Thoqqua

"The thoqqua is a wormlike monster with a body hot enough to melt solid rock. It has a choleric mood and a foul temper.
"A thoqqua's sinuous body is segmented like an earthworm's and glows with orange-white heat. The creature burrows through rock looking for minerals to eat."
-Monster Manual

Basic Information

Anatomy

The thoqqua is a worm-like creature from the planet's outer core, deep beneath the Underdark. It has a molten mouth which spins like a drill when burrowing. It primarily consumes the molten gases of its environment, as well as dense liquid metals such as gold, platinum, and uranium. It sweats lava, shed through its craggy skin.
Thoqquas are able to withstand extremely high temperatures of thousands of degrees and over 300 gigapascals of pressure. When the protective shell of a thoqqua is pierced, the resulting leak of reactive gases can result in an impressive explosion. Touching any part of its body, internal or external, will result in severe burns for any creatures not resistant to the element of fire. Its carcass may take months to fully cool.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Thoqquas are known almost exclusively to Grimlocks, though even then they are rarely encountered. Magnetic or magical disturbances are sometimes known to lure one into the Underdark. Some Grimlocks may use rare thoqqua plating to protect against lava.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Thoqquas are eyeless and thus entirely blind. They navigate through sensing magnetic shifts within the earth's core, which rotates faster than the rest of the planet. If a thoqqua breaches the earth's mantle, the weaker magnetic field causes it to become disorientated. This disorientation aggravates the thoqqua, which likely explains its (mistaken) reputation for being a naturally aggressive creature.

Lifespan

100 years

Average Weight

150 tons

Average Length

Thoqquas are estimated to grow greater than a mile in length.