[✓] [Creature Lore] - Cave Bees

[ArgentEra 459]

 

 

The Kirkja’grazdharok

- Cave Bees -

 

“The dwarven beekeeper set the crate of bottles onto the ground, attaching the pulley’s hook to its handle as the soft drone of the hive far above began.
“Aye, oi hear ye’.” he replied, voice gruff, “Keep actin’ loike tha’ and ye will nae get yer snack.” 

He climbed the ladder to the upper cleft of the cavern, hoisting himself onto the stony outcropping. Once sure of his footing, he hauled the bottles up, hoisting the crate onto his shoulder.

The air hummed with tension as the Kirkja’grazdharok became more aware of his presence, their dark grey bodies dipping in and out of the dripstone that surrounded their hive.

“Easy now, lasses,” he muttered, reaching into his pockets. After a moment, he pulled forth this promised ‘snack’, a piece of pungently scented mushroom from the lower caverns, placing it upon a nearby slab of stone. 

One scout landed upon the offering, antenna twitching as they inspected the object. It must have approved, for within moments, a dozen more alighted upon the slab, tearing pieces off with their mandibles.

Payment accepted. For today.

The dwarf seized his chance, calloused hands swapping the empty bottles from his crate for the full ones he had placed days before upon the lower, stalagmite-like chamber. The amber honey spilled lazily over the glasses, smelling faintly of damp earth.

Only when the last bottle was replaced did he dare take a breath. His prize secured, he backed carefully away and headed back toward home.”

 

—A Bee Tender’s Journal

 

Just as some species of birds have learned to nest upon cliff faces to defend their nests, so too have a particular species of insect. Cave Bees — known as “Kirkja’grazdharok”  in the Dwarven tongue — nest within dimly lit caverns where mushrooms thrive, using rocky overhangs as natural shields against wind and rain.

First documented in the southeastern mountain ranges of Azuras, these bees share the territorial nature of the dwarves who discovered them, defending their hives fiercely from bats and other animal life within the caverns.

According to many a dwarven brewer, these bees are seen as a blessing, having been found shortly after descendantkind arrived upon Azuras’ shores, their honey providing an easy source of nutrition for those brave enough to harvest from their hives. 

 

Creature Summary

 

The Hive

 

The Cave Bee diet primarily consists of the spores of giant mushrooms and other local cave flora. In rare cases, they may consume carrion if their preferred diet cannot be met, or should the hive take down a threat to their territory.
The bees sculpt their hives of soft stone, forming the stalactite-like structures they dwell within, blending the edges into the natural rockwork, their honey pooling as the water naturally would. 

The pooling honey forms a secondary companion hive far below, whose resident bees are often seen to be inebriated on their own bounty, which has fermented in the dark and damp conditions. 

It has been documented that the hive in the upper Urguan caverns does not often feel threatened by passerby underneath — likely due to their hive’s distance from the ground and to having grown used to the presence of the mountain-dwelling folk. Comparatively, hives that dwell closer to the ground are known to attempt to chase away visitors, with inch-long stingers readied for the attack.

It appears that while it is difficult to earn a hive’s trust, it is not impossible. Given their territorial nature, should an individual be gone for an extended period of time, they may find that they must earn this trust all over again — often in the form of food offerings.

 

Apiaries [“Taming”]

 

Hive tenders have found that while it is not impossible to get a hive to relocate, it can be extremely troublesome to convince them to move to a spot that the tender wishes them to.

Artificial apiaries need to be large enough to support the building tendencies of the hive, and it has been theorized that old mine shafts would work quite well, especially in the more vertical spaces. This being stated, the dwarves who theorized this were hesitant to try to move a hive to one of these abandoned shafts on Urguan lands. 

Once a suitable location has been selected, a hive may be coaxed to move to the new location through large offerings of food at the location in question, making the spot appear to be ideal for the hive to live. 

This gradual move takes approximately one (IRP) year to fully perform before the prior hive location is abandoned.

During this time, the colony will be in an increased state of wariness. 

 

The Bees

 

Cave bees are distinctly darker in tone than their bumbling counterparts and far larger, more akin to the size of a small rabbit than to that of a proper insect. 

Their bodies, often dark browns and greys, allow them to camouflage in the dark spaces they call home. 

Individual hives often have a specific tone to their bodies, warmer or cooler, depending on how deep within the cavern they live and how much natural light they are exposed to. The ones furthest inside boast dark grey, nearly black bodies with grey dappling. 

To harvest the spores more readily, cavern bees have developed a long drape of fuzz on their abdomen, affectionately referred to by their dwarven keepers as “Beeards”. These drapes, if not properly maintained, can become clogged with spores, especially as the hive explores new food sources. Because of this, beekeepers have developed special combs that can be used to remove clumps of spores from their wiry coat.

 

Angering the Hive

When angered, a deep, droning tone, referred to as “singing”, can be heard from the entire hive, resonating off the cavern walls. This serves primarily as an intimidation tactic, created by the rapid vibration of their wings.

