Dethwyd Brood Chambers

The subterranean Dethwyd, or as they are more commonly known Troglodytes, are a constant menace on several worlds are a byword for cruelty and savagery. Though they are, like the Guran tribes and the Tuatha, descended from the same ancestors as modern day humans they are truly a breed apart. These pallid skinned creatures appear human but have long abandoned any humanity, even more so than the brutish Guran tribes.

Across those worlds they have infiltrated the Troglodytes lurk underground in sprawling subterranean caverns shielded from the light of the sun. They emerge at night, raiding for supplies and victims from those unwary enough not to fortify their dwellings.

Most victims will be torn asunder is grotesque orgiastic feasts, often still alive as the grotesque Troglodytes tear into them. Others will be sacrificed to the Dethwyd's savage pantheon of Gods. But a few will be taken to the deepest parts of the Troglodytes chthonic kingdom, into great damp chambers where water drips from above and puddles in foetid pools. These are the Brooding Chambers. Here the young Troglodytes dwell, too young and weak to live and survive amongst the rest of their kind. They are feral creatures, even more so than the adults. They will turn on each other at the slightest sign of weakness and invariably the stronger ones will grow to dominate their brooding chambers.

Those unfortunates from the worlds above will be flung into the Brooding Chambers, always wounded in some way so as to weaken them just enough to ensure they cannot escape or bring harm to the infant monsters. The victim, in utter darkness, will hear the hissing and growling and the splash of water all about them, then feel the clammy clawed fingers pawing at their extremities. Finally, the boldest of the brood will attack, small mouths filled with sharp teeth tearing into flesh. This will signal the others to surge forward. The victims may throw some of the wicked beasts off but will be swarmed and overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers and dozens of ravenous mouths and ripping claws.

Thus, on those worlds where the Troglodytes have infected, it is commonly accepted that it is better to take one's own life than end up dragged kicking and screaming into the dark below.