Silk Road: The Hive

The Hive

Centuries of travel on the Silcoon Road have drawn together a nomadic conglomerate of traders, all specializing in bug-related products. The Hive cannot be said to have a country of origin, as over time, traders from India, China, the Middle East and Europe all came together to collaborate, giving The Hive an intensely multicultural appearance for the time period.

However, these appearances veil a rigidly structured, highly homogenous society, insular in nature and approaching xenophobia at times. They are a pragmatic bunch though and remain true to their trading roots. By far the largest influence on The Hive's early formation were Eastern mystics and European pagans, drawn to bug-type pokemon by a strange affinity to their hivemind. As such, mysticism and ritual pervade The Hive, and the social structure within resembles those of social insects. In stark contrast to many other societies of the time, Hive social structure is largely matriarchal, mirroring the insects from which they take inspiration.

The Hive is self-sufficient for the most part, and it assimilates what external influences it finds useful. From birth, it is decided what a drone of The Hive will become. Guards, for example, are immersed in combat training from a young age, usually highly influenced by either Eastern or Western mysticism or by the assassins from the Middle East, trained in poisons and other subtle deadly techniques. Those who are destined to care for the large literal hive of insects kept within the caravans are raised from birth among the pokemon whom are their birthright and fated companions.

Within the largest caravan of The Hive rests an Inner Comb, traders, guards and leaders all bred to sit in the top positions of their respective professions in The Hive in the future, either in the main branch of the hive, or in splintered off branches. Their coming of age is signaled by a dual event - first they are sent out in the world, much like how a large beehive would send out a portion of its population with a new queen bee, to gain experience and knowledge that may be shared with The Hive upon their return. When the leaders of these splinter branches feel they are capable and worthy of being recognized as adults in The Hive, they return for one final test. Males of the Inner Comb perform the Rite of Arachnia, transforming a non-poison pokemon they have kept as companion from a young age into a poison type. Females perform the Dance of Entomos, transforming a non-bug pokemon into a bug type. Usually, this pokemon is one that they take with them when they first leave for a journey into the rest of the world.

Main products: Silk, poisons, bug chitin, honey. Larger caravans have a set of wagons or perhaps a single large wagon, that is a literal hive filled with living bug pokemon in various stages of life. Smaller ones may simply carry bug-related products, usually specializing in one of the above categories.

Typical class compositions:
Caravan Leaders: Empaths, Watchers and Mystics are the most common in leadership positions, as a deep relationship with pokemon is highly respected in The Hive and so future leaders are often raised to have such qualities.

Traders: Breeders are raised from birth among the pokemon they will one day be caretaker to, though Artificers, Scientists and other classes also play a role in manufacturing bug-based products.

Guards: Guards who do the fighting themselves tend to be MA/Mystic or some form of Ninja. Those specializing in weapons usually prefer more subtle use of poisons and other tools, rather than large waraxes or swords. Combat Psychics are relatively rare in comparison. Guards who fight primarily with Pokemon are, of course, Aces, with Tag Battler oddly prevalent due to the ease by which Hive drones communicate with multiple bug pokemon at once.

Finally, Bug/Poison Aces comprise the entirety of the inner circle of Hive society, though the Inner Comb tends to be the upper echelon of particular professions, rather than a profession unto itself. Thus, class composition among them tends to vary aside from having the appropriate Type Ace class.