Maw-Fly Swarm

The droning buzz of insects has never been the most nightmarish of material. Its an uncomfortable sound when one knows things like mosquitoes, blackflies, deerflies and the like exist. However that noise takes on a whole other context that one needs to concern themselves with if Void Magick is involved, or if in or near a World-Wound or Scar upon Reality. For there exist a perversion, a perverse mirror to such insects from the Void as well, specifically from the semi-stable pocket within the madness of the Void known as The Endless Feast. One of the realms of Nightmares, this one the realm of Gulagor, the Endless Hunger, the Great Devourer. These creatures are one entity a swarm of them numbering in the hundreds or even thousands, that can strip a grown man to the bone in a mere minute or two. Known simply as a Maw-fly Swarm, this entity, this horror, whilst a lesser threat from the realm of Gulagor by comparison of other entities from the its realm, should not be underestimated. Such an entity is highly dangerous, in no small part because of its swarming hivemind nature, it is not one physical entity that can be confronted it is spread out amongst hundreds or even thousands of tiny entities, which makes fighting back by any mundane means almost impossible. Such an entity should be avoided if at all possible and if it must be engaged, it is best engaged via large area based magicks, or using similarly designed alchemical and explosive options, from a distance ideally.

Basic advice almost verbatim that can be found in a number of publications about so called 'Daemon-Hunting'

Basic Information

Anatomy

Maw-fly swarms have a rather odd anatomy when they manifest upon the Material Realm, in that no matter how much they consume, they don't seem to swell or grow in size. It is as if they are merely little voids within their thoraxes and anatomy. That, in some part, is because this is exactly true A Maw-fly swarm is cannot feed on the Material Realm, in fact they are not even truly capable of feeding. Like many of the lesser creatures from Gulagor's realm, they are merely an extension of greater appetites within the Void given manifest. Nothing a Maw-fly swarm feeds on is for itself, they need not any sort of sustenance, their hunger is not self driven in that way. They are in fact merely a manifestion of appetites far greater, and all they consume is merely filtered back the raw energy transported to the Void, to whichever greater entity's appetite that swarm in particular was born from. This does mean though it is a hive 'mind' entity of sorts, it has no true intelligence, and is driven almost entirely by instinctual need to feed, to consume.

Individually, a Maw-fly looks a bit like a nightmarish cross between a deerfly and a carnivorous beetle, having a sort of armored carapace that its wings fold out from underneath, with vicious ripping and tearing mandibles that make up more than 2/3s its entire body length. They are also disturbingly large for insects, about five inches in length.

Biological Traits

Being a swarm, a hivemind like entity, there are a number of benefits and negative this provides. First and foremost is the utter lack of effectiveness of conventional weaponry and targeted effects meant to engage a singular moderate sized target. These sorts of ways of defending one's self are woefully inadequate against such an entity, laughably so in fact. However given the nature of this entity being a hive mind of tiny rather vulnerable and not robust insect like creatures, they are actually notably vulnerable to things like explosions, sudden bursts of fire or elemental energy that would engulf a large area, that sort of thing. Furthermore, based on the size of the swarm, that is, the sheer volume of individual maw-flies that is making up one of these entities, they can become swiftly more dangerous, able to consume entire individuals much faster.

Genetics and Reproduction

As noted they aren't really capable of this sort of independent drive and seem but a manifestation of a greater being's hunger given manifest and form beyond the Void. They don't reproduce and do not seem to have any actual gendered anatomy or capability to do so, at least when on the Material Realm.

Growth Rate & Stages

When manifested it is presumed they simply manifest as full grown entities, in a swarm of sorts, ready to hunt, to consume. However there might very well be a larval stage that occurs within the Void itself, these manifestations of appetite perhaps cared for and reared by these other entities within the Void until they are grown and ready for service. However we simply do not know for certain one way or another.

Ecology and Habitats

When on the Material Realm there seems to be no reasonable limitation upon their habitat or climates, they have been seen before in the depths of winter in Suranth and during the peak of the dry season in Susma. They seem unbothered by climatization, having no need for it, being unaffected by extremes of this nature.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The need of this entity to consume organic matter is endless, and such a swarm can strip a full grown adult human's meat entirely from their bones in but five minutes or less. They will strip entire regions of plant and animal life if left long enough, and able to sustain against their inherent instability long enough. They are rather indifferent as to what organic matter is consumed when it comes to plants or animals/humanoids however, making them a much more passive threat than some Voidlings, as they seem to have no drive to target sapient beings like some Horrors.

Biological Cycle

They are simple enough entities, which in part is what makes them dangerous. Upon the material realm, they exist solely to consume, to feed, and will do so endlessly until their own inert instability causes reality to push back and force them back to their proper plane of existence or until sufficient numbers of the hivemind have been damaged and destroyed to break the collected consciousness, which will similarly simply vanquish the entity back to the Endless Feast. There are next to no known ways to slay a Voidling upon the Material Realm, after all.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

Though not possessing an actual intelligence or sapience in the way most would normally note, given the more hive-mind, insectoid colony like nature of this....entity, it is a unified entity with a seemingly unified mind that is simply spread across its many tiny components (the individual maw-flies) and as such does behave undeniably as a singular conscious entity. It is incapable of speech, perhaps unsurprisingly so, though such an entity has been documented under some sort of control of dark summonings from an apostate or shaman in the past, which would suggest though incapable of speech, it is not entirely incapable of some sort of comprehension, though of course the very nature of such summoning rituals aide in this cause.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Maw-fly swarms do seem to have a natural sensitivity for detecting organic matter, and specifically living flesh. They hone in on it quite quickly from respectable distances. They seem to have a strong natural sensitivity to the energies of living beings and are heavily drawn to it. They likely can detect living organic creatures by supernatural or magick means, if one had to guess.

Maw-Fly Swarm Reference Sheet

Scientific Name

Consumptious Swarmik Insectia

Lifespan

????

Average Weight

Unknown

Average Length

10.16-12.17 cms (4"-5") individually

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Maw-flies are grotesque in shape, their maw, that is their mandibles spiny and hook like with many sawing serrated barbs, and these mandibles stand out, seeming a deep almost sickly green. The rest of their bodies seem a yellowish-grey, almost sickly in color, a swarm almost seeming a greyish-yellow haze or mist that is buzzing or droning.