Páncelbogár

Description

Not everything in the Downside of Jégoria is a hyper-aggressive predator. Some simply seek to survive by impenetrable defenses. The páncelbogár, the armored beetle definitely belongs to this category.
They are large insects with an armored carapace that protects their back and their hind half that drags behind them. The carapace of females is colored slightly reddish both to signal that they are available and for young to follow. The rest of their body is generally pale as most things are here. Their size alone makes them fearsome, with an adult reaching up to 3.5 meters in length and half that in height.
They possess six larger legs, and a four more smaller ones hidden under their hind carapace. The front claws are used to grab and cut food that they then move towards their mandibles, or to climb slopes and drag themselves over edges. When threatened they can retreat into their shells, which are extremely tough and can repel most predators. Those that frequently hunt them often bring blunt instruments like clubs or heavy hammers with them specifically to break through these shells.
During mating 'season', male páncelbogár seek out females and immediately begin courting them by rubbing their horn and front claws on the females back. If she is willing, the female then molts out of her hind carapace and they copulate. Afterwards the female carries the eggs, while the male seeks out food and protects the now vulnerable female until the hatching and little bit afterwards. Once the females hind carapace has regenerated however, the male tends to leave.

Intelligence and Behavior

They are simple-minded scavengers that shove nearly anything into their mandibles, even things that are not very edible. Over their lifetime they molt out of their carapace several times to adjust for their growth. These are the times when they are most vulnerable and most often fall prey to predators. When they do have their carapace they just curl up and that allows them to wait out most predators.
They are docile beasts and easily tamed. People have long used them for transport, or herded them for their meat and carapace. The tough carapace in particular is invaluable as a material for buildings, armor or certain tools. They require a good amount of food however, so herding large groups of them is difficult, and they frequently suffer from parasites which means that investment could be null.

Statistics

[5th Edition D&D]

Geographic Distribution

• Jégoria

"Large, thick, does what you want and doesn't complain. If only my husband was like that."

— Commonly told bad joke.