Minecrawler Warrior

Minecrawlers are a type of giant insects that live, predominantly, underground, but they can, rarely, be spotted in very dark forests or just outside caves. They have 6 legs, tough exoskeleton, strong mandibles which can eat through rock given enough time and multiply quickly if left unchecked. Their hives consists primarily of workers who care for the young, carry material and expand to neighboring tunnel and cave systems, sometimes even digging entire caves themselves but they generally prefer to use what is available first. 

The warriors are defenders of the tunnel network around the hive and are very aggressive. They have very small eyes which are sensitive to light and generally avoid it and use pheromones and ultra sound to navigate the world. Their chitin is very dark, almost entirely black with brown sections.

Their average lifespan is around 8 years and grow rapidly during its first year, reaching full size near the beginning of the 2nd year. This is mostly thanks to the royal jelly that the queen(s) produces. When the warriors fully mature and begin to venture further from the hive to take their position around the perimeter they will eat fungi or other available biological material, even members of other races (human, dwarf, goblin, orc etc.).

Minecrawlers build impressive hives proportionate to the number of members of the colony. The colonies are generally very deep underground, so they don't present danger for those walking or building above them. However, if the hive reaches critical mass, it will expand so rapidly, that they will threaten those living above it. When that happens, a number of tunnel openings burst on the surface with a sea of chitin flowing in all directions eating and attacking everything it can. This feeding frenzy paradoxically exhausts the Crawlers so much that almost the whole colony dies out within days. During this frenzy, however, the Minecrawlers are exceptionally aggressive and present a significant danger even to fortified cities whose defenses will be overwhelmed by, what seems to be, a never ending tide of mandibles and shiny carapaces. Once the frenzy ends, generally only one male and few females are left from the whole colony, at that point they leave the area, sometimes traveling for hundreds of miles to find a new set of tunnels and caves which to call their home and the whole cycle begins anew.

Their armor is exceptionally strong and their blood is a highly corrosive acidic compound with amazing properties. During their growth warriors partake in mock battles with the objective to draw blood but not permanently injure the other warrior. When this happens, the injured warrior crawls on a high ground and allows his blood to drip down. Other warriors bathe their carapaces in this drip which hardens and creates another shell around the warrior significantly improving his defensive capabilities. By the time the warriors become fully grown adults, their whole body is covered in this new armor and is thus ready to defend the hive. Those that don't achieve full coverage are usually discarded or banished by other Minecrawlers.

The blood of the warriors hardens when in contact with air in a few minutes, making it very hard to collect and use in alchemy. However, those that do accomplish this daredevil feat will be awarded handsomely. Many rare potions can be brewed from the ichor of Minecrawler warriors and is an extremely potent stabilizer for even the most volatile concoctions.

Warriors are generally found near the hive's perimeter but not always, they may be tasked with patrolling the newest tunnels by the queen or roam on their own if the number of warriors in the hive is high. Also, should a considerable number of cries from workers reach the ears of the queen, she can deploy an entire squad of these fearsome beasts to defend the breach or make a particularly bothersome expansion easier. At that point, only a fully equipped veteran company of professional soldiers stands any chance of stopping their onslaught.

Minecrawlers are not very common, but are a considerable threat to mining operations when they do appear. Generally what happens is when a new tunnel is discovered a number of disappearances can occur followed by an investigation that turns out nothing. As the number of casualties increase a patrol is sent into the new tunnels which, if perceptive enough, discover slimy trails that signify the presence of Minecrawlers. At that point, the best course of action is to notify the local authorities and either attempt to eradicate the hive or risk being attacked during the inevitable feeding frenzy that will occur in the future. It can be days or a year or decades before that happens, but it is almost a certainty, such is the life cycle of Minecrawlers.