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Maxsaeli — Nest files III: propagation
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Published: 2023-12-02 17:02:33 +0000 UTC; Views: 3208; Favourites: 37; Downloads: 1
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Description
Due to the nature of the world they inhabit, Nestlings’ society is fundamentally "splintered" – each individual "nest" exists in isolation, and interactions between them pretty much never occur (save for some extraordinary rare occasions).
Naturally, such isolation results in each population having its own unique culture, belief system, social structure and general mode of life – but upon observing many on them, one can notice a number of reoccurring patterns. Customs and practices that reappear throughout pretty much all nests in some fashion, being passed down from earlier, ancestral nests – and presumably stemming from whatever place in the Limen nestling race had originated in the first place.
Among this "core nest culture" are the ternary caste system, the division of society into worker and royal cohorts, concepts of history and currency and the belief in the ever-present "Will of the World". But some of the most notable core practices of nestlings are the traditions surrounding migration – a process without which none of the current nests would have existed in the first place!
The specifics can obviously differ, but the crux is always the same.
In the beginning of the nest’s life cycle, a certain royal cohort (or multiple such cohorts) would be designated as responsible for the process of migration – forming the so-called "migration council". For the first few decades of the nest’s existence, this council would simply observe and record the growth of the nest’s population, until finally making decision about the start of the migration event when conditions become suitable.
The process itself would occur in three phases:
- The first phase involves collecting future "pilgrims" from all around the nest. They have to come from as many distantly related parents as possible, they all have to be of the gyne caste (reproductively capable females), and for reasons that would be specified soon, they have to be of age immediately after pupation (2-3 years) or younger. The exact process of gathering can have multiple approaches: the most common and straightforward one is to take them while they are in cocoons or just recently emerged from them. However, in some nests, where rugged landscape makes transporting large quantities of full-sized children too inconvenient, councils may choose to gather them while they are still larvae or even eggs instead. Though easier in this regard, this strategy present its own problems (even with constant supply of royal jelly, only less than a half of larvae actually becomes gynes, so you end up with a whole bunch of spare infants you have to do something about), thus rendering it rather impractical for most cases. The average amount of individuals required is about 40 to 60.
- The second phase is the longest, as it takes raising gathered infants all the way to their sexual maturity, which takes approximately 12 years. The infants would be raised in relative isolation, overseen by maidens, and have some of the sternest upbringing of all nestling social classes. Specifics can vary from place to place – but generally speaking, the lifestyle they have to endure through is that of a "warrior monk": the one that prioritizes stoicism, endurance, patience, clarity of mind, as well as includes a whole lot of physical exercises! It is known that the labor done during childhood influences nestling’s physique as an adult – and austere training of the pilgrims causes them to develop sturdy and relatively stocky builds, shorter and less elegant than that of a regular nestling queen. Alongside physical training, they would also receive an exhaustive, multidisciplinary education about ins and outs of their native nest, as well as survival tips for their coming journey.
- The third phase starts when pilgrims go through their final molt, signifying the reaching of adulthood. Soon after that, an event of "mass wedding" would be held in the palace of the migration council. Preparations and formalities may vary between nests, but ultimately, this ceremony always concludes with what can be described as a mass orgy. Male participants would mainly include drone "princes" of the migration council itself – but oftentimes, drones from other royal groups are free to join the event. While the practice can certainly look obscene from the human perspective, it does serve a crucial purpose, as having intercourse with as many partners as possible enhances the genetic diversity of the pilgrim’s future offspring. Semen acquired during that ceremony would be stored in a special chamber of pilgrim’s reproductive system (spermatheca) for future use – a feature technically present in all nestling gynes, but rarely used in any other circumstances.
The loss of virginity over the course of the ceremony is what officially denotes pilgrim gynes as "queens" – and soon after, they would be separated into groups of around 10 to15 individuals, given tools, trinkets and scrolls with important knowledge, and sent into the outside layers of Liminal Plane, where they would have to navigate the chaotic and ever-search landscape in search of other "safe havens" to populate. As they find them (which can take from months to years), they would produce their offspring, about 50 each, and teach them the basics of establishing and maintaining a nest, thus becoming the "founding queens". In the process, they would also organize said offspring into groups, among which would be one or more migration councils – and thus, the cycle becomes complete!
Keep in mind, however, that all of this refers only to the migration between safe havens. Within a single haven, nestlings can move around and establish new settlements easily by purely conventional means, no pilgrimage needed.
On the very rare occasion, two pilgrim groups from different nests can meet. If this happens, they would usually unite and establish the new nest together – pretty much an only way of intercultural exchange that exists in their species!
The lifespan of an individual nest depends on how sustainable the haven it’s located in is. Some can sustain their respective nests for centuries, while other may only last for a few decades.
If the nest is in decline, regular nestlings typically won’t migrate into other havens themselves, preferring to go down with the ship. Instead, the royals would simply cease the reproduction and retire, allowing the population to slowly dwindle to zero. The final batch of pilgrims would typically be raised and sent into the outside world, while workers would continue their daily lives as usual. Various memorials would typically be erected in the lifetime of this last generation, commemorating the nest’s history and serving as message to anyone who would visit the nest’s ruins in the future.
Lastly, it should be noted that pilgrim queens aren’t the only kind of nestlings knows to exit their nests and traverse the wild Limen – but the other ones are much rarer and specific to particular nests. As such, they will be covered in other documents.
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