Fjolskaad
Children must not stray far from their halls, for in the darkness Fjolskaadi crawl.
The giants settled the Kingstep mountains long ago, taking the land that was rightfully theirs, naturally suited as it was. They quickly established settlements, society, infrastructure and culture, spreading throughout the area. At some point after they reached their supposed potential there are records of a disruption in the King's halls. An advisor, a wizard and adept of the natural arts, was found to be doing dangerous experiments with captured humans. While not a crime in and of itself, the nature of his secrecy brought him low in the eyes of the court, belying a traitorous attitude from the start. He was cast out, forced to live in the caves and uninhabited dangers that exist on the borders of the mountains.
It is my personal opinion that we should execute him immediately. He is a dangerous element and will likely continue his work even without the king's resources.It was there that this wizard started his experiments anew, stealing into human lands to retrieve more subjects. Terrifying mutations and horrible tortures were subjected upon these poor victims and eventually, the Fjolskaadi were born. Birthed from a hatred for giants and everything they had built, they were released upon the world and allowed to grow and manifest. Over the centuries they survived, becoming the stuff of nightmares for travelling giants and adding another danger to the ever growing list of deadly forces in the mountains.
I had never seen the like, a human was watching me out of that bush one moment, the next I was running for my life. I'll never forget it so long as I live.
They soon became a part of life in the mountains, a danger one was wary of in every dark corner. Every corpse stumbled upon on the road was avoided for fear of containing those dreaded eggs. Parents of giantlings told them scary stories and folk tales to makes sure they remembered to avoid the pale faces in the shadows. The Fjolskaadi have become the name in the nameless dark. The thing by which fears are made manifest. While many terrifying and dangerous things exist in the dark and forgotten places of the mountains, it is these pitiful creatures that often take the blame.
Silent children will not fall Nor to their parents must they call Children must not stray far from their halls For in the darkness Fjollskaad crawls
Rumors
While the Fjollskaadi have been studied thoroughly, there is still much that is unknown about them or their particular abilities by the general giant public. Some say that if you were to cut one in half it would spawn two more, fully formed, or call forth a greater swarm, eventually overwhelming even the greatest of hunters. There are tales, especially those of the horror variety that speak of the terrifying noise the teeth make as they chew on flesh, the grinding and moist chewing noises that the human teeth make as they try to tear through tough giant's flesh. It's often referred to as the "madman's laugh" as it both inspires and is inspired by the noise of an invalid grinding his teeth together. There are even some younger giants who say that if you aren't paying attention then they will just crawl right up in your nose! If you find a giant traveling about the mountains at night without a nose clamp on, then you should try your luck at cards more often.Basic Information
Anatomy
The Fjollskaadi start life as larvae. Small, round balls of flesh and chitin and teeth that have little shape or purpose. They have a mouth full of human teeth every few inches along their bodies. After two weeks they grow into their roundback stage. During this stage you will find them looking like beetles with shiny purple and green shells but no visible heads. Curled up into a channel along their back is a long scorpion-esque tail, segmented and weak, but still in possession of a stinger laced with powerful poison. They remain in this form for about 5 years, growing slowly to a full size of about 3 feet long and 1.5 feet wide. If you were to pick one of these creatures up and look under you would see a human face embedded in the belly, kept aloft by the spindly legs. The eyes of this face remain closed at all times, as the creature is blind by nature.
After the 5 years of growth end, and the roundback has eaten sufficiently (usually it's siblings in lean times) it will advance to it's final, natural stage. It's legs grow and become more powerful, again resembling a scorpions. It's thorax and head will form into that of a humans. It's face nearly perfectly humanoid save for mandibles which extend past the teeth, stretching the skin forward into a thin membrane that is used to grip and store meat as the humanoid teeth chew it slowly. The grating sound these teeth make while eating can be said to drive a man insane. It retains its tail, which comes out of the end of the torso and curls up and over its body, it's stinger fat with poison. The scorpion-esque parts retain that purplish-green metallic sheen. It is from this color that they get their name "glitter swarm". This form is called a seeker and it's purpose is to venture closer to inhabited settlements and use a special organ to generate a soothing attractive song. This song lures it's victims back to the swarm's nest where they are fed to the roundback swarm and used to gestate more larvae. There is a variant to this form that manifests once every 30 years. The queen is much like her seekers however she possesses a set of shimmering, translucent wings. They are flightless, but they do provide the unique ability of hypnosis, allowing the queen to do what she wishes with whatever prey come her way.
