Mordax et al

Ah a question at last! However, I do wish you had been a little more clear about it since I’m not entirely certain if you’re referring to genetics or cosmetics. I believe you’re likely referring to genetics, which is a more interesting answer,  but I will answer cosmetics as we for the sake of completion.

As far as genetics, the Queen (and King also)  differ fairly significantly from other Dersites. Rather than being grown in a laboratory, both sets of carapacian royals were ‘born’, or perhaps ‘spontaneously generated’ on Skaia itself when it came into being– an event which I will cover in detail another time.

Being born in such a way, the Black Queen does not bear any mark or barcode on her wrist. Likewise there is no blueprint for her (or any other royal) in the genetic catalogs. If the Queen were to die, there would be no way to create a replacement. She is completely unique among Dersites.

I have not been able to do any kind of internal study, nor am I privy to the Queen’s medical records, but I suspect internally she is much the same as any Dersite, in terms of bones, muscle, organ, etc. However, if any Dersite were to prove to be capable of bearing children, either eggs or live young, then I think it would be the queen. This is merely a theory though as to this day in my own session (2200 years since the beginning of the medium I’m told), no carapace but the royals has been born in any manner other than the genetic laboratories

Externally the Queen is the single tallest female carapace that I have seen, and I believe her to be the tallest in fact, though there are some very few male carapaces who are larger. The Queen’s height is by our measurements about six feet and eight inches tall, leaving her towering over many of her smaller subjects.

The Queen’s carapace is thicker than many dersites, and uniquely the edges of her shell come to delicate points at her shoulders, elbows, knees and heels, rather like armor. She is also exceptionally wide jointed (a feature which is considered beautiful in carapace culture). Her teeth, likewise are near the sharpest on the scale for dersites.

It would be remiss of me to mention the Queen’s appearance without discussing the prototyping ring. Of course any Dersite might pick it up and receive its benefits, but it is naturally the Black Queen for whom it is intended. I speculate that the Queen might be uniquely suited to bear and utilize the changes of the ring, as they are her best weapons against her destined foes, we the dreamers. Perhaps there is some way her form is best suited to be changed, or some knowledge lurks in her mind from the beginning of creation on how to use these abilities. This however, remains entirely in the realm of speculation as though we are no longer direct enemies I doubt that she would answer my questions on this particular subject, as she is quite rightfully at times, a very suspicious woman.

And that is, as far as I am aware, the scope of material differences between the Queen and any normal Dersite. In terms of cosmetics (a topic which I have not had occasion yet to expound upon but may soon) she differs less.

This question I did not put to the queen herself, but rather spoke to a pair of her handmaids on the subject who were fairly forthcoming. It seems that the Queen starts most days with a long bath, filled with scented oils in lieu of perfume. After the bath, but before she is dressed her joints are moisturized, and her shell rubbed in a bright polish. After she is dressed, her servants apply a further two tone facial polish, with special attention to the highlights of her face. A lip-black is applied to make the lips appear darker, and her teeth are polished and fingertips filed.  At the end of the Queen is bathed again, removing the polish and other cosmetics, and her joints are moisturized a second time before bed.