Crystal Growth

Crystals grow on their own, scattered across the landscape. What they might turn into or how they’ll effect their surroundings is sometimes anyone’s guess. For the most part, they are seen as protective, lucky, and good omens.

Data storage

It didn’t take bug-kin society long to discover that some crystals store information. These crystals serve as repositories of knowledge, history, and even personal memories of extinct human society (and in rare cases even bug-kin memories might be stored away). Some hold helpful information, while others have broken down over time and seem nonsensical.

Players may come across ancient crystal archives that hold valuable information or encounter individuals who possess unique crystal-based abilities.

Epigenetic Memory Enhancement

Through a combination of crystal technology and gene modification, all bug-kin individuals possess enhanced cognitive abilities– part of what helped usher in their society. For most bug-kin, this simply means they can learn and function in society just like any human being would have in our time. For others, this provides access to innate skills and knowledge encoded in their genetic memory, granting them unique advantages in various situations. A hatchling could emerge with the ability to communicate and a large vocabulary, or bug-kin might suddenly unlock new potential based on environmental exposure or new experiences. Depending on the locale, some of society may accept these abilities as normal while other areas view bug-kin with varied abilities as blessed, lucky, or even freaks. Players can explore the mysteries of their character’s own epigenetic memory and uncover hidden abilities as they progress in the game.

This also means that every bug-kin has a crystal shard intertwined in their brain matter. If a bounty is out on an enemy bug-kin the reward may not be paid out unless a crystal is returned. Most settlements would consider it a major crime to have a bug-kin brain crystal in your possession.

Crystal Monoliths

Mysterious crystal monoliths rise from the ground in various locations across the game world. These enigmatic structures emit a subtle sonic frequency that affects the environment and wildlife nearby. They often serve as waypoints and landmarks, largely because they drive away most natural predators, almost like they were designed to do so.

Crystal Power Sources

Although bug-kin society is still in its equivalent of an iron age, ancient technology is occasionally discovered. Historians, inventors, and governments all seek to utilize what seems like magic to them. Working devices react to rarer, energetically-charged crystals.