Insero

Insero are insectoid Drakes. Insero, like smaller insects, have six legs. The upper two are long and barbed, allowing the insero to spear prey and to prevent it from escaping. These also allow the insero to manipulate objects somewhat, though they are not especially adept wth tools. The middle and back legs support the insero's long trunk and wide abdomen. Carapace plates on the top and bottom of their thoraxes conceal two pairs of long, lacy wings — like those of dragonflies. They also have a pair of round wings concealed beneath carapace on the top of their abdomens. While insero are perfectly capable of hunting large prey, they are not exclusively carnivores and have been observed harvesting leaves, fruit, and seeds.

On the ground, insero usually walk upright in an L-shape with abdomen behind the legs and most of the thorax nearly vertical, and in this state, they stand about seven feet tall. With their wings folded under protective carapace, insero are extremely resistant to heat and fire — a quality for which they have a fearful reputation among magocrats. They are not especially graceful on land, though their mottled brown coloration provides fair concealment from their enemies.

When flying, insero straighten their bodies to lengths of about twelve feet. They are agile fliers, capable of hovering in flight and changing facing without changing directions, though they can only travel contrary to their facing for very short distances befor turning. In flight, they easily out-pace a running man on flat ground, and they have been known to travel in the air for six hours without landing.

Insero live in cooperative colonies north of the Fens of Ruer. Little else is known about these Drakes, because no one has ever gotten close enough to an insero colony to observe their communal habits — a testament both to the scarceness of these colonies and to the fierceness with which the insero defend them. Insero colonies have been known to cooperate with kobold tribes in extreme situations. Kobolds are small enough for insero to carry on their backs while in flight, allowing the pair to bombard enemies from the air without fear of retaliation.

(Overview contributed by Nightfire Tradition)

Tactics

Insero have a reputation as merciless killers on par with damnens — one that is far more fearsome than the reality. They don't set traps like kobolds. They don't make weapons like goblins. They don't have nearly as good camouflage as ochres. They aren't nearly as intelligent or magic-resistant as damnens. They are not as well-adapted to an environment as are guer. Insero are actually relatively frail, for Drakes. Without the element of surprise or the support of kobold allies, a lone hunter is a fair match for a single insero.

This is not to say insero are harmless. They blend in well enough in wooded environments to avoid notice, and their barbed front legs are fully capable of impaling a Mar. They also have better vision in dim light than do Mar, and anyone encountering one by night is in for a tough fight. Insero have been known to survive forest fires, so thick and durable are their carapaces, and magical flames are no more effective against them. Spears and arrows seldom penetrate their hides, and I've never seen an insero die of a stab wound.

If you catch an insero on the ground, your first priority should be to eliminate its ability to attack. Hack off the barbed front legs, the supporting back legs, and the mandibles. Until you do, you will find it very difficult to find an opening to hack off its head, and insero have been known to attack blindly for a few seconds even after being decapitated. Once you've incapacitated it, beat it to death with whatever blunt instruments you can find or cut off its head or abdomen. I've heard mapmakers suggest that aiming for gaps in the carapace might also work, but I've never seen anyone try it who didn't quickly regret it. Insero do not walk quickly, but their spear arms are faster than many expect until it is too late.

Flying insero are more dangerous but also more vulnerable. Don't let one get close enough to stab you with its front legs. This is, of course, harder than it sounds. Running from a flying insero is futile. You're better off finding a place where it can only attack from one direction and readying yourself for a quick dodge followed by a swift counter-attack. Fortunately, an insero with its wings out has larger gaps in the carapace along its flanks, making prime targets for a spear or sword. Flying insero are likewise vulnerable to fire, and their wings are especially flammable. The wings also make good targets for anyone who wants to inflict a crippling blow before fleeing.

Groups of insero seldom gang up on a single human target. On the ground, they prefer not to fight without the element of surprise, so they seldom have a chance to flank enemies. In the air, they really can't fly less than ten feet apart without disrupting each other's flight. If many insero intend to attack the same target, they usually stage a series of fly-bys. Only one attacks at a time, but the target is never certain of the direction from which the next attack will come.

Insero are most dangerous when they ally themselves with kobolds. The kobold riders fire poisonous darts at targets below, while the insero remain out of reach of the weapons of those on the ground. The only defense against this tactic is a solid roof over your head. Even then, it is likely the kobolds are using the air assault to provide cover fire for their ground troops. An insero with a kobold rider cannot close its wing carapace, so it is even more vulnerable on the ground than a lone insero.

(Tactics contributed by Weard Girdag Langat)

Copyright 2005-2007 Eric Zawadzki and Matthew Schick. All Rights Reserved.
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