Pupae, Exotic Gassers
| Class: |
Beasts, realistic or fabulous |
| Hab: |
Subterranean |
| Fre: |
Somewhat rare |
| Num: |
50-500 |
| Lair: |
100% |
| Size: |
By species; most 25 to 500 lb. |
| Move: |
Extremely slow writhing |
| Def: |
Secure in cyst shell, fat absorbs impacts |
| Att: |
Gas chambers |
| Int: |
Barely - but asleep |
| Spec: |
Produce exotic gases |
| Posns: |
Can be cultivated by "gas-farmers" |
Exotic Gasser Pupae
There are several sorts of insects, mostly giant beetles of various sorts, which have developed, perhaps by some means more sinister than mere convergent evolution, communally-encysting pupae which exude exotic gasses. Those whose adult stage lives above ground usually cyst within ten to a hundred beetle lengths of the surface, exact distance varying by beetle species, size and geology (ease of burrowing). Those without a surface-dwelling stage may make their communal cyst far, far deeper in the earth.
The cyst shell is cemented together from a mixture of stone dust and sand and gravel, bonded with an epoxy-like silk. The result is a great, multi-chambered complex, hard as stone, its dividing walls over a foot thick. The numerous chambers are arranged in something like an irregular three-dimensional honeycomb.
The pupae use only the most secure, obscure, and well-protected chambers for their development. The other chambers are filled with poisonous vapors off gassed by the developing pupae; they rely upon these gas traps to repel would-be predators. Each pupa in the communal cyst off-gasses a different vapor. Multiple minute pipe-like channels connect each pupa to several of the gas trap chambers, making of them a sort of 3-D patchwork quilt type maze of gases. Most of the chambers will have but a single type of gas in them but some will have a mixture from two or three different pupae, which yields a different effect, usually a logical mix or hybrid gas. Each gas is likely to have its own distinct odor; Delvers may learn to tell what sort of gas is within a particular chamber by scent - hopefully before it is too late to avoid a dangerous effect.
In areas where there are magical artifacts or magical spells have been used, the pupae may develop gases of alchemical potency and strange effects. Otherwise, they produce varied but more mundane effects. These may include sleeping gas, a variety of hallucinogens, assorted toxins, or even incendiary mixtures. Often the pupae themselves are loaded with volatile chemicals in their glycerin-laced fat; if one is injured, the explosion of the resulting fireball may serve to save its siblings.
There are recorded instances of troglodytic Folk collecting pupae and, by special treatments, greatly retarding their maturation rate while yet preventing starvation. These cultivated pupae are used as living gas producers, either sealed in to trap mechanisms throughout the troglodytes' territory or kept in "gas farms" by their alchemists.