Deathcrawler

Beneath the dunes, ‘Shay-Ramil’ lurks. He who is terror beneath the dunes. In Aridian tribal folklore the Deathcrawler were parasites shed by the Meridian spirits upon their soil as a plight. To many they’re vermin. They’re difficult to control the populations of and have a reputation for being able to spring out of anywhere. Indeed, they’re one of the more insidious threats a traveler may encounter on the wastes. Their flesh-hungry nature puts them at odds with ranchers and merchants who’d rather avoid the gaping jaws of this abyssal freak. For underestimating a Deathcrawler could spell the doom their name warns of.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

Unsightly creatures of a wormlike form, the Deathcrawler are truly odd. They’re not worms or serpents as one might expect but are instead a unique genus of vertebrate. They have cartilaginous skeletons which can flex and compress to fit into tight spaces. Between these rungs of cartilage are circular muscles. When exercised repeatedly they generate air pockets in the substrate to produce liquidization. The Deathcrawler can then swim through this substrate like it was water. This method of transportation is limited to fine substrate like sand and will be surely useless in thicker earths or rock. Though they lack eyes, the muscles lining their bodies are littered with nerve endings to detect the thickness of the earth around the Deathcrawler so it can avoid getting stuck.

Beneath the surface it can be difficult to know what lies above. In the case of the Deathcrawler, it opts to use touch and scent. A large pad above the head serves as the platform for a number of nerve-dense depressions and protrusions to detect vibration and scent. Deathcrawler can literally feel the movement of other beings above them as they tunnel. These sensory pads also let them detect changes in dryness in substrate, detecting liquids like water or blood by their unique odor when mixed in the substrate they dwell in.

Deathcrawlers are carnivores. Their maws are filled with serrated teeth designed to shear flesh for swallowing. Though small, these bites can deepen to upwards of an inch and threaten deeper arteries. To hold onto prey while feeding they deploy four small appendages with hooked talons. Once latched, Deathcrawler are difficult to pull off as their talons may sink even deeper into the victim’s flesh- even if the Deathcrawler itself is already dead. It’s advised to allow them to fall off naturally and simply avoid being bitten in the first place lest incur injury. If one must remove a Deathcrawler before its natural ending they need to be soaked in hot water to loosen the beast’s grip.

#### Psychology

Deathcrawler know no higher intellect and are purely instinct driven. They’re drawn to rhythmic vibrations often produced by animals’ locomotion to feed. Their desire to feed exceeds any sort of regard for each other, swarming the same victim without coordination if the opportunity arises. In areas with high densities of Deathcrawlers a single bite can cause all the surrounding Deathcrawler to enter a frenzied feeding clump. When they’re not eating they’re largely dormant or procuring batches of eggs beneath the sand. Deathcrawler aren’t much for parenting but will bury their progenies beneath the earth so predators do not find them.