The Hive is a secretive group of mutants and abhumans whose true reach is unknown. Their main force is located within the Beyond, but there have been reports of their number beginning to appear within the Steadfast.
The Hive desire to create superior life forms through mutation and evolution, to them weakness is worse than death. To this end they work towards spreading mutation. Whether this be through peaceful means (creating communities in locations where mutation is common) or confrontational (releasing powerful mutagenic numenera in major populations), their end game is the same.
The weak shall perish and the strong will rise from their bones. We shall make this world better.Natasha Ruvala, a Mouth of The Hive
The true mystery of The Hive is its leader: The Mind of The Hive. It speaks to all of the members through their minds, but none have ever seen the body associated with this voice. Some say it exists solely within the datasphere, others say it is hidden deep within The Clock of Kala, and a small few speak of a crashed vessel of some kind that brought it to this world from elsewhere. Regardless of it’s physical location, its effects can be seen far and wide.
Typical Hive Cell
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a typical Hive cell, they can range from small groups to numbers nearing a major army. There are however very clear types of members of the hive.
- Body
- Grunt Caste. These are the lowest level members of The Hive. These are new members whose mutations are either still changing them or too weak for them to preform other roles.
- Claw
- Warrior Caste. These are the most commonly seen members of The Hive, members whose mutations make them skilled combatants.
- Eye
- Explorer Caste. These are members whose mutations allow them to observe better and farther, they are scouts and explorers.
- Ear
- Infiltrator Caste. These are members whose mutations are not obvious, or can be easily concealed. They are most often found in White Flame cities, observing their actions and determining the level of threat they represent.
- Hand
- Agent Caste. Each hand is unique, some are powerful combatants, others are stealthy, etc. etc. The only unifying feature is that unlike other Hive members they work alone.
- Mouth
- Controller Caste. Mouths are members whose mutation makes them brilliant tacticians, diplomats, or leaders. Despite The Hive’s ability to speak to each individual member of The Hive, it prefers to speak to a select few leaders, who then disperse the orders to its various members.
- Tentacle
- Weaver Caste. Tentacles are those whose mutation allows them to manipulate others genetics, either providing them with new abilities or enhancing their natural ones, sometimes just mixing it all up and seeing what happens. Tentacles are never seen in public, their ability to help others join The Hive is too valuable.
You can find out more about the various castes in their own separate Encounters entry, linked above.
Important Members
Although its true leader is The Mind, the leader that has been seen most often is Natasha Ruvala (Level 5), a Mouth of The Hive. She has been traveling throughout the Beyond, trying to gather as many mutants and intelligent abhumans as possible to lead to some sort of safe land. Her only Hive companion on these travels is her bodyguard, who is only known by his massive Purple Claw (Level 7).
There is also Dominic Bramble (Level 4), a Claw of The Hive who is upset with its leadership structure and has reportedly split off to create his own mutant group.
Member Benefits
It is difficult for those who are not born naturally connected to The Hive to become members, however if you do manage to join you will be rewarded with a visit from a Tentacle who will provide you with a new Mutation (You may choose between which group you want: Beneficial, Powerful, or Distinct but you may not choose what exact mutation you get; you still have to roll for that.)