Soldier Beetles

Soldier beetles are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles that can be found all across Lorgaire. The best known species is a giant variety cultivated by the dwarves whose adults display a vibrant color pattern reminiscent of the cloaks of early Zlatos Chity, or soldiers of the Golden Shield, hence the common name. As an emergency response these giant Soldier beetles would be released into the groves and warren of tunnels of a dwarven colony if it were abandoned or fallen to invaders, both to manage the continued fungal growth and prevent easy occupation.   As the beetles are cultivated during peaceful times, flesh of the mature grubs is often harvested to be included in rations as a type of protein rich leather or jerky after a period of curing. The soft carapaces of newly emerged adults are harvested for a kind of leather that can be shaped when fresh, but will harden comparable to mild ceramics when properly treated. Such leather can be crafted into a wide variety of household goods, tools, and armor. Few adults are allowed to survive, and those that are will be carefully rationed to control their size. Some attempts have been made to harness the adults as mounts, but few successes are recorded.   Large numbers of early instar larvae are often used to remediate troubled groves suffering an infestation of undesirable forms of fungi. In such a protected environment the young larvae will gorge themselves, and with rich conditions they will grow rapidly and scour the groves or caverns available to them. In the soundly constructed passages of an abandoned dwarven colony the Soldier beetles will establish a colony of their own, but if systems maintained by the dwarves fail and the beetle colony starves or overcrowds the adults will begin burrowing to the surface.   When a hungry colony of Soldier beetles erupts the surfacing adults will seek out fodder to consume and to lay new clutches of eggs in. Settlements of other races near the former dwarven colony are likely to be attacked, while active dwarven settlements will most often be avoided as a result of the traces of Soldier Beetle pheromones emitted from the burrow. Free to pursue their own omnivorous diets the adults will strip fields, pastures, and villages of everything their mandibles can crush. Feral adults can grow to half a ton or more, and pose a formidable foe for anyone unable to pierce their armor. While they possess wings like many beetles, the giant Soldier beetle is fortunately incapable of flight, and are better climbers than sprinters.