July 2016 Challenge: Feluvian Sand Wurm Chamber

[Neyjour]

Feluvian Sand Wurm Chamber
The Dread Gauntlet of Necromancy ~ 9th Level

Here’s the list I got:
Capture.PNG

I decided to go with #6:
A room filled with sand on the 9th level of the Dread Gauntlet of Necromancy.

Since “a room filled with sand” initially sounds very… plain, I wanted to inhabit it with something living, that was interesting and dangerous, and I came up
with a desert dragon/snake creature (somewhat similar to an Asian dragon, but without the legs).

Then I started thinking about:
* What would be the purpose of a room filled with sand?
* Why would a creature like that be in there?
* And what would be the purpose of an encounter with this creature?

And I came up with this:
(drawing some inspiration from “Dune” and “Tremors”)

The Feluvian Sand Wurm

Feluvian Sand Wurms are not uncommon, but due to their preference for extremely arid and desolate desert environments, with vast expanses of deep
sand dunes, they are very rarely encountered. With their long, legless, serpentine body, thick, armour-scaled skin, large head, and rows of inches-long
needle-like teeth, they are more commonly referred to as the “Desert Dragonsnake”.

Adult Wurms reach maturity at roughly 80 years, and although their full lifespan is unknown, there are a few written records which indicate that captive
Wurms may live up to 240 years.
(Note: It is assumed that those left in their natural environment have much longer lifespans.)

When taken out of their natural environment and placed into one absent of sand, Feluvian Sand Wurms will excrete a sand-like substance (Feluva) at a
faster rate than normal. Feluva is very similar to sand, but the granules are significantly smaller and smoother, giving it a soft, slick texture that feels vaguely
like an oily powder. Wurms have been known to traverse many miles in search of sustenance, but the majority of their time is spent in and around their
communal territory. With multiple Wurms excreting Feluva in a small region, the sand eventually becomes saturated with it, allowing them to move and burrow
with greater ease. In a sandless environment, the increased production of Feluva is a survival mechanism, enabling them to move freely and unencumbered.
(Note: Excessive feeding speeds up the excretion process, but will significantly shorten their lifespan.)

Feluva contains trace amounts of a very valuable, toxic, crystalized substance, most commonly used as an ingredient in undetectable poisons and dark magicks
(ie, Necromancy). This substance (Azachite) has a heavier density than sand and Feluva, and will slowly sink until it comes into contact with a solid base. Because
of this (and the dangerous, aggressive nature of the Wurms), harvesting Azachite in the wild is an impossible task.

Feluvian Sand Wurms will defend their territory and their young with swift, stealthy, and often deadly efficiency. Attempting to capture and transport an adult
Wurm is not recommended. A confrontation with an adult will almost always result in death; either yours or the Wurm’s. In the rare instance that an adult is
captured, the resulting injuries it will have sustained guarantees that it will not survive for very long. Most die during transport, or very soon thereafter. Thus,
the only reliable method of harvesting Azachite is to aquire a young one and cultivate it into adulthood over many decades.

Aquiring a young Wurm is no easy undertaking. Due to the intelligence of these creatures, creative and unconventional methods must be used to lure the adults
away from a nest of young. And while young Wurms are considerably smaller than their adult counterparts, they can still be very dangerous. The utmost care must
be taken to secure the mouth before attempting to transfer them to a cage or container. Young Wurms have razor-sharp teeth and can easily sever a major artery.

Young Wurms should be kept in a small, solid enclosure for several years. During this time, the Feluva should be periodically removed and either stored for later use,
or directly transferred to a large, secure room where the Wurm will spend the majority of its lifespan once it has outgrown its initial enclosure. At the end of its
lifespan (or a premature killing), the Azachite can be harvested by setting the Feluva aflame with the aid of an accelerant. The majority of the Feluva will be burnt
away with only a small amount of ash remaining, which should then be sifted from the Azachite.

(Special Note: Although Feluvian Sand Wurms are social creatures, captive Wurms will kill each other if placed together in the same room or enclosure.)

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A map of just the room wouldn’t look too interesting, so I’m going to include all of the above information. Possibly an illustration/render of the Wurm as well.
And I’m still thinking about the overall layout, and haven’t decided whether to make this monochrome/sepia or full colour…

Some possible scenarios:
* The Necromancers wish to kill the Wurm prematurely (for Azachite harvesting), and the party members consent to taking on the task.
* The party members are forcefully locked in the room, either as a test, or as an easy way for the Necromancers to get rid of them.
* The Wurm is still fairly young and the party members wish to steal it, for the purpose of “liberating” it (setting it free back into the wild), or to transfer it
somewhere else (for their own use), to gift it and/or the Azachite to someone, or to sell it.

[Warlin]

This background elements are really interesting and i'm Eager to see what you come up with. Azachite is a good idea, have you find it in some reference or is it from your personnal worldbuilding work ?

[Neyjour]

Thanks, Warlin. Everything was just made-up for the purposes of this map/challenge.

[Neyjour]

### Latest WIP ###
Feluvian Sand Wurm Chamber WIP-01 by Neyjour.png

[Neyjour]

### Latest WIP ###
Feluvian Sand Wurm Chamber WIP-02 by Neyjour.png

[Diamond]

Ooooh, nice! I really like the presentation of this - the layout, color palette, everything looks great.

[Neyjour]

Thanks so much Diamond.

[Neyjour]

Getting close to finishing this up...
(Late-night insomnia does wonders for productivity).

### Latest WIP ###
Feluvian Sand Wurm Chamber WIP-03 by Neyjour.png

[Bogie]

Great map, cool idea and background, superb presentation.

[Abu Lafia]

Great map, cool idea and background, superb presentation.

This!
Great to see you picking up the "unlikeliest" of your random sites and working it out so well. I love the lights from the ceiling, they give a wonderful touch. Haven't seen anything like this on a battle-map before (ok, i'm not an expert of battle-maps ). Only the fontsize seems a bit small, so the fantastic text about the wurm is hardly readable atm.