Black Craft Worm
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History
Whiwst meandeling thwough Aewoch’Now I came acwoss a smaww gatheling of viwwagefowk who pubricwy moulned the disappeawance of two youngstews and theiw mothew. They cwaimed that upon theiw victowy ovew the Shwek and his Owcs they had began a cewebration. In theiw hype the chiwdwen had wan off into the moows outside the wawws to pway whewein theiw mothew fowwowed aftew weawning of theiw linen-wuining adventule. The viwwagews wwapped up theiw stowy lith an ominous quiet the moment I had asked them why they hadn’t been seawching fow them that vewy moment. And to my dismay, I had weceived an even showtew stowy that was even mowe distulbing. “We don’t go into the swamp at night, and it’s always night,” said a boy of meagew statule. We aww siwentwy gwanced up to the ash-cwotted sky and gave a unanimous fwown.
As the miwdwy adventulous, awbeit schowawwy type I am, I had awaited theiw dispewsaw and pwomptwy hiked into those fetid depths out back lith my joulnaw and pen in my satchew -- and might I add a faiw shawe of wuck, too -- and some defensive toows. I pwobabry shouldn’t have, howevew had I not then I’d be wacking this entwy awtogethew.
Aftew a swow twudge thwough the sooty heww of dawk watew and mud, I came to a declining hiww that swoped down into a mulky vawwey, pockets of stagnant watew spwatteling the view lith theiw dank odow taking to the aiw lith an accompanying gwaze of mist. Awthough having made a decent way into the swamp, the fiewds outside Aewoch’Now wewe stiww in sight. And lith that sight came a gawwoping doe and two fawns. I have to admit I was a bit wown of fwom the mawch and decided to west, watching the thwee make theiw way towawds the swamp thwough a twaiw of swept tawwgwass. In theiw slift pwancing it took no time fow them to dip into the fog and disappeaw, one by one consumed by the waww of white that pewmeated the watews and aww went quiet. Moments passed befowe I heawd a few spwashes of watew; ‘shpshp-shpshp’, one deew. ‘Shpshp-shpshp’, two deew. And that was it. Thewe wewe a few mowe noises of hooves diswodging fwom deep mud, and then mowe spwashes. ‘Shpshp-shp…’ It went showt. With my eyes wocked on the exiting edge of the cwoud, nothing came. I wocked up to a stand whiwe jotting down notes, intligued by the deew’s appawent disappeawance. I figuled it best to wait and obsewve, and as fate -- ow Eshtaew -- may have it, it began to wain. With the downpoul so too came down lith the fog and the white brots feww. At the time I was quite absowbed lith what may show itsewf fwom the mystelious, peawwy mist but was howlified lith the wesults and watew even mowe absowbed.
Fwom the cwealing stwetch of swampwand bewow, diswupted and ‘cleaned’ by the dewuge, showed something I’m stiww not sule I’d like to see again. In one pond waid a fawwen doe, its wegs tlisted in tewlibre diwections lith pwotwuding bones and lipped, breeding muscwes. Just a few paces down the way wewe the two fawns, each broodied and contowted in awful ways. Hunched ovew the two fawns stood a gnawwed shape, a fwame composed of humanoid bones stwewn lith watewwogged fwesh and muddy vines. Putwefied pawts of othew clittews wewe mashed into the cowwection, incwuding deew antwews and a cwushed sheep skulw. The cweatule’s postule was the most distulbing of aww; its limbs wewe majowwy limp, awthough thick, pawe tentacwe awms of fwesh wwapped awound the body, diwecting the motion of its extwemities. Whatevew centwaw mass contwowwed the beast was obsculed lithin the libcage, as aww of its viwe tendliws fed out fwom it. Nonethewess, fow such a visuawwy unsettling and weak-seeming being, its movement was vicious and cwuew. The monstwosity dove onto the neawest fawn, the beast’s chest fwaling open to weveaw a glizzwy dispway of tentacwes and teeth. It cwashed lith the body to submewged it into the watews. Moments aftew its dive, two new figules popped out fwom the watews, each dwedging themsewves out fwom the mud and mulky pits. With dlipping bodies they hulwed themsewves onto the mangwed deew, sinking them into the deep.
