My name is Chahk-Ti'rak. At least, that is what it is now. ...I don't remember what it once was. I am the last of a tribe that adopted me as its retainer, but not too long ago, I used to be much, much different. I used to be human.

My story began not terribly long ago, during my days as a human missionary. One of my journeys took me through a desert pathway. It wasn't a common passage, but it was estimated to be safe enough. That was until a brutal sandstorm threatened me life and limb.

The storm was as sudden as it was fierce. The sheer abrasiveness of it threatened to destroy all of my possessions and rip the flesh from my very bones.

When all hope seemed lost, I found an outcropping of rocks leading to a cave. Seeing no alternative, I dove into that cave in order to save myself from further abuse. What I discovered inside... Well.

What appeared at a glance to be a mere hole in the ground showed itself to be anything but once I had the opportunity to take in my surroundings. This was no natural cave - it had been excavated!

Curiosity getting the better of me and seeing no end in sight to the catastrophe happening outside, I lit a torch and ventured further in.

What I found filled me with a deep sense of wonder. Along the near walls were sets of strange equipment and tools. Some for digging, but primarily the type of weapons tools typically found on wanderers. And yet, something was different about these. Although I could discern the function of a lot of it, I'd not seen anything of their like before.

As for the cave itself, it appeared to have been excavated with relative speed, but reinforced later on. It would appear that the reinforcement served a different purpose from the actual creation of the cave.

But what caught my eye the most and left me examining it in awe was a brightly glowing orb toward the back wall. Behind it was text which appeared to be scrawled in a messy, rushed form of Common. While it was clear that the writer wasn't a native speaker, it was easy enough to grasp what it was saying, even if the words themselves were mystifying.

"The wanderers became lost here. But perhaps our journey is not yet over. If our spirit lives on, perhaps we too will return."

A memorial? Impossible. I'd never seen anything of its like before. There was no religious symbolism. No decoration. Nothing to indicate this place as a matter of importance, or tradition.

I lamented that I couldn't know more about whoever left this cryptic writing. In my deity's name, I wished I knew more of its meaning. A strange, nomadic civilization, lost to time. Were they good? Were they evil? What did they believe? What would they think if I were here right now?

I had no answers, nor did my deity. I wanted to know more. I felt like I needed to. If their cause was a worthy one, it would be a travesty to let it go forgotten.

Unable to help myself, I touched the glowing orb. And in that exact moment, I felt my very essence floating in the ether. I felt surrounded by a bright light. From that light stepped a strange, insectoid creature. It regarded me, utterly emotionless (or so it seemed). It seemed to examine me studiously.

I couldn't move or speak, but I could listen. What I heard was a strange language that I'd never heard in my life. And yet I understood it perfectly. It was an odd assortment of strange buzzes and clicks. It made my head tingle.

"You want to know what we are." This was stated, not asked. "Only we ourselves can answer that question. And yet, we are all gone."
A tinge of lament to that emotionless, toneless sound. And then it as gone. "You wish to know if our cause is noble. Nobility is an alien concept to us. Many of your thoughts are. But it is a cause that you would find... valuable. Useful."

It seemed to be finding the right word to describe it. "...'Good.' Yes, that is it. You would find it 'good.' But... it is a cause that can only be accomplished by us."

The insectoid stepped forward; full into my view. "If you wish to see our dream through, you can. But only if you become one of our clan."

Was this voice asking me to swear an oath? I didn't fully understand. But one thing was sure... something about what I was feeling... I DID want to see their goal through.

"That is correct. You don't fully understand," the voice said in answer to me. Apparently it knew what I was thinking in spite of my lack of form and voice. "Our tribe only consisted... COULD only consist of Thri-Kreen. Only a Thri-kreen can accomplish this goal."

And yet...

"That is why I offer this final gift. The essence of our people contained within here. Should you accept it, you will be reborn, here and now. Your mission will be to see our life's work finished, for the benefit of Thri-kreen and many others who seek to give balance and safety to our world. But you will leave behind what you once were in order to see it through. Our fate lies with you."

...I had time to think. They had waited untold years for this answer. There was no impatience on their part. No judgment. Just a simple offer.

I wanted to see their life's work done.

"You are one of us. Your name... is..."

-

I opened my eyes and I was overwhelmed by a cacophony of sights, sounds, and feelings I'd never experienced before. I tried to cry out, but only a small hissing sound came. I looked down at my hands, and what I was overwhelmed me that much more. I was looking at not one, but two right hands. One lower and smaller than the other; both covered with a hard, insectoid carapace. I touched the carapace with my other hand. Though I recognized what I was feeling as "fear," it didn't feel the same way as I'd always know it. Human emotion... so POTENT. It's felt throughout your body. But not in this shell. I understoos what I felt, but it was like a strange, white noise in the background of my head. A loud one, but one that could be ignored because it wasn't useful in that moment.

I stood up. Everything felt different. I was overcome by a terrible sense of vertigo. And yet I managed to retain my balance. I looked for a reflective surface, but found none. I would have to wait to discover just how much I'd changed.

Suddenly, I felt a sensation around me. I didn'tnotice it at the time, but I realized I had turned my new antennae toward the source of that feeling.

It was the orb. No longer large and bright, but still hovering gently above the mantle; a mere pearl. I reached out my upper hand to grasp it.

"You are Thri-kreen, Chahk-Ti'rak." My head buzzed. I knew whatever emotion I was feeling would have moved me to tears as a human. As this new... thing, however, such a powerful emotion was more of an irritant than anything, so I pushed it aside in order to listen. "This is your name from now on. It is who you are, inside and out. Understand." This again was not phrased as a question. It was telling me to understand. I did.

Our kind seeks to restore a delicate balance. There is a calamity approaching, and we wander in order to meet it directly and prevent it. This is... important... to other races as well. We do it to save the Thri-kreen." I noticed that the feeling of the speech was no longer in the past tense. As if this group of Thri-kreen was long gone. But... then that wouldn't be true, was it? I was now Thri-kreen. I was part of this society. I wish I could explain what thinking about that causes me to feel. It's not pride, exactly. It's more a sense of necessity and loyalty. I would die for the Thri-kreen of my clan. But this too isn't an emotional statement, as it would have been for me as a human. It simply is.

These new emotions are a source of deep confusion for me, and yet a sense of powerful clarity as well.

I took the pearl and affixed it to my holy symbol. I had a different way of thinking, but I still gave value to my deity and to those I knew in the past. I was thankful this aspect of my being had not changed. And so long as my deity still recognized me as its champion, I would continue to fulfill that obligation.

So, that is my story. I don't understand the full nature of this calamity, nor do I know what to do with this trinket. I don't believe they fully did, either. Perhaps I will know when the time comes, but seeing as I am now the last of their clan, it is my responsibility to learn whatever I can about it now. And that is why I am here.

---

So, heya! This is a character I created for my friend CrimsonSun's Dungeons & Dragons campaign. I've honestly been dragging my feet on learning 5e for quite some time since Pathfinder tended to appeal to me more and honestly, I was struggling on coming up with a character. Until suddenly inspiration struck.

I sat in on the most recent D&D session under the pretense of seeing if it felt like something I could get into. During the session, the party was battling a group of bandits (as ya do) in order to protect a couple of people. Suddenly a strange, mantis-like NPC entered the fray on the side of the heroes. Little did they know, though, that this "NPC" was in all actuality, my new character.

If you'd like to hear the moment of revelation, you can check it out here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1077343869 (It starts about 15 seconds too early and is very, very quiet, so be sure to adjust things accordingly!)

Anyway, that's it. TL;DR - New character; former human; transformed into an insect. ...Kafka would be proud.