Gwueblu

"Something so cute shouldn't be that ugly. What were the gods drinking?"
-Beedle Wanderstone

A Gwueblu is a creature native to Vorthal that forms a symbiotic relationship with a host creature. Much is still unknown about the unusual creature but it is suspected the gwueblu offers protection and assistance with hunting in return for processing nutrients and providing transportation.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The gwueblu has a soft, bulb-shaped body, only about the width of a fingernail, with dermal flaps and no bones or cartilage. Despite this small appearance, arcane researchers believe its "mouth", which can expand up to 20 feet or more, to be a pocket dimension in which it stores massive tentacles, as well as a large quantity of its host's stomach acids in order to aid in the digestion of prey. It is still unknown how the gwueblu is able to alter its host physical structure to accommodate this enlarged form.

Ecology and Habitats

Gwueblu are born in water but don't live long without a host, which is why most gwueblus live in amphibians or reptiles, such as frogs, caecilians, snakes, and crocodiles, although there have been reported cases of larger animals acting as host.
Although there haven't been any case of a gwueblu residing inside a sentient species, the native Vorthali goliaths tell their children a story of a bad child who ran away and became a host to the monstrosity.

Dietary Needs and Habits

While its host might have a preferred diet do to hunting instincts, a gwueblu is not so particular. It wouldn't be uncommon for a especially hungry gwueblu residing in a frog to swallow a Vorthali Centipede.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

"I thought for certain I was gonna die sitting in a pool of crocodile stomach fluids. But as I activated my jewel of light, the beast began to writhe; it became my belief that the creature was wounded by the light. And so I stood, shakily, and cast a fireball across the fleshy chamber. I ran through the flare as quick as I could stumble through the stinging and sticky fluid covering the floor, and I fell onto the dirt, the crocodile retreating into the water."
-from My Days in the Jungle by Ferdinand Hertalson

The gwueblu is thought to have a strong arcane sense, rather than a physical one, which it uses to find a host. Although researchers believe the gwueblu doesn't have any sight, they have found that it is particularly sensitive to bright light.

Origin/Ancestry

Vorthali

Lifespan

As long as host lives; without host < 1 day

Average Weight

~2.5 grams

Average Length

<.5 inches