Genetics and Reproduction
When a seeker brings in prey, it usually starts by allowing the "roundbacks" to dig their way to the flesh, eating the bone marrow that allows them to grow strong. Within the hollow bones, any seeker may then plant eggs that gestate within. These eggs eventually hatch into the larval balls, rolling out and with the teeth they are graced with, they set about devouring the rotten flesh remaining on the corpse. When they have eaten enough, usually leaving out several of their kin in the process, the survivors split and grow into the "roundback" stage, progressing accordingly.
If a queen is present she might implant eggs into the living flesh of the victim, sending them witless back into society so that the species might grow and propagate within civilization. They undergo much of the same process, the victim growing slowly sicker and sicker until they perish and the balls of flesh roll out into the world.
Ecology and Habitats
The Fjolskaadi live in many of the scattered caves around the Kingstep Mountains. They are naturally nocturnal and blind, so they will often build nests in caves that have hidden grottoes, using the entrance of the cave as a method by which to trap unwary travelers. They are meat eaters and will eat some of the giant elk or boars that roam the mountains, but only so far as giant flesh isn't available for a while. They are rather particular for the taste and nutrition of giantoid bone marrow and flesh.
Biological Cycle
The seasons in the mountains are harsh and unforgiving, and as such these creatures generally avoid the inclement weather, being particularly displeased by very hot weather. They do not undergo any changes from season to season, but it is often said that summer is the best time to explore the further reaches of the mountains.
Additional Information
Social Structure
They are composed into a hierarchical hive, the larvae much like babies are cared for by the seekers. When they mature into roundbacks they are given rudimentary commands by their betters for the sake of the hive. The queen orchestrates all the efforts of the hive to better their chance of survival.
Domestication
This species cannot be domesticated. It's twisted and evil origins give it a more stubborn than natural willpower and as such they cannot be tamed. Some exotic pet traders will capture and sell them, but at great personal risk.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Every form of the Fjollskaadi from the roundback stage on has a stinger laden with a quick acting paralysis poison. The true evil of this poison is the way it disables your nerves from supplying signals to move or take any action, but do not stop any sensations traveling back to the brain, allowing a victim to feel every nibble, bite and tear the foul creatures enact on them.
This poison is sought after by the elite and malicious of the gigantic societies. It can be distilled and diluted into a potion that allows males to extend their "longevity". It is also processed into a potion that can replicate the effects of death. Such a thing factors heavily into some of the fiction in the giant's halls. Some more rare and expensive processes can yield an anesthetic, a recent development which is already receiving some interesting the scientific community.
The creatures themselves are considered a sort of macabre curio, when killed through more gentle means and dried, the carcass stays in whatever position you left it, as such those who are skilled at handling these dangerous things can form grotesque statues out of them. It is even the past time of some of the storm lords to collect a set of these in different poses for dragonchess.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
You almost never will find these anywhere save for the Kingstep Mountains, as their primary prey calls this region home.
Average Intelligence
The larval and roundback stages are mainly instinctual creatures, operating on base hunger and the guidance of the seekers for their early lives. The seeker gains a bit more intelligence, the ability to pick out targets and swoon them back successfully requiring it. The queen is even more so, her intellect bordering on a moderately intelligent human's. She can lead the swarm with strategy and patience, allowing them to secure a stronger footing in an area instead of being driven out at the first mention of their kind.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
They see by sound waves, the most minute vibrations in the earth delivering them information about their surroundings and potential prey. If mere ground vibrations aren't enough, they have plates of chitin all along their bodies they can flap to create a series of waves which allow them to interpret their surroundings with echolocation. This method is imprecise and not nearly as useful as an owl's or bat's, but it does help them get by in times where prey is sneakier.
Other Names
- Giant Eaters
- Glimmer Swarm
- Piranha Bugs
Lifespan
40 years
Average Height
Average Weight
Average Length
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
All of the chitinous elements are easily identified by the purple-green metallic sheen they all share. The human portions are usually a sickly paleness and have varying amounts of unkempt hair on the more mature forms.
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