From the journal of Nesia Belan, Avowed of Candlekeep, 1345 of the Dale Reckoning, his last entry.
"I write this by the flickering light of a guttering torch, deep within the fungal caverns of the Underdark on the outskirts of old dwarven tunnels far below the surface city of Velen, on the larger peninsula forming the extensive coast of the land of Tethyr. The air reeks of damp rot and iron-rich slime. My guide, a deep gnome named Krix, insisted we turn back. ‘The Silent Ones are hunting,’ he whispered, his voice trembling. I pressed onward for but a moment, and that was when I saw it—a sinuous shadow rippling across the ceiling, twenty feet of velveteen flesh glowing faintly blue. Its dozens of legs moved in perfect silence. Twin jets of slime arced suddenly through the dark. Krix screamed. The last thing I saw of him was his body, cocooned in shimmering mucus his gray face, eyes wide, struggling for air and life, as the creature’s hooked mandibles unfolded like a grotesque flower and it methodically slurped him up from the floor and to his doom. Without a guide and the way back now flooded, I have no choice but to press on; I know not where to go or how I will ever see the sun again, but I have faith that the dwarves carved these ancient passages for a reason, and they must lead somewhere."
I have a fair idea of where Nesia was at that time, and he was likely headed beneath Firedrake Bay and a region of dangerous volcanism, toxic gases, rivers of lava, dense and exotic fungus jungles, right into the territory of the Giant Velvet Worms and things much worse. I have seen a specimen of one of these monsters in a laboratory in Halruaa, taken from the lethal jungles of the southwest that make it nearly impossible to reach Chult by land, the one Nesia describes was probably a smaller male, or a species I have not seen before, or, I've never been in a situation where I could observe any glowing blue effect, so perhaps it was just some of the strange energy known to flow through the deep lands. I'm no stranger to trekking through tropical jungles, they are very hot and very wet and seem determined to consume you bit by bit, every day, every night, the cacophony of life on all sides screams out, as hunters become the hunted, and life sustains itself, as always, on a constant diet of death.
Today, we shall learn all there is to know about the Giant Velvet Worm, so grab yourself a tasty beverage, it's time to get deeply nerdy.
While I have seen a version of this monster for the Pathfinder Roleplaying game, it's not one you would have seen before, the velvet worm is a real creature, found in many places around the world, they favor dank and dark environments, actively roaming around, hunting for spiders and other prey, they are an incredibly ancient species, closely related to worms and the first primitive insects, they look like a cross between a worm and a caterpillar with a soft and lumpy looking skin and two very mobile and sensitive antenna that feel around contracting and extending as they feel around themselves constantly.
Velvet worms are not particularly intelligent creatures, but they are relentless and efficient predators; however, they are pretty primitive and they rely mainly on the senses of motion and smell to navigate and often identify prey by extending their antenna feelers and gently touching a creature, before they unleash a jet of thick slime to snare it, usually sort of gluing they prey to the spot and simply closing in to wrap around it and eat it while it's still alive.
In some areas of Faerûn, these creatures may have developed particular relationships with the land. In the Underdark, where the environment is dark, damp, and full of life, velvet worms have evolved to hunt more sophisticated prey—like the various spiders, giant centipedes, or even small subterranean mammals that dwell in the deep. Their presence could be a sign of the quality of the underground ecosystem and might influence the growth of fungi or mosses that feed on the remains of their prey.
In the jungles of Chult, for instance, a hazardous species of velvet worm could coexist with the many other deadly creatures in the region. These creatures might even be seen as challenging local civilizations or adventurers who attempt to navigate the jungle’s labyrinthine paths. Local tribes or factions may have rituals or protections to prevent encounters with these deadly predators, or they may have even domesticated the worms in a certain way, using them for their purposes.
But I'm getting ahead of myself; let's take a closer look at the biology before we delve further into their ecology.
With their long, segmented body covered in velvety hair-like structures, they come in a variety of colors, with some having lighter patterns just behind their head, easily distinguished by the long prehensile feelers sprouting from it, right at the base of those are two tiny eyes its easy to miss, and the mouth is usually just a simple gap, not very interesting when it's not in the process of feeding. Their body is typically 6 to 12 feet long, but they will eventually reach up to 24 feet in length and a few feet wide; they are heavier than they look with a very fluid and flexible internal structure, as they don't have any sort of skeleton, even at just 14 feet long they weigh around 900 pounds and their 15-20 stubby, non-jointed legs end in chitinous, hook-like claws, so they are quite capable of grappling and pinning a humanoid, even if they move relatively slowly compared to something like a giant centipede. The first stubby pair of projections beneath the feelers are the nozzles that spray out a large quantity of their infamous sticky slime, and the stuff is not just very sticky, capable of immobilizing a humanoid, it also has digestive enzymes in it that can burn and even, over time, dissolve stone, corrode metal and break down pretty much any organic material. Internally, they are very primitive organisms, on Earth they have existed since the first creatures crawled out of the oceans and in fantasy worlds, they have remained and thrived in isolated spots, like the thick jungles of Maztika and the fungus forests of the Underdark, the great and dangerous southern jungles of Faerun and even the heart of the most ancient forests have their own unique subspecies with a slightly better sense of vision than their underground cousins, who can really only distinguish between light and dark, not any details.
