Bogas Worms

Weight
 Description
 Body color
 Areas found
 Environment
 Family structure
 Breeding and Mating rituals

## A short introduction

The Bogas Worms are multi segmented worms similar to Centipedes who can be easily found in coastal and jungle regions of Nakti. They are known for their poisonous hair, and they are considered a major annoyance among people and so, they are considered as pests. Those worms mostly feed on dead animals and they are carnivore predators.

### **Species**

Bogas Worm (Bristle Worm/Bobbit Worm)

**Size**Large at 6 to15ft and an average of 6-10 inches thick and bigger if well fed.

## **Description**

Large multi segmented worms, appearing much like centipedes but covered in sharp poisonous hairs. The worm moves without undulations as it’s many clawed feet carry it along as if gliding.  The body is semi soft so very flexible and swells with the amount of food supplied. Over doubling their size in girth with enough food. Ravenous monsters of an eating machine they are never sated and will gorge while able.

### **Fur/Scale Color**

Bogas worms are a reddish to a pale pink almost white flesh color. They vary in coloration with their food source growing up. Some are dark and some are patchy or striped, all of them have large sharp hairs along their sides in tufts at the separation of the body segments. The Hairs are typically an orangish red but have been known to be black or white as well. The jaws are a brownish red like old blood, the claws it uses to climb or crawl are a blackish brown.

## **Environment**

Beaches and Jungles all over the place. The Bogas Worms are climbers and regularly climb to look for prey in trees and among the cliffs. Any area near the sea or wetlands or jungle you may find them. You can also find them in the waters, usually in depths up to 1000ft but also all the way up to the shores and beyond.

### **Areas Found**

Anywhere there is warmth, moisture and a food source that can be taken advantage of. Normally found in wet jungles and along the seaside eating carrion. They have also been known to live in swamps and areas that seem too cold. This drives them to hide in masses during the winters and emerge after the thaw. The worms that have to hibernate often are much smaller then ones that can feed all year.

### **Ecology**

The Bogas Worm is a hybrid of the Bristle and Bobbit worms, both being of the same genetic lines in the wild, hybridized easily. They in the far past were scavenging worms crawling the coral and rocks. Growing in size and adapting to live on land in damp and wet environments they found new food sources and a new life. The worms are quite bold with their poisonous hairs that can sting and leave welts lasting for days. Living in colonies and freely moving among each other without harm from the spine like hairs.

## **Family Structure**

Colony Groups of all stages of growth. Safer in numbers as not much will bother a mass of toxic hairs and sharp jaws.

### **Breeding and Mating Rituals**

Whenever the opportunity comes the Worms will mate and move to a muddy area or the water and deposit the eggs among the rocks or in mud and rot. In the waters the eggs are just let loose in masses, most being eaten but some making it to adults. Each worm lays over a hundred thousand eggs and all worms are hermaphrodites all are egg layers. The eggs take a month to hatch and emerge as small copies of the adults. Most of the eggs will die or be eaten by insects or fish in the seas.

The body can be easily damaged and the segments easy to break off, this is on purpose as the worm regenerates from the breaks into new worms. Three or more segments have the most chance to regenerate into a new worm. Smaller pieces can but not as often usually dying.

Just hatched worms are not toxic, their body needs time to grow a bit and generate poison and deliver it to the hairs. The hairs are designed saturate themselves with the poison, giving the hairs their toxic kick.

## **Other Information**

Bogas Worms will stay away from fire and certain tree barks that when burned create smokes that keep them away. Bold and aggressive the worms will enter peoples homes or farms and kill and eat anything they can. Coming in numbers many people get overwhelmed and have to drive them back with fire or let them clean the area of vermin and all they can devour.

Some races like the Bone Talkers find the worms to be a great food source but take some technique to catch and prepare. There is also a Crab in some areas known as the **“Reckers”**, the crabs are large 5ft high at the shell’s hump. Their thick armor lets them feed with impunity and freely hunt the worms when then find them. Most of the time the Crabs only get a fragment of the worm and the rest moves away out of the danger. The Reckers only inhabit the sea side areas and forests near such sea access as they require the sea to breed.

Many creatures feed on the worms, Fish and birds feed on the eggs left in the waters or Insects and small animals feasting on the eggs.

Tree Weavers will eat them as well but catch them in silk and bite then backing off to let it die to the venom. The hairs are then used as defense in their nests poking out and secures it with silk. Weavers will farm the worms at times, making kills and letting the worms feed and grow. Thankfully the Weavers also feed on the worms when they need to, thinning down the numbers which could quickly become plague like if not kept in check.

A powerful anesthetic can be made with the poisonous hairs, used by the people of Abun and others. This makes Bogas Worms sought out at times or even fed, keeping them in the areas.

The taste the Bogas worms, is something most have to get used to but the Bone Talkers and some others find delicious. They say it is much like shellfish or lobster, many don’t have the nerve to take to eating worms tho.

Dealing with Recker attacks the worms will gather into a ball for defense and then swarm over the first Recker or Reckers who comes close. The group will bite and snap at the crab seeking the soft inner joints. Bogas worms can actually kill a Recker but it’s a rarity, the crabs rarely come alone and others will gladly help the one smothered in their own feeding.

After failure they will try and disperse going every which way and breaking apart if attacked or held. The broken clumps of segments will still crawl and run looking for cover and to be undisturbed. There alone and able to stop, the broken worm will go into a regeneration phase. Often failing due to fungal attacks or creatures, the fragments regenerating will molt and go into a cocoon like phase. Days later will open up with a new worm with a head that will get larger as it grows. The worm segments have to reorganize cells into a new head or end and the cocoon regeneration lets the body do so.

## Medical usage of the worms

The hair of the Bogas worms are also used in the medical field, combined with the Tymas, a widespread plant that grows almost in every part of the continent, as a powerful anesthetic and painkiller. Indeed, the sap contains an enzyme that suppresses the side-effect of the worms' hair, leaving only the numb effect. The hair and the sap are then boiled for half an hour, making an oil that must be smeared on the injuried part in order to suppress the pain.

This ointment is mostly used in Abun and the southern countries, and it's sold at a very high price by the priests of Nyar. It's usually used to treat heavy pain and it's also used on the battlefields as a way to suppress pain during amputation. The amount of oil that must be smeared on the skin must be evaluated carefully: if too much oil is smeared on the skin, it can bring irritations to the skin, leading to severe rashes that can last for a couple of days.