Meajeyi: Mending Maggots

Contents

Mee-jehy-ee

"I'd do anything." I said, sternly.   I couldn't see the man, and could only speculate what expression he wore upon his face as he spoke in that dull, monotonous voice. "I'll take you to meet a friend, do as they ask, and you will regain your eyesight."
— A blind wanderer
  Meajeyi are otherworldly parasites that consume the flesh of Qetlon?— the god whose decaying corpse comprises the entirety of Qet. As they burrow into the earth to pupate, they secrete and coat their tunnels with a valuable substance known as Lyez Clay.? To the rare few with the eldritch insight to witness them, the meajeyi can perform veritable miracles of healing.

Extra Info

Habitat
Burrows within any dirt or stone
Lifespan
Unknown
Diet
Godflesh
Average Height
4'
Average Length
8'
 

Appearance

Meajeyi appear as large, pulsating, blue-tinted white masses. Short, pale hairs stick out in erratic, lone clusters across their bodies. If one were somehow able to view the front-end of a meajeyi, they would be faced with a wide, circular mouth that inexplicably closes in on itself repeatedly, without opening. These creatures cannot be seen without eldritch insight, however, and so, to most, their burrowed tunnels appear as if from thin air. Thankfully, they are seldom found within human settlements, and are few and far between— though they do blight farmland on occasion. These downward-curved tunnels are about 4 feet in diameter and tend to only be 40-80 feet in length, growing over a period of about ten years. As the meajeyi feast, their bodies secrete a liquid substance that hardens into lyez clay, this is done both to ensure the stability of the tunnel, and simply to vacate waste from their bodies. The clay itself, once hardened, bears a bright white flecked with striking blue blotches.  

Growth

No one has witnessed an adult meajeyi. No one has seen one come into being, not even so much as an egg has ever been witnessed. How then, are they appearing within Qet? Where do they come from? Their life cycle appears similar to that of insects, as those that finish burrowing stop, and begin to pupate. Pupal meajeyi take on a bluer hue, and cease moving entirely. How long does this stage of life last? There are records of meajeyi that have lasted for hundreds of years as pupae, leaving occultist scholars perplexed.  

Habits

Wherever they appear, all meajeyi immediately begin burrowing into the ground. Other creatures, be they animal, monster, or eldritch in nature— steer clear of their burrows, deterred by psychic warnings sent out by the larval beings. Insightful humans who encounter these burrows will receive psychic messages of their own— although these carry the opposite intent.  
After a day's travel, the man lead me to a tunnel, tied me to a rope, and lowered me steadily inside. As soon as my head had entered the passage, I could hear a voice— not through my ears, but through my mind.   "Come, enter, I can feel your suffering— and I can return to you that which has been lost."
— A blind wanderer
  Those who find themselves hostile to a meajeyi will quickly find the creatures to be impervious to all forms of damage— be they physical or magical in nature. They pose no threat, and will simply allow their attackers to tire themselves out until they accept this fact. Similarly, few have attempted to take meajeyi captive— in which cases, the creatures simply allowed them to.  

Unmixing Earth

The lyez clay produced by meajeyi is a great boon to the people of Qet. This material bears the strange property of being unable to combine or mix with other materials whatsoever. This unique property allows for the creation of lyez clay retorts, which can be used to brew alchemical concotions without worry of the vessel melting or contaminating anything heated within.   Lyez clay also sees common medicinal use by both healers and commoners alike as a laxative.  

Mending

If someone with an altered body— such as one with lost limbs, or alchemical mutations— were to approach a meajeyi, they will see a strange, blue light emanating from within the creature. Lit by this strange light from behind, will be what appears to be a human form that eerily resembles their own, pressing against the soft flesh of the meajeyi from inside. Waiting. Watching, as the meajeyi speaks once more.  
"I can return an afflicted portion of your body to health, unfortunately, there will be a cost— your very lifeforce will be weakened by the exchange. You may find that your heart beats a little more weakly, your stamina is a little lower, and your mind a little slower. A small price to pay, one I sadly cannot change— it is the nature of this trade. Pray you never need it again, however, for the price must always be paid— and should you receive this blessing time and time again, you will eventually fall lifeless."   "I accept." Anything. I said I'd do anything, and I would.   "Then reach down and place your eyeless visage upon my flesh."
— A blind wanderer
  Always, visitors are warned of the price— a weakened body. Few worry about this, however, and accept the being's blessing by touching its flesh with the afflicted portion of their own. This body part will be pulled into the maggot's mass, held for a moment, and then pushed out— healed. The light will fade, and the figure within will disappear.  
I could feel it— my eyes, they were back! I cried out with joy as I saw light for the first time in years— but then I looked down upon my savior, and my cries transformed into those of horror. It said nothing as I pulled out my knife and began slashing wildly at the loathsome beast I now faced— and in my frenzy, I had managed to slash across my own face, and take my eyesight once again.
— A blind wanderer
 

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Comments

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May 19, 2023 02:46

Blind dude failed an attack roll while the DM was in a sadistic mood.

Life is too short to be squandering on things you don’t enjoy or things that do nothing to benefit those around you.
May 19, 2023 09:23 by Grace Gittel Lewis

Not that it would've done anything if the attack landed anyway.

May 19, 2023 09:27 by Grace Gittel Lewis

Quick note on that— Qet does NOT do the dumb thing where you can miss enemies point blank with melee weapons. Because that sucks and doesn't make any sense. Melee attack rolls simply determine whether or not you inflict an injury.

May 22, 2023 16:20 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Silly wanderer. I mean, fair, but also, very silly.   I am slightly terrified as to what one would look like if it ever came out of its pupa.

Emy x
Explore Etrea
May 23, 2023 02:22 by Grace Gittel Lewis

Let us pray that we never find out

May 24, 2023 19:40 by Ademal

What a cruel way to treat such a kind deed.   Has an insightful being ever built a temple or safehouse over their burrow to protect or praise the meajeyi? Neither seems needed, but if a giant underground maggot restored my vision I'd probably offer to build a roof or drainage so the rain never bothers it.

CSS Whisperer • Community Admin • Author of Ethnis
May 25, 2023 02:09 by Grace Gittel Lewis

Undoubtedly, someone has. I may write about one eventually!

Jun 8, 2023 04:47 by Marjorie Ariel

Considering they call psychically to humans while psychically telling others to stay away, I have to wonder if they are born somehow through humans....

Jun 9, 2023 09:46 by Grace Gittel Lewis
Jul 25, 2023 15:26 by R. Dylon Elder

Just the word maggot makes me cringe lol I thinks it's incredibly coll they pupae for so long. Kind of scary really. I imagine when they fully develop... bad things will happen. It's also really cool that they can heal. Quite a cost though it seems. Well done!

Jul 25, 2023 20:54 by Grace Gittel Lewis

Yes, bad things will definitely happen when they do!

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