Purple Worm

Threat Level: Immense

Description

The single largest (at least in terms of length) creature in Jotunheim, I have found that the Worms on Jotunheim dwarf their main land counterparts, reaching 50-100ft in length, and 10-30ft in diameter. I believe this increased size is due to the abundance of food, in the form of mega-fauna and nutrient rich soil/rocks.

The Purple Worm is covered from head to toe (or perhaps “head to tail” is more appropriate! Hah!) in thick, spiked, armor like plating. Additionally, the worms skin produces a thick and viscous mucus, which they use to breathe, as they have no lungs. They are able to achieve this, as the mucus extracts oxygen from the surrounding air, and deposits it straight into the bloodstream, which is then circulated to the brains. Of which, two are located along the worms sides, as oppose to the head. This allows them to be cut into segments and, within reason, still survive.

This mucus is also the cause of their purple coloration, as the worm itself actually is “mottled” in coloration. Finally, the Worm can sometimes even possess large mandibles on the sides of the mouth, covered in rows of teeth, that extends to its maw.

A Purple Worms appearance is also dictated by its environment, meaning an individuals physical characteristics can vary wildly, namely certain aspects either being exaggerated or minimized. For example, a Purple Worm within a very rocky environment may have exaggerated mandibles to better crunch rock and stone, while one within a sandy environment will have large flat mandibles for “scooping” sand, along with a deeper shade of purple (due to increased mucus production) due to the heat.

Behavior

Dumb as the dirt they eat, the Purple Worm is a personal favorite of mine, in part due to purple being my favorite color! Of course, that’s not pertinent to this article, and as such, I am obligated to enlighten the masses (that’s you!) on what I, Humber Dumblfeet, have learned.

To begin with, as stated, the Purple Worm is VERY stupid. Incapable of any higher thinking, it is purely an impulsive creature, that simply reacts to its environment. This is in part due to their design, with the aforementioned brains being VERY rudimentary in nature. But also due its diet. This is because the Purple Worm has a rather simple, yet effective, means of digging, while simultaneously consuming the surrounding nutrients. To burrow, the worm will simply eat whatever material it finds in its path, and excretes said dirt through its sphincter. As the dirt and rubble travels through the worms gut, it’s highly effective acids strip down any microorganisms, plants, fungi and anything else that can be found within the material, before depositing it at the other end. And while this can occasionally lead to issues, such as minerals and items becoming stuck (I.e. gemstones, swords, armor, etc.), this strategy has allowed the worm to thrive, even with its highly low intelligence. This is also why it is a rare sight for a worm to attack random villages, as they simply do not need to!!

That being said, one would not only be a fool, but a foolish idiot, to think that just because the Purple Worm eats dirt, that it won’t jump (or Crawl! Or perhaps dig… Burrow?) at the opportunity to consume anything moving. And consume they do, showing little to no care for nutritional value. From dinosaurs, Roks, and even giants; all the way to deer, boar, and yes even humanoids. In fact, they are so extremely aggressive, that the beast has had to evolve a special organ just to deter other worms! This organ produces a chemical that works to deter any and all Purple Worms from a specific area, thus avoiding unnecessary confrontation, or accidental collisions.

On the note of organs, the Purple Worms has another a surprising amount of, and lack of, organs. With many “backup” organs, such as two hearts, and even brains. But also a lack of key organs one might expect, such as lungs. While the extras can simply be explained away as failsafes, and compensation for such a large organism, the lack of lungs is much more peculiar. As one would expect, this means the worm does not “breath” as you’d expect, but uses an entirely unique system of collecting oxygen. They do this by extracting the oxygen from the air with their mucus, that then deposits it into the bloodstream (see description for more detail, I’m not in the business of rewriting…). But to maintain this, the worm must constantly stay on the move, with any stops being equivalent to the worm holding its breath. Because of this unique form of “breathing” the worm will avoid staying on the surface for prolonged periods of time, along with sources of water, as this will strip them of their mucus, thus suffocating them

A rather exquisite painting I did. I feel it captures the pure, raw animalistic nature of the beast. Juxtaposed by the nautiloid, representing progress and higher thinking. Overall, the piece depicts the battle between nature and instinct against advancement and reason.

A more accurate depiction I sketched while traveling to a Purple Worm nest. Luckily, I had bathed in the scent gland of a Purple Worm beforehand, but this individual appeared a tid bit more curious then I would have preferred!

Yet another excellent entry, Mr. Dumblfeet. As always, we appreciate your in depth analysis and "unique" perspectives. However, we would ask you please show more professionalism in your articles. The recruits and scholars don't need to know your favorite color, and please do not refer to creatures as "stupid". An unbiased report is perfectly acceptable. Finally, we wish to ask how your hunt for the Balhannoth goes? While we never actually assigned you the creature, we've learned it is of no use to dissuade you, and so we wish to ask if there's any way we can aid you in your search. - Randal Phillips, your editor



Respectfully, and unbiasedly, bite me. - with love, Humber Dumblfeet