Crypt Beetle

by TheDigitalArtist

Nothing is ever wasted in nature. Dead and rotting flesh is a savory meal for vermin, especially the Crypt Beetle. This 3-inch (7.6 cm) beetle manages to make its way down into graves and into tombs where it happily dines on dead bodies. It is unsightly to witness and they are a nuisance to tomb caretakers. But, once the flesh is gone and only

the bones remain, the beetles leave as well. The stench in the air leaves once the flesh is gone as well so most caretakers never bother the beetle.
The undead, however, find these beetles horrific. Even mighty liches find these vermin to be a serious threat. After all, how can they go about their business of pretending to still be alive if they have been reduced to mere bones? Solutions to crypt beetle infestations are precious and something a lich will pay a good deal to have handled.
One such method is to invest in bats. Not just any bat will do. It takes a good-sized bat to eat crypt beetles. Fox bats are the species of choice. These orange-furred bats with black wings, snouts, and extremities can weigh up to 3 lbs (1.4 kg). Wise undead make bat caves with entrances in the most difficult to reach places and are only sized to accommodate the bats.
When providing a bat cave is not really an option, the undead will adopt cape toads. These tough-skinned toads can weigh up to 7 lbs (3 kg). All they need is a pool and some fungi to be content as they hunt down crypt beetles and any other vermin they can find. This is a rare type of toad found in a very inhospitable place deep in the Numis homeland. Only undead with healthy coffers can afford to invest in cape toads.
The only other effective method of dealing with crypt beetles is to craft skeleton minions whose sole purpose is to squish these beetles. This requires an undead to be a skilled necromancer, which all liches are. This has led to some liches creating pest control businesses. In fact, they spend so much of their time with their undead services that they rarely bother with the affairs of the living. The exceptions are those who make beetle-squishing skeletons. They are always in need of new bones.