| Class: | Mineral Beast or (Horta) Folk |
| Hab: | Subterranean or arid, stony wasteland |
| Fre: | By setting |
| Num: | 1 or 10-100; Horta Folk possibly in larger more populous civilizations |
| Lair: | 20% |
| Size: | 10' x 10' but flat; Horta are 5' to 10' in diameter but lumpishly thicker |
| Move: | Glides caterpillar-fashion; quickly melts-burrows through stone |
| Def: | Tough as solid stone, with fibrous tensile strength |
| Att: | None OR by smothering and acid squirting or oozing |
| Int: | Dull-witted beastie to dog-bright; Horta Folk at least as smart as Humans |
| Spec: | Possible majic or special abilities; can re-seal stone behind it |
| Posns: | Gem-geode eggs, incidentals, more for civilized Horta Folk |
The denzelian, as described by Lewis Pulsipher for The Fiend Folio (which SEE), seems extremely similar to the Horta of the classic Star Trek episode #26, "Devil in the Dark;" the denzelian is very likely a primitive relative of the Horta. The most significant difference is that the denzelian's intelligence rating is "semi," while the Horta's ability to suggest a cooperative mining enterprise to the Vulcan Spock during a mind-meld suggests Human-level intelligence - at the very least.
The denzelian is very thin but large; 10' x 10' x 3" as opposed to the thicker, lumpish Horta shape. The denzelian is described as having a thousand-year lifespan, with females laying but 1d6+s eggs once in their life time, the eggs taking a century to hatch. The denzelian mother does her best to hide her eggs in different places.
When melt-burrowing through stone, a denzelian can leave an open tunnel, or it may choose to re-seal the stone behind it; such as seal will have a contorted look, like ossified paste.
The denzelian description specifies that it has no attack mode, nor any defense save for a repulsive scent and inedibility. The Horta in "Devil in the Dark" was apparently scentless (as it was not given away by its scent) and killed several times.
The denzelian are, perhaps inaccurately or misleadingly, said to have males and females; in Devil in the Dark there was no mention of Horta gender differentiation; the Horta could be hermaphroditic, change sex during the course of their lives, or have some other arrangement just as easily as be specifically male and female.
Denzelian eggs are worth $1,000; who knows how much an unscrupulous collector would pay for a genuine Horta egg?
Denzelians may be domesticable; if so, young would be very valuable.
If there are Horta and denzelians, how many other creatures - and Folk - might there be in this group of mineral life forms?
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