Dr. Alset Niest
Character
Name: Nang Hul Worm, Lumbricina parasita
Designation: Non-Sentient
Homeworld: Selvaris
Language: None
Average height of adults: 1 meter
Skin color: Tan prior to parasitism, they take on the color of their host once attached as a survival mechanism
Hair color: Translucent setae, helps with locomotion when not attached to host
Breathes: Type 1, 2, and 3
Strengths:
[+]Produces Adrenaline: This can offset the pain of a wound, allergic reactions, bleeding, or general distaste for the battle. Heightens the sense of the host.
[+]Mimicry: Capable of shifting colors to match that of it's host.
[+] Giving: Despite it's desire to live functioning over all other things, this desire precipitates in a hardy and stalwart expression to give without hesitation.
[+] Hardy: Despite having no physical defense, the worm is a survivor. Environmental conditions, nearing extinction, etc. This worm laughs in the face of such adversity.
Weaknesses:
[-] No true defense: Once attached, the creature is entirely dependent on the host for survival.
[-] There to stay: unless completion of consumption occurs, removal of the worm will invariably kill it.
[-] Mindless: Well that isn't true, it has a brain. But its function is on the basic level of survival and reproduction.
[-] Weird weight issue: Despite the benefit, the parasitism changes the overall dimensions of the vonduun. Meaning this impacts the utility of the armor, something that must be offset with a resolve that mirrors the very thing causing the issue.
[-] Successful beggars can be choosers: The adrenaline does not pass through the armor, meaning it wont impact the wearer of the vonduun armor. I suspect this stems from a strong odor or distaste for the flavor of Yuuzhan Vong.
Distinctions:
-Worm shaped.
-Sharp teeth, use to attach to a host. Locking jaw that clenches and never lets go.
-Hinged legs, capable of gripping most surfaces and clinging on for immeasurable amounts of time.
-A drive and resolve that most sentient beings could only hope to obtain.
-Long internal 'tongue', used for attachment to host nervous system.
-Internal production of adrenaline, something used for the host only.
-No ears: sensors can intercept vibrations.
-Eyes similar to humans, high functioning color perception.
Average Lifespan: 10-15 years
Races: N/a
Estimated Population: 20,000 and climbing due to recent changes in metabolism and prey choice
Diet: Feed on nutrient taken in by Vonduun Crabs. Diet based entirely on the diet of the crab, which includes just about anything and are largely opportunistic carnivores. This diet is used for production of adrenaline, moisture control, and overall general happiness.
Communication: None
Culture: None
Technology level: None
General behavior: The Nang Hul is driven by one thing, as we all are. Survival. It breaks from it's cocoon, seeks out a host, bunkers down for the long supper. Afterwards, it departs from the host to find a mate. After the somewhat ritualistic dance of slimeTM that leads to mating and production of a cocoon, the viscous sack is buried in mesic conditions where it pulses for six months, evidently excited to start its life. Upon breaking out, the cycle occurs over again.
History: The Nang Hul worm, Lumbricina parasita, is not some shaped or genetically altered creature. It is a marvel of science, the marvel and triumph of nature. That from the clutches of death, life was gripped hard and clung to with a desperation one can only admire. They began their life simply, not much different then how they are seen now. Two worms, happy and full, mate. Each with male and female genitalia, they produce what can only be described as a cocoon. Within this somewhat soft sack, a baby worm grows up with ambition and drive! Not knowing that one day, the Yuuzhan Vong would come and shape the planet around them, wiping out their main form of food! An armored upright bear, if one believes the stories. Ursus armis, to which I am publishing an a scholarly article based on fossil findings. But I digress, back to the worm...
Faced with near extinction, the Nang Hul worm needed to make a choice. Make history or become history. And so it set out, breaking free from that cocoon of its loving mother and father, nested deep beneath the ground, to find food. Hungry, starving, it found itself exhausted and slumped and famished, resting upon the back of a Vonduun Crab. And there, sinking it's teeth in, it parasitized the Vonduun and evolved by mere choice.
The Ursus armis was a revered creature among locals of the Selvaris. Believed to have a long brown colored tail, barren of fur, the monster felt no pain and could not be deterred by pepper spray or wounds. Strictly speaking, I blame the Nang Hul worm. You see, the worm depends on its host for survival. It requires nourishment and protection, a means of safety, and to accomplish that...well it ensures it. Biting into the flesh of its host, now being the Vonduun crab, the worm taps into the central nervous systems and monitors what occurs. At the first sign of threat, the Nang Hul worm overloads the host with concentrated adrenaline, produced continuously within the body of the worm.
But not every relationship, mutualistic as it may be, ends happily. In this case, after the life span clears the final hurdle, the worm departs from it's host and finds another worm to mate with before a long needed rest. The cycle would, hypothetically, progress over again. It's hypothesized that the creature must reach the age of six months before it can break from its large cocoon and its production of adrenaline is clumsy at best, until the age of one.
The Legion Yun'Do has sought to harness this power by doing basically nothing. They create their Vonduun armor, living as it is, and then set up the date. The worm attaches gleefully, the the hunt removed from the equation, and then the armor can be donned. Once that occurs, attached to the midpoint of the back, the tail hangs from the back of the armor and swings. Because of gravity, because it's happy, it's truly hard to tell. No one can fully understand the mind of a worm.
Sadly, the worm has essentially no method of protection. It depends entirely on the host, or the wearer of the host, for protection from damage. Due to the exchange of resources and tie to nervous system, it has a somewhat discernible null characteristic to the force. However, the most prominent response of the beast to hosting is the change in color. Some variant of mimicry, the worm changes color to that of the host, being the Vonduun crab. Even with a change in shade over time, due to age, the Nang Hul worm perpetuates the color shift until departure. Quite fascinating.
Notable Player-Characters: N/a
Intent: The intent of the species is to be largely used as an addition to the numerous biots that can be used with the Vonduun armor. Along with this, it's intent is too increase the survey of species created or impacted by the vong shaping of Selvaris while simultaneously providing a utility to those who write Yuuzhan Vong characters, PC or NPC.
