Ihonva
Ihonvas are worm-like skin-harvesting monstrous humanoids native to Fullbright, the sun-baked side of Verces.1
Appearance
An ihonva resembles a worm covered in a shell made of chitin of the same colour as its environment. Its two tentacle-like arms and tail separate into 'fingers' capable of fine manipulation. Its glossy-black single eye is shaped like a sideways hourglass, with a horizontal pupil, and dominates the ihonva's face. An ihonva's only orifice is a trunk ending in a jawless, circular mouth. It stands 6 feet tall and weighs 350 pounds.1
Ecology
Ihonvas reproduce by exchanging gametes through their trunks and storing them until they can capture an appropriate host (usually a humanoid) and render it helpless. At that point, the parent sends the zygotes into the prey's bloodstream and deposit it in the desert, where the larvae grow, weakening and eventually killing the host. When they are mature enough, the baby ihonvas exit the host and battle until the strongest remains to flay the host with a giant deciduous tooth and claim the skin, which is later fashioned into ceremonial clothing. Ihonvas mature at the age of 10 and live for 50 years on average.1
Society
Ihonvas rarely kill other intelligent creatures except in self-defence or when they need to breed. They mostly prey on the Outlaw Kingdoms, and the Ring of Nations usually leaves them alone. Some tribes engage in trade or use non-intelligent hosts, to the horror of other ihonvas.1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 . “Alien Archives” in The Penumbra Protocol, 56. Paizo Inc., 2018