Kikimore

Kikimore is an insectoid monster species that lives underground, as well as in swamps. They were first introduced in the short story, "The Lesser Evil", which opens with Geralt entering Blaviken with the carcass of a female kikimore in tow.

Near the end of the ninth episode of The Hexer TV series, "Świątynia Melitele", Geralt was stopped by peasants, begging him to kill a monster in the swamps. The tenth episode of The Hexer TV series, " Mniejsze zło", suggests that it could have been a kikimore, and Geralt rides into Blaviken just like in the short story.

The Wonderful World of Insectoids provides the in-game journal entries about the various forms kikimores come in, as well as all the useful parts one can harvest from their carcasses.

There are three castes of kikimores in the game:
 * Kikimore queen
 * Kikimore warrior
 * Kikimore worker

Monsterbook
Developer CD Projekt's characterization of the kikimore taken from the monsterbook, which was enclosed with the Collectors Edition of the computer game The Witcher for Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic:

Insects are probably the most inspiring prototypes for monsters. Repulsive yet intriguing, they are weird and "fantastic" even before their forms are modified. We had to have huge arthropods in The Witcher, but it was clear from the outset they could not simply be giant versions of existing creatures.

We devised the concept of the kikimore when somebody suggested introducing social monsters to the game. The kikimores are organized not unlike a termite colony. The queen lays eggs from which soldiers and workers then hatch. Soldiers defend the colony from enemies, while workers build structures and supply food. This division of roles had to be reflected in the games' AI mechanisms: workers turn aggressive only when attacked or when aggression is artificially induced in them, while soldiers fight any enemy they spot.

The beasts' physical appearance underlines their different places in the hierarchy. Workers are smaller, modelled after spiders, though the similarity is not obvious. The characteristic shape of their limbs and cephalothoraxes suffices to evoke repulsion.

Kikimore soldiers resemble beetles. They are more massive and protected by thick, chitinous armour. Their horned heads and torsos, as well as the sharp thorns on their legs, clearly demonstrate them to be dangerous creatures.

The queen bears more resemblance to the soldiers, mainly because of her bulky body. She is a mass of insect abominations that is almost impossible to defeat in direct combat. She has no eyes, which would be useless at the bottom of her dark lair. The pieces of flesh that resemble ribs and hang from her abdomen (visible in the rendered image) can either be ovipositors or atrophied limbs that have no use in her function as a constant reproducer.

Gallery
Kikimora Kikimora Kikimora Kikimorrhe Kikimore Kikimór Kikimora Mörksugga