Sand Wurms

Basic Information

Anatomy

A Gelorian sand wurm is typically about 5 meters wide and 80 feet long, with a body weighing about 40,000 pounds. Their hardened scales are a vibrant hue of violet, giving them the nickname of "Purple Worms." They also sport a massive poisonous stinger at the rears of their bodies.

Genetics and Reproduction

When two wurms meet to mate, the female will come over to the territory of the male. The two will shift and mate under the surface on and off for about a week, leading to intense earthquakes and sometimes even sandstorms in the area, sometimes known by locals as "Spawning Storms." After the female has been suitably fertilized, she returns to her territory to begin the gestation period and eventually giving birth to a clutch of live young, later inheriting her territory and battling other wurms to inherit theirs.

Ecology and Habitats

These monstrosities have only ever been seen in the Blasted Wastes, and very rarely on the surface. The worms, preferring the temperature beneath the surface, burrow through the desert, digging large tunnels underground.  Occasionally, when stirred, they will rise to the surface and attack, though this behavior is not common.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The sand wurm, as apex predator of the Blasted Wastes, eats pretty much anything that moves above the surface close to where it's currently burrowing. This includes beasts of any size, as well as humans and other humanoid nomads.

Biological Cycle

Every decade or so, a sand wurm sheds its chitinous exterior and abandons it very close to the surface, as the motion & heat of the sand helps it shed. These shedded scales are then used as material in rare crafts of scale mail armor harvested by the nomads of the Wastes, as well as the explorers near and around Kurn Darum.

Behaviour

Sand wurms are solitary creatures, only meeting with other wurms for mating or over disputes of territory. Should two wurms meet over a dispute of territory, only combat shall occur, where the two wurms fight to the death over their territory over tooth and stinger. Two wurms will also come together to mate, attempting fertilization several times over the course of a week, before the female wurm returns to her territory to give birth.
The sand wurm has no predators, and stalks its prey from beneath the sand, following its vibrations with its tremorsense.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The shedded scales of the sand wurms are often used as armor by nomads and scavengers, and their stingers are harvested for their potent poison for uses all across Geloriel, though never for good ends.

Average Intelligence

Sand wurms are not very intelligent, typically acting on primal and survival instincts.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Sand wurms are known to have blindsight and tremorsense, allowing them to sense the vibrations of the creatures on the surface that will soon become their next meal.

Lifespan

Around 150-200 years, though combat often takes them early.

Average Height

5 feet

Average Weight

40,000 lbs.

Average Length

80 feet

Geographic Distribution

• The Blasted Wastes