On other worlds, they exist wherever the feywild, arborea, or other lush dimensions cross over into the mortal plane, and some have been deliberately introduced to control populations of giant spiders, as the Velvet Worms' hydrophobic skin is also quite resistant to getting snared by sticky spiderweb and their primitive internal chemistry, segmented circulatory system with hearts pumping as long as they keep their stubby legs moving is very robust and can withstand most forms of venom. Most spiders will flee their webs and lairs, leaving the Velvet worms free to consume their nutrient-rich egg sacks.
The reproduction of Velvet worms is interesting, they produce eggs but gestate them internally for a long time, at least 7 months and give birth to live, fully formed young that are already several feet long and stay with the parent for a while, riding around on them. While normally solitary predators, constantly on the prowl for prey, they are also known to congregate as groups dominated by a larger female, this may be a sort of harem or pack, but its not really fully understood why they do it, other than there being less competition in a stable and lush environment, like a fungal forest rich in vermin life that allows them to hunt and feed together, combining forces for mutual defence when required. As they don't eat fungus, they are sometimes raised and kept by Myconids, who treat them like pack beasts and protectors, but, as with many other races, the fungus folk also make use of them for many alchemical recipes. Its in this protected sort of situation where you can find the oldest and largest of their kind, with some living for several decades and growing up to 30 feet in length, massing several tons.
The body of the Giant Velvet Worm is a treasure trove for alchemists, artificers, and mystics alike. Each part of the creature offers unique properties that, when harvested correctly, can be transformed into potent reagents or magical items.
The quick-hardening glue secreted from its oral papillae is prized as an ingredient in crafting waterproof adhesives, trap mechanisms, and even magical binding agents. Master alchemists have been known to incorporate this slime into potions of entanglement, enhancing their capacity to immobilize foes, such as enhanced versions of the Tanglefoot Bag.
The luxurious yet durable skin, when tanned with enchanted reagents, produces a material known as "velvethide." This is used in the crafting of armor and pouches that provide natural resistance to moisture and minor magical effects. It's also highly prized by Drow elves and Illithids for the tailored, flowing robes and coats they sometimes wear, which keep them free of mud, strands of web and so forth, its also quite plush, and not too thick, as its very warm deep underground and heavier leathers can be uncomfortable and prone to deterioration due to all the fungus and rot down there.
The potent enzymes injected during feeding are capable of liquefying even the toughest tissues. When isolated, they form the basis of acid-based components used in creating corrosive potions or in disintegrating barriers in alchemical experiments.
The chemical compounds present in the creature’s antennae are used to synthesize tinctures that enhance sensory perception temporarily, effectively granting the drinker tremorsense for brief periods, but overuse can result in damage to the nervous system, ironically causing tremors in the hands and facial ticks from nerve damage.
The chitinous material from its jaw elements and the claws on the ends of the legs can be fashioned into all sorts of things by the clever artisans of both deep caverns and dense jungles, the various species of amphibian folk prize such items as they never corrode in moisture and can be polished and carved like scrimshaw.
In certain regions of the Underdark and Feywild, it has been observed that bioluminescent fungi colonize the dorsal ridges of these worms, the glowing patterns provide camouflage and entice prey without causing any harm to the worms.
Specialized mites and beetles often scuttle around after the worms, feeding on stale and hardened slime and the few scraps the worms leave behind. Some of them are quite edible and are considered a delicacy by Underdark races; one type of tick has a numbing bite that can be refined into a more potent narcotic and topical analgesic paste that remains potent for months.
In various cultures—from druidic circles in Faerûn to isolated tribal island societies off the coast of Kara-tur—the Giant Velvet Worm is both revered and feared. Druids sometimes protect and transport them in order to preserve unique subspecies and also, like the Underdark cultures, use them to keep populations of giant spiders in check.
As an apex predator, the Giant Velvet Worm frequently encounters both adversaries and unwitting allies in the wild. While larger entities such as dragons or wyverns might occasionally pose a threat, the worm’s adhesive defenses (especially when groups congregate) allow it to stand its ground even against formidable attackers. It helps that draconic beings also find their taste quite revolting.
If you can manage to hunt and capture a specimen alive and transport it all the way to the markets of Athkatla, Calimport or Waterdeep, you can expect to earn quite a stack of gold for your troubles, particularly if you sell one to the worshippers of Malar and, their alchemical products are always a welcome addition to any exotic goods merchants wares.
My name is AJ Pickett, thanks for listening and as always, I will be back with more for you, very soon.
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