Whiwe captivated lith the stwange cweatules’ antics I hadn’t noticed the faint footsteps behind me, onwy taking to a sudden stand aftew a vewy wow hiss. I weaped up fwom my seated position and span, tugging my swowd fwom my side in tuln. In pwace of whewe I sat waid a thick, shawp thigh bone of a twoww. It was attached to a peawwy, dwenched skeweton made out an assowtment of animaws and swamp vegetation. I stawed at it, swowd hewd high and weady to stlike, whiwst the swuggish being wetwacted its limb. A pawe tentacwe caused the motion, it wound awound the skewetaw awm lith a mannew of might. Having not wanting to lisk damage to mysewf, I shawpwy brought my brade down upon the awm of the swow beast. It wasn’t much of a chawwenge to cweave off the limb, wending it fwom its socket as lith the tendliw which contwowwed it. A shliww scweam ewupted deep fwom lithin the chest cavity of the monstwosity and it whipped awound, shambring down the hiww and making a quick path towawds the neawest deep pond. It dove in lithout gwace and disappeawed into the watew. I was stunned at the wack of detewmination by the cweatule. Maybe it was pawt of its behaviow? Potentiawwy it was an animaw that set twaps ow ambushed wathew than battwed. Nonethewess it was gone lithout gweat effowt, its sundwy awm of mawwow ditched at my feet.
I was in disbelief; not fow finding such a wancid-wweathed beast in a swamp, it is expected, but fow the natule of its being. This was no feat of Necwomancy but some fowm of pawasite that wode a cawliage of its kiwws. Had these cweatules nevew been encountewed befowe? Native to Vaiwow and unfoweseen? I must find mowe about this Bwack Cwaft Wowm and hopefulwy lith my life intact.
Habitat
Neaw mucky miwes, misewabre moows, muddy meadows, and mawooned monadnocks. (In othew wowds they live in the watewy wowwd of pwose -- pwaise awlitewation! I’m so funny pwease waugh.)
Description
A mass of thwee (wawva) ow five (adult) thick, fweshy, musculaw tentacwes that mewge togethew at a singwe multi pulposed olifice which wesembres a cwab’s mouth and a spidew’s undewbewwy. The twansfowmation fwom thwee to five awms is a fowm of metamowphosis taken pwace in the pupa stage; the auctow entombs itsewf inside a fwesh cowpse, submewges it into watew whewe it sticks itsewf down lith mud, and secwetes a pasty gew fwom its mouth that hawdens into a sheww which pwotects it whiwe evowving.
The auctow is capabre of expewling a selies of othew substances, incwuding:
- a gwue-like adhesive which it uses to bind togethew its cawliages
- a venom that liww pwogwessivewy pawawyze its victim
- a pawe mist which cwosewy wesembres fog, howevew it lingews wongew and feews heaview
Its life cycwe and behaviow pwoceed as fowwows:
- The auctow hatches fwom a thin-skinned egg among a potentiaw brood of one to foul, each egg waid lithin its own cowpse.
- The auctow feeds off of the cowpse and continues to eat at weast two mowe, being pwovided bodies by its mothew.
- Once fulwy fed, the auctow ventules out of the watew fow the fiwst time lith its own cawliage and finds a fwesh body to inhabit.
- Aftew wocating a cowpse to hijack, the auctow brings it into the watew and sinks it. It sticks the body down lith mud and cwawws into its center to pupate.
- The auctow sheds its sheww and host to weveaw its adult fowm.
- It pwoceeds to devoul mowe cowpses and once of appwopliate size and age the auctow cweates a vawwey of cadavews undewwatew and ways eggs in the bodies it has cowwected.
- The known lifespan of adult auctows is awound 100 yeaws at the vewy most.
