“Writhing mass...glistening scales... gaping maws... It’s in my head! I can see it when I close my eyes! It calls me... back to the dark... it’s still with me! In my head... in my flesh...” -Aldous Algamite, dwarven miner (on his deathbed)

The Plague Worm is an insidious byproduct of magical contamination of the (more) common purple worm. Unlike the conventional proccess by which young are hatched from large eggs in small numbers, the Plague Worm’s reproductive process involves leaving behind a slimy residue containing thousands of tiny burrowing larvae in the tunnels it digs. Skin contact causes these larvae to burrow into the victim, where they slowly feed on the host. If it is unlucky enough to survive long enough, the host will eventually birth several “Rotgrubs” which is invariably fatal to the host. Furthermore, if an unlucky creature is unfortunate enough to meet the worm itself, it may fall prey to infestation of a different kind. The worm calls it’s prey, tugging on the psyche, indoctrinating. The “Vermin Cults” of the Plague worm are dangerous and contagious. The Worm can crush a man with its bulk in a moment. It doesn’t need to. It is defended. It is beloved.

“Iä! Iä! Iä! The Purple Worm! Iä! Iä! Iä!“
Instinct: To Consume Body and Mind

• Contaminate
• Bend the mind of its prey