The Xyggorathi are among the most revolting and grotesque of the Shroudspawn, known for their disturbing, sickness-inducing appearance. Their entire bodies are riddled with countless holes of varying sizes, oozing with a thick, black ichor that smells of rot and decay. These holes serve as breeding grounds for parasitic larvae, insects, and other vile creatures that live symbiotically within the Xyggorath.
Standing on four uneven, gnarled limbs, the Xyggorath resembles a twisted fusion of decaying flesh and rotting earth. Their skin is rough and cracked, sagging in some places while bulging grotesquely in others. The cavities covering their bodies pulsate with a sickening rhythm, and from these cavities, one can often hear the unsettling buzz and clicking of the parasitic entities that inhabit them.
The Xyggorath have no discernible eyes, their faces instead dominated by a gaping, tooth-lined maw that constantly drips with black ichor. Despite their blind appearance, these creatures navigate their surroundings through a combination of sound, vibrations, and the parasitic creatures that infest their bodies, using them as scouts and extensions of their own grotesque form.
The Xyggorathi are slow-moving, patient predators that rely on their grotesque presence and parasitic offspring to subdue their prey. They prefer to dwell in damp, dark places—underground caves, bogs, swamps, or the decaying remains of ancient ruins—where their bodies can easily blend with the decaying environment.
When hunting, a Xyggorath will often remain motionless, appearing as nothing more than a rotten, hollowed-out carcass. The parasites that live within the creature's holes—small, venomous larvae and insects—are released in waves to scout for prey. These parasitic creatures swarm over the landscape, infecting anything they come into contact with, slowly incapacitating their victims with bites, stings, or injections of corrosive toxins. Once the prey is sufficiently weakened or immobilized, the Xyggorath will drag them back to its lair, where it consumes them slowly, absorbing not only their flesh but their life force as well.
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