order to facilitate the molting process of Antlions into Guards, or even other Guardians and Kings. Though Extract is not infinite, as it is used by workers and the Guardian it was formed by, it loses its power. Every month, the Extract will usually run out of essence, and a new one must be formed.
Section IV: History of Antlions on Earth
Portal Storms
During the 3 years of portal storms that shook Earth, Antlions were among the many species to take advantage of the situation. Antlions moved into Earth at a rapid pace, often major contingents of a Hive would invade and begin making their own Hive. Antlion Hives grew rapidly, unchecked, plaguing human populations as a major threat, as they are among the toughest invasive species from Xen. Antlion Hives of varying sizes began to appear around Earth, and humans often fled where Antlions were known to be. Many humans lacked the proper firepower and training to effectively hold their own against the hordes, displacing a great amount of people and Xen creatures.
Combine Occupation (2004-2015)
Recent History (2016-2019)
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