After a heavy rain I have been summoned to explore a large sinkhole in the center of a nearby village. At its bottom I have found what I believe to be the remains of the body and the abode of a…
Deep Hole Worm
At the bottom of the sinkhole a large and perfectly cylindrical chamber rises almost intact. Its roof and floor are made of a kind of hardened animal skin, which has pushed through the earth and rock to form the cavity. This is the skin of the Deep Hole Worm.
On the ground there are some remains, skeletons of mole-like animals, but with larger limbs and wider skulls. These are the remains of the beings that were born from the entrails of the worm and that used the cylindrical chamber created by the worms' corpse as their home. The marrow of these bones has a kind of coiled central wire, malleable and hard as metal.
Hanging from the ceiling, from millions of tiny threads, are strange mollusk-like spheres, now dry, connected to these threads, which only a trained eye could recognize, as the mycelia, or roots, of a variety of fungal species.
Rumors, tales and testimonies
The Deep Hole Worms are rare to see, and this is only the third remnant of one I have encountered in my long and curious life. Their life cycle is not fully documented, but what is known is that at some point, when this great oceanic beast reaches a point in its life, it crawls across the shore and buries its body in the ground, creating large caverns, until it reaches an underground location where the roots, or mycelia, of different fungi accumulate.
After this begins one of the most beautiful transformations, the body grows and expands, pushing the earth, filling its body with oxygen, and inside it begins to grow large eggs, between four to ten, from which mole-like creatures hatch.
These creatures will use the inside of the worm as their first food, and the worm's skin will become rock-hard, keeping the cylindrical cavity safe for them. From inside the worm, only six glands will remain uneaten, which will attract the mycelium of the fungi, creating a connection point for the mole-like creatures to communicate with the fungi. Through these mollusk-like spheres, the mole-like creatures can control the fungi, extract the food they need from them and change the landscape of the soil above them, even controlling the growth, death and diversity of large forests.
Some mole-like bones have been found in the sands, suggesting that at some point they longed to return to the sea to, in some unknown way, complete the life cycle of the worm.
Alchemical uses:
The mollusk-shaped gland, if cut in half, can be worn on the head. It will extend its tendrils towards the ears and nose, and allow the wearer to communicate and understand the will of the plants that are in contact with the outer tendrils. The wearer must hold their breath. If the sphere is worn for more than a few minutes, the mollusk-like sphere will attempt to connect even more deeply with the wearer's brain. This connection is irreversible.
If the mollusk-shaped gland is dried on salt, while slowly heated in a copper oven, a handful of the salt crystals will grow to twice their size, and take on the deep red color of the gland. These red salts can be poured on the soil, and will attract fungal mycelia. If the whole handful is used, in just a few seconds a pillar of tangled mycelium will grow from the ground, strong and hard as wood, thick as a bull's body and tall as a tree.
The bones of mole-like creatures can be worn as earrings or pendants, close to the head, and if any being attempts to mentally dominate the wearer of these, the bones will vibrate and break open, protecting the wearer that one time.
Deep Hole Worm
Agility 3 (speed 60 feet / 4 actions per turn)
Actions:
- Stampede (2d10)
- Bite (1d12)
- Acid spite (2d10, save DEX)
Into the Odd / Weird North / Cairn:
STR 18 – DEX 12 – WILL 10 – 25 HP – Armour 4
Critical damage: Eat by the worm, in inside acid burn the skin, 1d6 damage every 10 minutes.
DnD:
AC 17 – 70 HP (40+6d10) – Save DC 16
To hit: Melee +8, Range +4 Damage: Melee +5, Range +1
STR 20 – DEX 12 – CON 18 – INT 8 – WIS 10 – CHA 5
Immunity to acid.
Resistance to psychic. Vulnerable to fire.
Damage Types: Stampede (bludgeoning), Bite (piercing), Acid spite (acid)
Mole-like Creature
Agility 4 (speed 80 feet / 5 actions per turn)
Actions:
- Bite (1d6)
- Poison cloud (1d8, area 30 feet sphere)
- Mouth tentacle (1d6, they enter through the ears, they stay attach on failed STR save)
- Paralyze (requires attached Mouth Tentacle, save WILL/WIS)
Into the Odd / Weird North / Cairn:
STR 10 – DEX 14 – WILL 10 – 5 HP – Armour 1
Critical damage: Under command of the mole-like creature.
DnD:
AC 12 – 10 HP (5+1d10) – Save DC 14
To hit: Melee +3, Range +5 Damage: Melee +0, Range +2
STR 10 – DEX 14 – CON 12 – INT 12 – WIS 10 – CHA 8
Immunity to psychic.
Resistance to acid. Vulnerable to fire
Damage Types: Poison cloud (poison), Bite (piercing), Mouth tentacle (psychic)