Hellworms

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"The Hellworms work very quickly: they swallow rock, and the law furnaces within convert it into something that will not be in your way. They leave a tunnel through the mountain whose walls glow too hot to touch, that are still molten. The art of Hellworm management is to encourage them in the proper direction, and then to be a great distance away."[1]

Hellworms are a remarkable species reared by devils.

Behold the Worm[edit | edit source]

"Hellworms. One must admire the advertising enterprise of giving them such a name."[2]

A furnace.
A Law-Furnace.

Bred and marketed by devils,[3][4] hellworms are monstrous creatures with Law-Furnaces in their bodies.[5] They are used to drill tunnels through normally impenetrable land,[6][7] and can mine ores containing impossible materials.[8]

"Miniature" hellworms can be bought for a very high price.[9] These companions may be ridden with a brass saddle, along with a "bridle" consisting of a Correspondence sigil inscribed on a single strand of the hellworm's fur.[10] For the truly dedicated hellworm owner, specialized riding boots are available as well,[11] complete with their own boot polish.[12] Each sold separately, no refunds.[13][14]

Biology[edit | edit source]

"An Isopteran Handler cares for the hellworm. It feeds on Muscaria Brandy and ancient proto-Law – the latter, you must whisper into its ear yourself, though the worm's featureless body makes it difficult to ensure you have the right orifice."[15]

"You have acquired a reasonably-sized hellworm. If it had eyes, it would stare at you in adoration. Its fur is richer than veils-velvet; its soothing, cooing noises are a balm for the soul."[16]

A bottle of wine.
Muscaria Brandy

Hellworms are serpentine, fur-covered,[17] eyeless creatures,[18] with featureless bodies[19] and fiery maws.[20] They can move extremely fast with tremendous force, and can even jump.[21] It is unclear how large they are when fully grown, but an entire locomotive can fit within their tunnels.[22] Their diet includes hellish wine and ancient proto-law.[23]

Miniature hellworms are the size of draft horses,[24] weigh two tons,[25] and are excitable,[26] loyal pets[18] that enjoy attention[27] and adventure.[28] Juvenile hellworms are called Wyrmlights and have gold carapaces. They are considered "child law-furnaces;" they cannot survive if their "parent" law-furnace is disabled.[29]

The Hellworm Gamble[edit | edit source]

"Righty then. I've a cheese ripening cave down in Spite. A year of sitting there collecting the right kind of spores and we'll have a beauty of a cheese wheel, you'll see."[30]

A wheel of cheese.
A Ripened Wheel of Hellworm Cheese.

When roused,[31] miniature hellworms build up liquids in their bodies that may be harvested.[32][33] The origin of these liquids is unknown,[34] but a hellworm may dispense quality wine,[35] commercial goods,[34] or perhaps something stranger, like Cantigaster venom or the blood of a Master.[36][37]

