On the Wrought-Iron Rex Scarab

Excerpt from A Guide to Harvesting and Harnessing All The Wild Has To Offer

(pages 79-80, from chapter 4: Insectoids and Arachnoids)

Wrought-Iron Rex Scarab

The Wrought-Iron Rex Scarab is a formidable champion of the bug-monster’s Titan class, rivalling its more infamous ‘giant spider’ counterparts in ferocity. Most common folk have never seen a Wought-Iron Rex (not that they would ever hope to) as it is only found in the deep caves of the Multahn Mountains, and avoids populated areas. The Wrought-Iron Rex is easily identified by its size and crown. It is about as large as a hunting hound, with great protruding horns in its head in the shape of a crown. Its exterior is made of an extremely durable natural armour, that is black in colour and rough in texture, which its name references. But actually, the Wrought-Iron Rex’s armour is not made of real iron, but is stronger than iron, and even steel.

The Wrought-Iron Rex is extremely hard to defeat, not least because of its armour, which is all but invulnerable to bladed or bludgeoning attacks. It also rams into its foes with its crown, dealing heavy damage and potentially throwing them into the air, which could lead to further injury. Avoid standing directly in front of it, as it charges forward quickly but is slower to turn around. Aim for the joints on its legs to incapacitate it, and flip it onto its back (if you have the strength). Angle a thin, sharp blade between the plates of armour along the underside of its neck to reach its weak point, and sever the nerve cord.

Suggested uses for various components of Wrought-Iron Rex Scarab

The Larvae

The Rex Scarab’s larvae, also called ironworms, actually do contain high amounts of iron, which is essential to a human diet. They can be consumed in many ways, as long as they are properly washed beforehand as with any edible meat. Feel free to be creative with them, but I personally prefer grinding them into a paste and combining with sugar, which results in a mixture that tastes exactly like beef and has the same nutritional benefits. Make into meatballs or cakes or cook in ground form. You can also cook the ironworms as they are. Toss in a fry, or cook into stew.

The Exoskeleton

The exoskeleton is what the hard shell-like exterior of ‘armoured’ insects is called. The large plates on the Wrought-Iron Rex’s back, despite not being made of real iron, still make for excellent cooking pans. Season them as you would cast iron and they will last for decades, and are much lighter than real iron, so excellent equipment for the cooksome traveller. The Caromardun people of the Multahn Mountains use Wrought-Iron Rex plates as pieces for armour, being able to reach high enough temperatures in their lava-fuelled forges to soften and manipulate the plates. A cooking fire would not be able to reach those temperatures. The safest and easiest way to remove the back plates from the Wrought-Iron Rex carcass is to have a Caromardun smith do it for you in his forge. Pay him for services rendered, obviously. You could use the plates as makeshift armour yourself, but it would be best to commission a Caromardun smith to craft it for you if you want a proper set made out of it. I have a special cauldron made of Wrought-Iron Rex exoskeleton, myself, that I use to brew my potions and elixirs, as some of the ingredients I have can be reactive to certain metals, but not the Rex’s exoskeleton. It is very useful.

The Innards

Other than ironworms, Wrought-Iron Rex Scarabs are not for eating. But everything aside from the exoskeleton has medicinal and alchemic value. The nerve cord can greatly strengthen potions that cure paralysis, and the eyes, fermented, can be used for potions of ferocity and of fortification. Most of the rest of the insides are useful components of healing potions and can increase their duration of effectiveness. Wrought-Iron Rex Scarabs also have a large fluid sac in their abdomen, containing a slippery substance that can, amazingly, be made into a potion that rejuvenates deadened flesh. I do not know exactly what it is, or what the function of this fluid sac to the Wrought-Iron Rex scarab is, but this effect is extremely rare and valuable, and could potentially be a much safer alternative to amputation. The recipe for this potion follows, but take note-- it is very complex, and will not work without the Wrought-Iron Rex’s fluid sac, which is rare and difficult to obtain.

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Recipe for Potion of Un-Rotting

An elixir to heal deadened flesh that would otherwise need to be cut from the body

Ingredients:

• 1 Wrought-Iron Rex Scarab fluid sac
• 2 cups powdered lavender
• 4 paces willow tree bark
• 3 cups ethyl tonic
• 7 spoons beech tree nut oil
• 11 dried lamb’s ear
• 2 cups oaksblood
• 9 stems hag’s needles
• 1 cup donith marrow
• 5 spoons kafaeratin
• 3 cups Wrought-Iron Rex Scarab hemolymph
• 1 cup Angel-Claw hemolymph
• 13 spoons Herda’s Nectar
• 1 unbroken executioner snake moult
• 7 phantom-eye galea
• 10 handfuls weeping moss
• 3 buckets water
• 8 glass dragonfly wings

Fill cauldron with water. Add half weeping moss, begin heating, when water feels warm holding hand near it add other half. Stir until water steaming but not boiling. Slowly add willow tree bark piece by piece while stirring, and add full amounts of both types of hemolymph. Stir east nine times, then west three times. Cover until boiling. Add powdered lavender, then lamb’s ear, then dragonfly wings, stir until all dissolved. Boil for one hour. Add phantom-eye galea, stir until dissolved. Boil for one hour. Add executioner snake moult by holding tail end and lowering slowly into center of cauldron. Cover, boil for one hour. Pour in Herda’s nectar and beech tree nut oil. Recude heat until lightly simmering. Stir east. Add kafaeratin, stir east. Stir west, then add oaksblood, then ethyl tonic. Gradually drop in hag’s needles, then return to boil. Switch regular stir-stick for a piece of holiswood root, but do not introduce to brew yet. Take Rex fluid sac and rub outside with sorrel tears and cad powder and carefully use clean needle made of crow’s bone to puncture small hole in sac. Hold sac over boiling cauldron and slowly drip fluid into brew, stirring east once with root for every drop. Drain sac completely, then cut open so it can lay flat and open but keep in one piece, and add to brew by lowering same way as moult. Stir until you can’t anymore (yes, that is the exact measurement) and cover, and boil for four hours. Remove from heat and allow to sit (remaining covered) for three nights. Resulting potion should be extrafluid and of deep red-purple colour, shot through with shifting veins of shimmering white. Store in covered glass bottles and keep away from direct sunlight. To use potion, first cover completely deadened flesh (without touching directly) that has been thoroughly cleaned and purified with clean white cloth. Soak cloth in potion, adding more once previous application is nearly dried but not quite. Perform minimum nine applications, regardless of size or severity of treated area. Only remove wrapping once final application is completely dried, by soaking cloth in clean water. Revealed flesh will be living and partially healed once more, but will still require further treatment to finish healing.