Giant Earthworm
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Setting Intro | Visitor's Guide | Author's Intentions
One of the many horrors beyond the reaches of Nisoran cities is the giant earthworm. Those who have seen one find this name a laughable misnomer, and instead call it the terrorworm. It resides in underground caves and caverns, eating anything that dares enter its territory. Including humans.
On other planets, such areas would be closed to visitors, but on Nisora, everyone is free to make their own bad decisions.
Habitat & Physiology
The giant earthworm lives in underground reaches of Nisora. While it can dig tunnels with its rows and rows of teeth, it seems to have a preference for natural caverns over expending energy to create its own. This makes it particularly dangerous to cave divers, spelunkers, and others who may wish to explore the caves -- the sights that appeal to a visitor are also the most frequent locations for the giant earthworm to be. Adults are protected by what appears to be a thick hydrostatic skeleton, which allows them to move quickly through the earth and water. Very few weapons have been able to pierce it, save for lucky shots that reach between the plates. Though they have no eyes, they can feel vibrations through the earth and have a highly-attuned sense of smell. Rarely is anyone able to get close to one. They get close to you, and then it's too late. It should be noted that the "giant" in its name is quite relevant -- the adult worms seen in the wild are estimated to be about 100 feet long and 10 feet wide. It mouth takes up most of its "face", and is an estimated 8 feet wide.Behavior & Diet
Giant earthworms are believed to primarily subsist of algae and insects, including burrowbugs, but they've been known to eat humans and their pets if the opportunity arises. They're incredibly territorial, and the largest have territories that stretch for miles. If engaged in a territory dispute with another earthworm, both will ignore their surroundings completely until their opponent dies or retreats, making it the best time to observe the creature.Lifecycle & History
Fossilized evidence suggests the giant earthworm hasn't changed forms for millennia. There are even some indications on urahlian ruins that the worms harassed them upwards of 10,000 years ago. Records dating back to pre-Scream times share information on encounters with worms that are believed to still be alive today, suggesting a single worm may live for centuries. This is corroborated by the fact that only one dead earthworm has ever been found. Yet very little is known about their overall lifecycle. It's likely they follow a similar cycle to other worm and worm-like creatures, beginning as some sort of egg before becoming a hatchling, juvenile, and then finally an adult. However, none of this has been observed, nor has any mating process. The leading theory is the giant earthworms reproduce asexually, and possibly give up their lives to do so. The only carcass ever found looked to have been eaten from the inside out, suggesting either a parasite or parental sacrifice to feed the hatchlings. There are likely several hatchlings, to increase the chances of at least one making it to adulthood, and they're likely small enough to hide from potential prey until their protective hydroskeleton grows in.Did you know?
Due to its aggression, few who have studied the giant earthworm lived to share their findings. As such, most details on the creature are theories based on what little is known.Information
Average Height
10 feet
Average Length
100 feet
Geographic Distribution
Beware the earth that trembles deep,
And trust the fear that starts to creep.
With armor thick and hard as steel,
It wants you for its next meal.
Should another step you take,
You'll be lost before the quake.
Author Commentary
Theming"Underground" was an unintentionally common theme in Campaign 2: The Gal Pals: Trey's original hideout was the Underground, Bry's people lived underground, multiple missions took place in underground facilities... It didn't feel repetitive at the time, but it's interesting to note in retrospect.
I made this creature to be the obstruction for one specific mission based on the child's game Snakes & Ladders. It was incredibly successful, and I'll explain more in the GM Corner soon.
Parental sacrifice is an interesting theory. Have some thought about potential parasites eating their way out as well?
Yes, parasite is the other most common theory! In some ways, it has less evidence to support it. If such a parasite was common, they'd expect to find more carcasses with the same cause of death, but they've only found one so far. Parental sacrifice explains why no worm has been seen with offspring, why such carcasses are so rare, and how the worm's highly territorial nature interacts with reproduction. Its death bequeaths its territory to its offspring. Which could also be why worms try to claim so much territory -- the larger the territory, the more the offspring can grow before they get into disputes with each other. But in the end, it's all guesswork, and every current theory could be entirely wrong.