A hellworm's most unique product is a sweet substance called Hellworm Milk,[38] not suitable for human consumption as even droplets can corrode stone. This milk can be made into Hellworm Cheese, though the ripening process takes an entire year.[39] When prepared, hellworm cheese is edible and enjoyable in small quantities, but in large quantities, it is said to be "one of the very worst ways to die."[40]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Help with the Hellworms, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Persuade the Jovial Contrarian, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Persuade Virginia/Tables, Fallen London "[...] I have a few reservations about the particular set of Devils who breed the Hellworms."
  4. ↑ Debating Matters of Business with the Board/Descriptions, Fallen London "[...] the board acquire Hellworms (at a considerable expense, and richly compensating the Devils who would make them available)."
  5. ↑ Help with the Hellworms, Fallen London "The Hellworms work [...] they swallow rock, and the law furnaces within convert it into something that will not be in your way."
  6. ↑ Debating Matters of Business with the Board/Descriptions, Fallen London "The Railway has encountered a barrier of impenetrable rock. The proposed solution is that the board acquire Hellworms [...]"
  7. ↑ Help with the Hellworms, Fallen London "The Hellworms work very quickly: [...] They leave a tunnel through the mountain [...]"
  8. ↑ Ask her to help with research into the Red Science, Fallen London "Need a Hellworm to mine the ore. It doesn't lawfully exist yet."
  9. ↑ Your Very Own Miniature Hellworm, Fallen London "Your Very Own Miniature Hellworm [...] It can be purchased from Extramural Trading Company [...] Buying [...] 200000"
  10. ↑ Purchase a hellworm saddle, Fallen London "Ah, d__n – of course it wasn't included in the original purchase. [...] The saddle itself, made of infernal brass [...] The 'bridle' is simply a sigil of the Correspondence, finely inscribed [...] onto a single strand of the hellworm's hair. [...] your hellworm is ready to ride. [...] "One simply climbs aboard and learns if one is worthy.""
  11. ↑ Purchase a pair of Hellworm-Riding Boots, Fallen London "'INDISPENSABLE to the DISCERNING HELLWORM OWNER', [...]"
  12. ↑ Purchase an amount of Hellworm-Riding Boot Polish, Fallen London "[...] 'ESSENTIAL to MAINTAINING the VITAL FORCES of your new BOOTS'."
  13. ↑ Purchase a pair of Hellworm-Riding Boots, Fallen London ""No refunds""
  14. ↑ Purchase an amount of Hellworm-Riding Boot Polish, Fallen London "[...] he locks up the shop and walks away as soon as you leave."
  15. ↑ Fuel the excavation with hellworm food, Fallen London
  16. ↑ Your Very Own Hellworm, Fallen London
  17. ↑ Your Very Own Miniature Hellworm, Fallen London "Entirely covered in luxuriant fur."
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Your Very Own Hellworm, Fallen London "If it had eyes, it would stare at you in adoration."
  19. ↑ Fuel the excavation with hellworm food, Fallen London "[...] you must whisper into its ear yourself, though the worm's featureless body makes it difficult to ensure you have the right orifice."
  20. ↑ Offices of the Tracklayer's Union: Station VIII Branch, Fallen London "[...] a painting [...] The Hellworm's fiery maw has been rendered in loving detail by someone who has obviously seen it close-up."
  21. ↑ Ride your hellworm, Fallen London "You cling to dear life [...] it gives you more: more speed, more force. [...] Leaping over the locks at Jericho. [...] Carving a deep furrow through the [..] mud of Moulin."
  22. ↑ Onward, Fallen London "No one speaks much on the train back to London. [...] when it passes through the tunnel dug by Hellworms [...]"
  23. ↑ Fuel the excavation with hellworm food, Fallen London "An [...] Handler cares for the hellworm. It feeds on Muscaria Brandy and ancient proto-Law – the latter, you must whisper [...]"
  24. ↑ Your Very Own Miniature Hellworm, Fallen London "The size of a warhorse."
  25. ↑ Play with your hellworm, Fallen London "Your hellworm [...] it weighs two tons, [...]"
  26. ↑ Play with your hellworm, Fallen London "Your hellworm rolls over and squirms like a manic puppy."
  27. ↑ Play with your hellworm, Fallen London "[...] the cooing noises it makes seem to indicate that it enjoys the attention."
  28. ↑ Ride your hellworm, Fallen London "It is more than happy to accelerate to blistering speed on its own [...]"
  29. ↑ Upwards (Story), Fallen London "Hell [...] Maybe they could loan you one of their rock-eating worms. [...] Wyrmlights [...] A [...] Menagerie-Keeper arrives [...] bearing a brass cage of crawling grubs. [...] golden carapaces cannot hide the burning glow from inside [...] "Child law-furnaces," [...] "They'll thrive so long as their parent does. Should it be extinguished, these little grubs will go out like lights." [...] You set the grubs to work on the rock of the roof. They take to their task hungrily, converting what is rock to what is not."
  30. ↑ Offer a pail of Hellworm Milk, Fallen London
  31. ↑ The Disposition of your Hellworm, Fallen London "Your hellworm is becoming more accustomed to being handled. Perhaps. For now. [...] 1+: Your hellworm seems a little warmer, a little more attentive. [...] Decreases by 7: Your hellworm seems a little more lethargic. "
  32. ↑ Milk your hellworm, Fallen London "What liquid will come out of it this time? "
  33. ↑ Milking your Hellworm, Fallen London "The process is rather difficult. [...] you have a flask full of... something."
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Examine its contents 25, Fallen London "Nikolas & Sons Instant Absolution Ablution [...] Identical in all regards to the commercial formulation, somehow."
  35. ↑ Examine its contents 2, Fallen London "A fine old vintage; [...]"
  36. ↑ Examine its contents 18, Fallen London "Cantigaster Venom [...] hard not to get a few droplets on skin, where they burn [...]"
  37. ↑ Examine its contents 17, Fallen London "Master's Blood [...] How?"
  38. ↑ Examine its contents 26, Fallen London "[...] unable to identify the liquid, you resort to tasting it. It is creamy and a little sweet. This is milk."
  39. ↑ Offer a pail of Hellworm Milk, Fallen London "While it is not suitable for the Apicius Club's immediate consumption, [...] He takes the pail [...] sloshing a few drops onto the street. They [...] leave pockmarks in the cobblestones. [...] "I've a cheese ripening cave [...] A year of sitting there [...] and we'll have [...] a cheese wheel, you'll see." [...] A year."
  40. ↑ Ripened Wheel of Hellworm Cheese, Fallen London "In small quantities, a [...] delight best eaten membrillo and cured meats. In large doses, one of the very worst ways to die."
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