Qheuen

Qheuens have round crab-like bodies and are divided into 3 sub-species.

Physiology
A dome tops the center of a Qheuens' shell and has visual ribbon that wraps around it. This allows them to see in all directions except down past their armored shell, Qheuens have no front or preferred facing. Five legs placed equally around the edge of their shells serve multiple functions: Locomotion, moving heavy objects, vents in the legs are used for breathing and speech. An upset Qheuen may have trouble controlling their speech and cause an echo effect as each leg says the same words out of sync. A severely damaged leg is often cut off completely so it can grow back cleanly.

The mouth of a Qheuen is at the bottom of it's body and has very sensitive feelers around it. They are able to chew extremely ornate carvings, parts of the mouth are also used for mating. Qheuens start life in a larval form, and the transition to an adult is a violent process with a high casualty rate. This gives Qheuens a detached attitude toward their young that other races find cold.

Blue Qheuens
The blue variant is the smallest and requires its' shell to stay moist. They live in freshwater, building hive-like dams on rivers.

Red Qheuens
Reds prefer salt-water, and build their villages on beaches. They trap lobster-like sea creatures and use nets to catch schools of fish.

Imperial Grays
The grays are the largest variant feel most comfortable in underground caverns. Grays are also better at grasping abstract concepts and use new words as names, while the others choose names of existing words: such as Blade or Log-Biter. Qheuens are able to carry a fully grown human on their back with ease.

Qheuens have a compulsion to feel useful to the hive. In the past Grays have exploited this trait to enslave the other Qheuens.