Iceworm

The iceworm is a tiny invertebrate that lives in the cold climates of the southern ice caps. This worm is the most intelligent invertebrate species, which some have argued to be sentient, on the planet. It has an interesting defense machanism, of which it is not in complete control of: when the worm begins to panic, it will involuntarily teleport someplace random within 100 feet of it. This necessitates that any predators of the worm, if they wish to catch their prey, must remain undetected by it up until the worm has died. This means that when these worms die of causes other than old age, it is typically quick and painless.

Anatomy

Iceworms have a smooth, glossy grey-blue exterior. Their bodies are around three to four inches long, and they are annelids. The species has an incredibly soft body, though its mouth is slightly more solid for the purposes of burrowing through their biome's icy ground. They have two distinct stripes near their head, which seem to serve no clear purpose.

Scientific Name

Lumbricus frigus

Lifespan

1 year

Average Length

3-4 inches

Geographic Distribution

• Ice Caps

Dietary Needs & Habits

The iceworm relies on aquasynthesis for both its sustenance as well as the source of its magic. It gathers water by burrowing through its ice-covered home, converting the water into energy and using its motion to power its magic. Because of this dual use, the worm needs a near-constant supply of water and/or ice to survive, and will quickly dry out if removed from its environment. Thankfully, its teleportation mitigates the threat of being moved to a dry location, for the most part.

Iceworm Teleportation

Iceworms use a mix of physics and magic to teleport. The magic for their teleportation is generated from the movement of water within their bodies - as such, they wiggle furiously and involuntarily when they begin to teleport. For this reason, this survival mechanism relies on their insides being warmer than freezing, heat they suck out of their environment - making their surrounding area ever so slightly colder. They then latch on to the nearest and most powerful source of magic, typically an Aura nearby, and teleport to the edge of it.

Average Intelligence

Iceworms are surprisingly intelligent, despite their small size. They are able to recognise and avoid danger, a capability that already puts them above most of their wormy peers. Despite not being able to hear, they have sensitive enough touch to pick up vibrations in both the ground and the air, and they are able to distinguish different types of vibration. They can consistently tell the difference between sound and movement, and they are able to tell if movement is coming towards them or going away from them.

Uses & Byproducts

The iceworm works very well as bait in traps for large animals. The southhunter norrith have taken to catching and freezing the worms, to prevent them from being able to teleport. Then, they can kill the worm by removing its head, and use the body as bait to trap the larger fauna of the region. They occasionally just eat the worms directly - though they don't do this very often, and it is typically seen as a last resort when one is going hungry. Some have tried to domesticate the worms, though their teleportation has proven this to be a challenge. A few southhunters have discovered that placing a large magically-infused object in the centre of the farm's area has a good chance of causing the worm to teleport directly to it, and placing a few of these fairly close to one another all but ensures that any teleporting worms will end up at one.