Full Description

Prolific within underground dungeons as well as abandoned cellars and damp slimy caves, these beetles are a menace to the unwary adventurer but also a life saver in times of desperate need.

About the size of a grown mans fingernail these pale white beetles feed off the mold and fungus the grows so readily in damp underground environments, and congregate in groups of 20-50 for saftey.

When threatened they secrete a flammable oil over their hard carapaces which they ignite it by sparking their pincers together, a sound that is at once metallic and yet faintly organic.

Once aflame these beetles will easily burn for several hours and quickly swarm over their foe and cling to its body with their sharp pincers, allowing the hundreds of small flames to kill the creature.

Once the enemy is dead the beetles will then retreat, returning to the corpse several days after the damp environment has caused it to begin to decompose with new breeds of mold and fungus.

Additional Information

These beetles are highly prized by alchemists, who will often sell by the dozen them in specially crafted lanterns to adventurers seeking a near fuel less lantern they can simply feed their moldy left over rations to. However this practice has been outlawed in many civilized areas due to the accidental release of these pests which can turn a normal town into a raging inferno.

Also some cunning adventures have used these dangerous creatures as make shift fire weapons. As one favored method goes; you lay out a open bag with some moldy bread or goblin toes inside and a rope attached. Then slowly drag the bag towards yourself after enough beetles were inside and gently draw the mouth closed. As long as the bag is handled somewhat gently the beetles will be more interested in the food source then their surroundings.

When one encounters a large dangerous creature a hefty toss of the bag will result in the agitated ignition of the beetles and their frenzying attack of the monster they have been flung at.

Other times a adventurer running for their life will stumble upon a nest of the insects and mange to run past before sufficiently angering them to ignition. However their pursing opponents are often not so lucky as the swarm has already been riled into a more alert state and are quick to react to the next group of intruders.

Their mating habits are unknown, although most suspect they are similar to other species of beetles.