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Rot Worms — Description

As the land is made from the countless ancient corpses of gods past, the earth is rich with nutrients. Plants do thrive here, but they aren't the only organisms to grow upon this rotting substrate. While forests of trees do exist, so do great jungles of fungi and mold. In some places, the mushrooms grow so tall that they cast great shadows with their expansive caps, while twisted fungal spires erupt from the ground and tangles of slime mold hang between these towering stalks. Though, sometimes the great bounties of the earth are not for everyone, as some substrates have the wrong composition for plant or fungi. Amongst the hardened flesh, congealed fluids and soil are ancient bones that break the surface. Massive patches of ivory that are too old and degraded for man to harvest, yet are still sturdy enough that they ward off roots. While many plants and fungi may find no use for bone, another creature has found the niche and filled it.
Rot worms are decomposers that specialize in bone when it comes to diet. Their bodies secret a potent enzyme that slowly eats away at the substance while they absorb the melted nutrients. However, this process is a slow one, taking years to fully deplete these massive bones. Thus, the rot worm take on a sessile lifestyle, rooting themselves to this pale substrate as they slowly wear away at it with their acid. Thick tendrils bury themselves into their food and the surrounding soil to better anchor them, while thinner tentacles unfurl into the air above. At the tip of these appendages are small stingers that can inject a dash of their burning enzyme. While this is to ward off predators, it is also a territorial display, meant to keep other rot worms from positioning themselves too close. Their undulating tendrils create a zone of no trespass, ensuring each rot worm is given proper space. Thankfully, they do not use these barbs on intruders who pose no threat. However, hostility is interpreted whenever a part of them is harmed. Watch your step as you travel through these wormy woods, as trodding on a tendril can earn you a nasty sting.
While rot worms can grow to impressive sizes when latched onto large specimens, smaller ones tend to be more common. In areas where these bony outgrowths are not as massive and plentiful, the rot worms cannot get to truly towering sizes before the food runs out. Thus, these ones are able to swap back into a mobile lifestyle, using their tendrils to drag themselves towards new food sources. Due to their fleshy bodies, they tend to find skulls, shells and other hard objects to stuff their vulnerable form into. They hide in these when predators get close, lashing out with stingers if the foe tries to crack them open. This is why it is recommended caution when one finds a loose shell or skull sitting there in the wild. Don't be eager to grab it or shove your face close lest a rot worm be inside. A very good way to gain a burning blister on your hands or face.
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A real short entry today! Not much to say here, mainly that sometimes trees be worms!