Muscans

This is a work-in-progress article and subject to changes in the future

Muscans

The smell of rot and decay grows ever stronger the further the ritual is proceeding. The tiny larvae in the center all have metal spikes brutally shoved into their bodies. Their blood is trickling into a large puddle in the center. The clerics of the Wurm start chanting, as suddenly black tendrils rise from the puddle of blood and sap the life from all larvae. All but one.
The only survivor now bears a black mark on its bruised flesh: marked by the Wurm itself! The tiny larva is praised by the clerics and will be raised to become a menace to the world.

Small Scavengers

Muscans are small creatures, only about 3 to 4 feet tall. Their hideous round bodies are held up by four spindly and hairy legs. Their grabby claw-like hands are attached at the ends of two equally thin arms. A pair of membranous wings on their back is just big enough to get their plump frames in the air. A muscans chitin is often black or grey, with the most exotic coloration being metallic sheens of green or gold. Their relatively huge compound eyes allow no threat or prey to escape their vision.
For most other insectoids, muscans are little more than hideous pests. Their ghastly appearance makes them the monsters in many a larvae's bedtime stories. As such, muscans are shunned by most people and met with disgust because of appearance alone. Of course, it rarely helps that many muscans enjoy rotten food as a lavish meal.

Lives too Short

Muscans are actually not the hideous beasts many expect them to be. In reality, they are pretty clever and are painfully aware of the impression they make on others.
A muscans life is short, their lifespans rarely exceeding 40 years. Many of them live in a constant state of paranoia that every day could be their last. This makes muscans seem shy or cowardly to others, even though they just try to protect the little time they have. The more knowledgeable or arcanely gifted ones might even try to prolong their life through dark rituals or forbidden magic.
However, some muscans that don't fear death as much but see the urgency a short life brings. As such, they start huge families, passing on their legacy to their offspring. That way, their name, memories, or deeds remain after their death.

Marked by the Wurm God

In their desperation, almost paralyzed by their fear of an untimely demise, the muscans were vulnerable to the shadowy tendrils of an ancient dark being. The Great Wurm whispered to the muscans, promising them a solution to all of their problems. If they help the dark god rise, it will bring an end to their suffering. It will bring endless darkness, where no creature will be better than the other. No one will be superior in the chaos. And the muscans listened to its promises, their souls now marked by the Wurm.
The lives of all muscans are innately bound to the great Wurm. Many of them live in cults that revere this deity which most other insectoids fear. These cults want to bring about the end of times, where the Wurm swallows the world whole and plunges everything into endless chaos. For many muscans, this seems to be the only solution to finally feel equal to other races.
Only rarely does a muscan see the wrong ways of this reverence and venture out to find a nobler goal in life. Many of them quickly pick up a different faith, trying to redeem themselves and remove the dark mark on their being. However, no matter what an exile might try, the tendrils of the Wurm never loosen their grip. The further they stray from their patron, the more plentiful thoughts and dreams about their end and inferiority become, pulling many exiles back to the cult. Only the strongest can withstand the promises of the Wurm for long. However, the Wurm is patient, for even the most vigorous soul returns to it sooner or later.