Alvum Animo Termes

The Alvum Animo Termes is a mythical creature that has made it's way out of Africa only recently. Thought by sages to be a an ant, it is actually a termite. So rare are these creatures they are thought of as being nothing more than a story to scare children not to annoy nests of insects.
A mention of them exists in the dreaded Book of Eibon as a form most pleasing to the gods of death & the graves. It states that they can be summoned to regions to act as the destroyers of corpses and civilisations, along with a ritual spell to summon a swarm of them.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Alvum Animo Termes is like any incest, having a head, thorax and abdomen. It has no skeleton, and relies on it's exoskeleton to give it its shape. Cream white in colour with a brownish ting at the top front of it's head, it also has strong powerful pincers on its mouth, a pair of light & movement sensitive patches act as primitive eyes, two antenna, and three pairs of legs on it's thorax. They can grow wings, especially the queens & male drones where they fly off to start new colonies. The queen is always the largest in their hives becoming pretty much immobile, and an incubator for the young. They are closely related to other termites, and to cockroaches.
They have developed an ability to burrow into the bodies of animals, and attach themselves to the brainstem allowing them to control the creature. They release a mix of pheromones that can be picked up by others of their kind and their hosts. When they attach, the pincers grab hold of the brain stem, holding the spine with their legs, and sink their antenna into the brain allowing for them to grow through the central nervous system. When doing so, they can interface with the host's nervous system acting in place of the CNS. Over time they can produce hormones found naturally in their hosts bodies. The queen and the drones have much more control over the host bodies, and given time, develop enough synergy with their hosts to act like them. It does not stop certain traits being alter psychologically.
One of the strangest effects is that the workers & warriors will release enzymes into their host bodies causing them to break down and turn the soft tissues into liquid. This helps to feed the workers & warriors.

Genetics and Reproduction

The species seems to be a mutation of common African termites that have been mutated by ancient magic. Somewhere and somehow, a magic ritual has caused a genetic mutation that brought out a trait that makes the termites a parasite instead of a species that breaks down organic material.
Like nu termite colony, the queen is the largest form, followed by the drones, with the rest having been suppressed sexually by pheromones excreted by the latter two. Usually a number of queens are 'birthed' as grubs during late autumn. These mature during the winter and very early spring, flying off from the nest after this time. Drones are 'birthed' the same way but may attack & kill other drones from other hives to take over reproduction in a colony. The queen & drones grow wings and fly off in early mid spring, choose a site that they like and start breeding in a basic hive colony. The queen will then produce workers & warriors, with the former usually vastly outnumbering the latter, and both being classed as expendable in the longer term.
The latter two will expand the hive colony, and look after any grubs born, feeding & caring for them, and the warriors acting as general guards. The drones will act as a specific guard for the queen, and usually close to the birthing chamber & growth chamber.

Growth Rate & Stages

The workers & warriors have a very fast growth rate, growing from a small grub to full in a matter of days. As for the drones, they can take a few weeks to months, and will hibernate if need to over the winter period. The queens grow from grubs to full fledged queens in a matter of two to three months over he winter in a semi-hibernated state until ready to leave the nest.

Ecology and Habitats

They prefer hotter environments though can tolerate some changes in heat given time, and access to higher evolved species that they can dominate by taking over neurologically. They seem to have a connection to African savannahs and the edges of jungles, with some speculating it could have been an early experiment by Yuan-Ti to dominate & kill off creatures that they despise.
So far they can survive in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean & the coastal regions of Africa so there is some chance something somewhere from the oceans could have had an effect on their rise.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The workers will bring back plant material, scavenged tissue from animals, and other biological material to the hive colony to feet the young, and each other, as well as higher castes. This can be over a good few square miles. They never actively hunt though. Also, when they take over hosts they will try to move many of them to the area of the hive, and use the host's body as a food source. The difference here is the queen & drones are able to suppress the worse of their host's tissue being broken down by releasing a mix of hormones & enzymes to keep it alive. By doing so, they can gain nutrients directly from the blood, all the while integrating more & more with the host's nervous system.
The workers when not in a host will travel their area in large numbers, with a few warriors to guard them, though they can give a nasty nip to any creature themselves. There is always a risk that this will spread a disease to a creature bitten, as the workers may have been feasting on diseased or rotting organic material beforehand.

Biological Cycle

Most warriors & workers only live a few weeks to months, and never beyond late autumn. Most will go into the hive bunching up in groups near the queen, drones, and grubs. These can be used as a cannibalistic food supply for the core hive members if needed over later months.
The queen & drones can live for years, and a successful hive will stay in the one region for a long time. Flooding, fires, and natural disasters will be the only true way to kill them off. If the queen or drones die, a newly hatched queen or drones will take over. Some of the largest will have multiple chambers with multiples of these castes.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Alvum Animo Termes has basic 'eyes' that picks up movement and light & dark. They antenna that pick up a number of different pheromones & biochemical signals from the world around them when not meshed into a host's nervous system. When they do mesh, they use the senses of the host to determine the environment around them. The queen has a full suite of biochemical markers & pheromones that can dull or stimulate the workers & warriors of the hive. These help drones as well to to home in oh her if she is in danger or looking to breed. The drones themselves have limited amounts of these same pheromones.
One thing that stands out about the species is that they have limited psychic connections in a web like pattern throughout a specific hive. Each hive will have their own unique psychic spoor that stops confusion between which hive is which. The queen has a higher degree of psychic of psionic ability followed by the drones, followed by the workers & warriors (both of which have a very basic level). This acts like a network in the localized area, allowing for those who are most active acting like the eyes & ears of the colony, while the higher ups will act like the brain dictating what needs are to be met, and problem solving before delivering  response.

Scientific Name

Alvum Animo Termes

Origin/Ancestry

African

Conservation Status

None. They are a growing threat to other organisms and many who are aware of them are looking to kill them off.