Chrysalis

The origins of the mother tree are difficult to determine, even for us. Her children have been consulted on many occasions but not even the most talkative Grove Keeper was willing to spill even an iota of their parent's secret history. What we can say with certainty is that she was spawned somewhere between the third and fifth strata, most likely several hundred years after the Rending. As the interests of the Colony moved alongside her own, the tree and her people became something of an ally to the family, but even so there has always been a certain standoffishness to the mother tree that is not present in her children.

Despite the best attempts of the Diplomants, there has been little to no success in drawing closer to the tree herself, she seems content to exist in almost total isolation with only her children allowed anywhere near her actual body.

After she aided the Colony during the initial Legion War, more to spite her enemies than out of any genuine affection for ants, we have always been predisposed to her people and have had many favourable engagements with them over the years. The Eldest in particular seems fond of the Bruan'chii and famously makes a point of visiting every grove they come across, something the diplomatic wing of the Colony greatly dreads. The Eldest has caused many an incident with our enemies, and allies, with their casual 'visits', but curiously, never once with the Bruan'chii.

Despite the mystery that still surrounds their progenitor and matriarch, the folk of the mother tree continue to be a source of wealth and friendship to the Colony. We can only assume that this is in line with their parent's goals.

• Excerpt from 'Notes on Dealings with the Bruan'chii' by Historiant.

"Are you sure you aren't being lazy, Eldest?"

"Positive. I'm conserving my energy, storing it all up like water filling a tank. Nothing is being wasted here, I assure you."

"Stop slacking, Eldest!:"

I'm actually

"Slacking!"

doing rather than

"We are working!"

"Ah. That's true…"

they can be working with their mandibles and have their claws full of materials but none of that stops them communicating through scent! Despite objectively being very busy,

well, it's not really all that distracting in the end. With my plethora of mind constructs I'm perfectly capable of holding a dozen lines of thought all at once, so exchanging words with my siblings occupies merely a smidgeon of my vast mental capacity! It feels good

towards the Vestibule. With thousands of ants within the city and more working above, in the second stratum, and below scouring the plains, the organ is awash with energy, the collective Will of the Colony feeding into my being after being

often do, in fact it's something I usually avoid doing in a very deliberate way, but I can reach into the stream and take hold of a single drop, one specific sliver of thought, and experience that little wrapped up parcel of Will like a vignette. I've gotten much better at doing this lately, since I have been almost exclusively using this method to track Brilliant through the thoughts she unknowingly supplies me. Now that I have a little time on my mandibles, I've decided that it might be

and prodding away at the vast sums of energy pouring through me at any given moment. Guided by divine providence I reach within the flow with

but I suppose it's fine. It's the

there! I'm NOT slacking off! I'm testing some things over here! Alright?! Being the Eldest doesn't make

surprise at suddenly being yelled at, almost dropping the chunk of stone she had in her mandibles. As I settle down and relax once more, the surrounding ants all scratch their heads in confusion, turning to look at the poor soldier and then back to me. For her part, the soldier shrugs it off admirably and gets back to work, not thinking too deeply

I checked on her through

though. It was almost as if my siblings nearby reacted to me a moment before I'd jump up and start throwing pheromones at them. This isn't the first time either. The more attention I pay to the thoughts and feelings of the Colony, the more I start to realise that the Nave may have done more than simply amplify the energy I

almost as if the connection were leaking

The last thing we need is to have all of the ants struck by indecision, a lack of care to detail and