Rassan’tep looked back at the still burning mountain, his eyes gleaming with interest. The warmth he could feel, even from this distance, was pleasant on his scales, and he didn’t mind indulging himself in a little basking every now and again. [Master, we should leave,] Ammon’sil urged him. [This place is not secure.] The Old One flicked his tongue to …

The mages have achieved a strange dichotomy that can largely be attributed to the identities of the Council members who came to lead them. The two not only differ in the magics that they choose to employ, but also the tactics. Where Propellant favours direct, forceful action, and the application of excessive force to achieve a goal, Coolant is more …

Dig, dig, dig, dig, DIG, DIG, DIG! The mountain shakes beneath us as a catastrophic BOOM rips through the nest and the temperature skyrockets again. The tunnel opening behind us glows brightly before the first hint of lava is seen. [Invidia! Block it off, quick!] Another BOOM shakes the stone around us as Invidia quickly weaves stone to protect us. …

We warred for survival. That was our driving motivation for so long that when we eventually reached the point that survival wasn’t threatened, we almost didn’t know how to act. We had established enough power, enough allies, that the forces who sought to exterminate us were unwilling to pay the cost, and thus secured our ongoing existence.  Some theorise that …

Big ‘ol chunk of mass, surrounded by many more, smaller chunks of mass. Huge amounts of toing and froing. It has to be the queen’s chamber. There’s no way the termites would allow egg production to cease, not even during a crisis. Especially during a crisis. How is a social insect supposed to overcome its challenges? With overwhelming numbers! I …

Down in the darkness we plunge. It’s strange. Normally this kind of environment would be so familiar, so welcoming to me, it’s a social insect nest after all, but it just… doesn’t. Instead, it feels alien, and twisted from everything it should be.  There are no comforting pheromones of my family spread across the walls and floor, no warm messages …

It is difficult to say how the Colony’s attitude to the pets raised by the eldest came to be what it is today. There was always a level of respect afforded to them, naturally; they were allies and assistants to the Eldest, and therefore allies to all of us. Some of the dignity and power of the most august ant, …

Overhead, the rock face of an entire mountain rushed down to meet them, the roar of tearing stone deafening to all in the mouth of the nest. Advant looked up, her mandibles set in grim determination. What happened next wasn’t up to her, but she would believe in her sisters. “Ignore the mountain!” she spread the message with confidence. “Drive …

Sloan watched the fighting from the backlines, though she desperately wished she could surge forward to battle alongside her siblings. As the general in charge of the field, she couldn’t afford to be so selfish, but with the hated nemesis of the Colony so close, it was hard to hold herself back. Her mandibles itched to crush the termite foe. …

“Eldest! What are you doing up here?” Leeroy complained. “Hah. Thought you had a nice final stand setup here, did you? You thought  you’d run far enough from the rest of the Colony that we wouldn’t be able to catch up and keep you alive? You should know better by now, Leeroy.” “But don’t you need to rush deeper into …