If the hive’s “song” does not frighten off a potential threat, the drones of the hive are known to swarm and cling to the bodies of the perceived foe, using their combined body heat and stingers to take down opponents far larger than themselves. 

When stung, the affected will note the immediate pain of the sting, as well as localized swelling and redness, which is known to linger for several (IRP) days as the venom wears off, as well as a low fever as the body fends off the venom’s effects. While a single sting is not typically fatal (save in circumstances of allergy), being stung multiple times in a short period may cause more drastic depictions of these symptoms.

 

About the Honey

 

Hives have been noted to have had individual preferences with regards to food choice, and while mushrooms form the majority of their diets, glowberries and even carrion are not unheard of. The qualities of the honey produced by the hive will vary depending on what the hive has fed upon during its production, and keepers of these hives take great pride in knowing exactly what their colonies prefer simply by looking at their bounty.

Honey harvested from these bees has been found to contain limestone, and upon harvesting, it is in the early stages of fermentation. The flavors often reflect the exact species of mushroom, flower, or fruit that the hive has chosen as its favorite spot, and can be an important indicator of the well-being of the cavern’s flora. 

 

Mushroom-Fed

For colonies feeding solely upon mushrooms and their spores, their honey oft’ reflects an almost earthy flavor. Honey of this sort is the most common to be harvested by hive tenders, and is a popular ingredient in brewing due to being semi-fermented already. 

It was these mushroom-fed colonies that were first discovered to produce hardened, crystallized honey shards from their uneaten bounty, left to pool and harden over time. These shards are especially sought-after, as they are believed to provide nutrients that are essential for dwarvish health, and are far more edible than alternatives, which often involve eating actual stone.

 

Glowberry-Fed

A small hive of bees being raised in nearby shallow caverns was found to produce a honey that glows ever so faintly, thanks to the properties of the glowberries they feast upon. While less commonly harvested, due to the requirement of an ample foodsource near the hive, the honey is described as having a distinct tartness.

Through study, brewers found that the luminous honey, when exposed to light or heat, will lose the distinct glow, though the flavor is unaffected.

Honey shards harvested from the glowberry-fed hives glow faintly, and will retain the glow as long as it is not exposed to direct light or heat. 

 

Carrion-Fed

Honey harvested from hives that frequently feed upon carrion takes on a deep oranged-amber hue. The flavor is described as salty, smokey, or even tangy, dependent on the individual harvest. 

While honey shards can be produced from carrion-fed hives, they are not often to individuals’ taste, as the solidification only heightened the pungent flavor profile of the honey itself. 

There are some that claim carrion-fed honey to be the superior form due to the added nutrients from the hive’s prey, but convincing the public to push past the distinct flavor has proven difficult.

 

—Beyond affecting the flavor and exact mineral content, products made of cave bee honey offer no mechanical effects. 

 

REDLINES:

—The Cave Bees may be utilized by both players and ET.

—A hive may only produce luminous honey if glowberries are present in its environment.

—Hives can never be properly “tamed” but may be appeased in the form of food offerings over time (not dissimilar to normal bees). See apiaries for more information.

—If a colony feels its territory is threatened repeatedly, the hive may decide to move to a new location, leaving its former hive abandoned. 

—Cave bee venom cannot be harvested. 

—Items harvested from hives are wholly aesthetic and player-signed.

 

Purpose (OOC)

 

This project was a combined effort of various members of the community, with the earliest full drafts being pieced together during the time of Aevos’ end map events. Given the ongoing trend of utilizing large mushrooms in not only dwarven cavern builds, but also ST event zones, we wished to introduce a piece of fauna that serves as pollinator for these flora species that also utilizes them as a food source.

 

Food sources other than large mushrooms were initially included in order to add more variety, but as rewrites were performed it was determined that a pollinator species within the caverns would likely utilize any food source they had access too, and thus, glowberries and even carrion were added to their diet.

 

Large bug/insectoid species are not unheard of in LOTC lore, especially within the cavern systems of the world. Some examples include the Tarraskan Beetles, Lurkers and Prismatic Spiders, many of which serve primarily as predator species, with carnivorous diets, and unique hunting mechanics.

Introducing a species that serves as a pollinator for these ecosystems would allow an in-world reason for how cavern system fauna spreads from one area to the next, should caverns not have a clear connection point, as well as provide a species that could be used as a food source for these larger insectoids if the two groups co-habitate a space. 

On a player-side, these colonies provide a fairly straightforward species that could be placed within abandoned mines, caves, or even rocky overhangs for player events.

 

 

Spoiler

Thanks to the following members of the community for their assistance in developing this beast lore. It has been a long while, and we would not have been able to get this finished without you all:
AdamantFlames - Co-Author, Research

ArgentEra - Co-Author, Editor

Astrophysical - Proof reader, Critique

Wulfric_Borr - Concept development

 

[salamanderfantasy 1340]

 

[UniBearse 922]

[Jamwill 211]

This is peak

[AdamantFlames 81]

upvote, or the bees will cook you.

[Turbo_Dog 3581]

The plague!!!!!!!!!

[Pallodium 3779]

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