Ixtachi, the bug race, are the only common race in Ralsenna that has managed to avoid intermingling to any significant degree with humans. Ixtachi are a highly communal race that value loyalty, teamwork, and intuition, and are known for their coolly unemotional demeanor and relentless expansionism.

Personality: Individual ixtachi are much more firm in their convictions than the other common races, and their general mind frame is drawn from the hive they were born in. This is not to say that all ixtachi think alike, though, as different hives and queen lineages espouse vastly different ideologies, but usually most ixtachi from a single hive have similar personalities.

Physical Description: Ixtachi have bodies separated into three segments: A wide, flat abdomen with bioluminescent glands on either flank, a long thorax, and a finally a head with compound eyes and mandibles. A three pairs of appendages extend from the thorax, the two rear pairs used for walking, and the front pair used for fine manipulation, having four finger-like extensions at their tips. A set of wings also extends from the thorax. The coloration of an ixtachi’s chitin varies greatly between different queen lineages, and slightly between hives of the same lineage, though most are mainly black or brown. Ixtachi stand only about 3 feet tall and can weigh as little as 30 pounds.

Alignment: Ixtachi are almost universally lawful, since their society demands strict adherence to many unspoken rules and protocols. Ixtachi do not tend toward either good or evil, and their society does not discourage either, simply finding uses for a particular ixtachi that best fits its disposition; for example, evil ixtachi are usually used as soldiers or assassins.

Religion: The closest thing to a god or religion the ixtachi have is their respect for Great Old Mother Queen. Great Old Mother Queen is the mythic first ixtachi queen. She represents all the queen lineages of the ixtachi and she lives on in the continued existence of the current ixtachi queens. Ixtachi philosophers see their race’s devotion to the queen lineages as much different than the other race’s worship of gods and spirits, though the distinction is lost on some.

Language: The vast majority of ixtachi have no real reason to speak out loud, using their complex, instinctual language of pheromones to speak to each other. Though decades of trial and error, however, some of their number have learned to force the clicks, burps, and hisses possible with their physiology into a pattern that can be learned by other intelligent races, called Ixtachi Trade Language. Ixtachi who venture from their hives usually find someone who can understand Ixtachi Trade Language and work to establish a close bond with this person so that they are willing to translate to others for the ixtachi.

Names: Just as with all ixtachi words, their names are unpronounceable, although they can sometimes be translated to Common. Only important ixtachi ever receive names, although having a name is not in itself a sign of authority or importance in ixtachi society.

Translated Names: Dark-shadow-on-full-moon, Drab-wings, Mud-suckle, Sufferer-of-bending-horizons, Wasp-on-leaf.

Adventurers: Although the most strongly communal of the common races, the ixtachi have their fair share of adventurers. Ixtachi hives are constantly gathering information about surrounding lands and looking for optimal locations for new hives, and they send any individual of sufficient skill out to pursue these goals. It is an extreme rarity to find a male ixtachi outside a hive, and it is not a stretch to say that all ixtachi adventurers are female.

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, –2 Constitution: The ixtachi’s small body is somewhat frail but they are quick and mentally resilient.
• Small: Ixtachi are Small creatures, and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
• Normal Speed: Ixtachi have a base speed of 30 feet. The ixtachi’s exoskeleton allows them to move quickly for their size.
• Fly Speed: Ixtachi have a fly speed of 30 feet. However, the ixtachi make ineffective aerial combatants, suffering a –4 penalty to attack rolls and AC while flying.
• Chitin: +1 natural bonus to armor class.
• Antennae: An ixtachi's antennae are highly sensitive sensory organs that allow it to pick up on subtle pheromone emissions. This grants the ixtachi a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks and allows it to communicate in an effectively telepathic manner with any ixtachi whose antennae touch its own.
• Quadruped: Ixtachi walk on four legs and thus gains several benefits. Their carrying capacity is equal to that of a Medium-sized creature, and they receive a +2 bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting overrun and trip attempts.
• Phosphorescent Glands: An ixtachi can cause several glands on its abdomen to shine like a torch. This ability can be activated or suppressed as a free action.
• Languages: Ixtachi begin play speaking Ixtachi Trade Language. Ixtachi with high Intelligence scores can choose any of the following: Common (understand only), Giant (understand only), and Undercommon (understand only).