Philosopher worm

Philosopher worm

(Creature)

Type

Monstrous humanoid

CR

7

Environment

Any (Nchak)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Source: Alien Archive 3, pg(s). 78

Philosopher worm teleologarch

(Creature)

Type

Monstrous humanoid

CR

16

Environment

Any (Nchak)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Source: Alien Archive 3, pg(s). 78

Philosopher worms are a species created by the Forever Queen of Nchak to serve as her trusted advisors.

Appearance

Philosopher worms are less arthropodan than most of Nchak's species. A philosopher worm has six arms and an insect's thorax, but the lower body of a worm. Its head is a flat, vertical half-circle of hardened flesh lined with illuminated runes alongside the curved edge. These runes pulse in time with the philosopher worm's three hearts and serve as its sensory organs. On average, philosopher worms weigh 500 pounds and measure 8 feet long; the oldest and largest one can reach 16 feet long and weigh 2 tons.

Ecology

Philosopher worms can produce a serum known as sophic philter, which grants the imbiber a prophetic vision and mark of friendship to insects. They can only do this once per several months, and are dictated by tradition to only give them to someone worthy of gratitude.

Society

Philosopher worms were created by the first Forever Queen as loyal advisors to solve a potential problem: her subjects utterly venerate her and are unwilling to question her judgement. They are a vital part of but operate autonomously from both the state and the church of Hylax. Through magic and teleological reasoning, philosopher worms decipher the so-called 'metaphysical threads' from which the gods created reality and manipulate them to divine hidden knowledge or the future. With their knowledge, they educate the Forever Queen and challenge her decisions.

Only the most accomplished philosopher worms regularly meet the Forever Queen, most significantly the teleologarch, who serves as her primary advisor and second-in-command. Lower-ranking ones assist their elders or organise institutional projects among other Nchaki citizens.

Philosopher worms are served by numerous trox, who work as their muscle and face in the wider galaxy, facilitating their masters' aims and studies. The trox are secretive about their connection to the philosopher worms, giving rise to numerous (unfounded) conspiracy theories about their true nature. Second to the trox in their service are shirrens, who usually join the philosopher worms' staff under a trox's command. The number of shirrens who work directly under philosopher worms are few, but have been on the rise, as they have been part of the Pact Worlds for centuries.