Zoms

Zoms (also called creepy-crawlies, chitters, and brain-eaters) were dangerous creatures that lived in the Darklands. They were a reclusive species, and very little was known about them by the Greater Races.

Biology and Habitat[]

An ancient species, zoms had existed since the days of the archosaurs. They inhabited a vast network of underground tunnels and caverns that spanned several miles beneath the planet's surface. They typically lived in a colony of thousands. They preferred this dank and musty environment; their shells tended to dry out when venturing into less humid areas. Zoms were nearly blind at birth and their eyesight continued to decline as they aged. They had a far more acute sense of hearing and smell. They depended predominantly on vibrations from the ground to detect and stalk their prey; the movement of other zoms resonated on a familiar and comfortable frequency, but anything that did not make this specific sound was considered a threat or annoyance.

A zom was covered in a black, shiny, round armored carapace and plastron. Hairs protruding from their bodies functioned as receptors and allowed them to detect vibrations in the air, allowing them to construct mental pictures of their environment. They were multi-legged, had a pair of large pincers and a barbed tail, and were equipped with a sharp, needle-like proboscis. They made a characteristic, high-pitched cry. They hunted by stinging a prospective target, paralyzing him, before boring a small hole in his skull large enough to suck out and ingest his brain matter.

Cannibals by nature, zoms routinely consumed their own wounded and elderly. This kept their population in check, since they were also highly prolific breeders. The zom diet required high amounts of silicon, allowing them to grow tough armored shells that were made from silica filaments.

Zoms lacked sapience as most of the Greater Races tend to define the term, but they possessed a strong survival instinct and were capable of interfacing with sentient brains in order to gain a simulation of sentience by proxy (see below).

Symbiosis[]

Zoms fed upon the glial cells in the brains of many organisms, and had a particular predilection for species with a large prefrontal cortex. After consuming most of the brain matter from its prey, a zom could crawl into the empty brain cavity and interface with the remains of the brain stem, prompting the host body to respond to its commands. It was also able to process some of the electrochemically stored information from the brain matter it consumed; this allowed it to emulate the host's behavior and speech in an attempt to put on a more effective deception. Its goal in this scenario was normally to lead other members of the same species back to its zom-cave in order to provide nourishment, and potential additional host bodies, for other zom colony members. While interfaced with a host body, the zom artificially augmented the body's physical strength, and could choose to ignore pain receptors as deemed necessary. This facade was termporary at best, for rigor mortis would eventually set in and render the host body useless.

The Lost Treasure of Torlynn[]

"Four" Wheeler and Mariposa were unfortunate enough to encounter a group of zoms when traveling through a cave in the Darklands. During the encounter, Four kicked one of them, cracking its carapace. Mariposa was stung by one of them, but she and Four were able to escape and find an antidote to the venom.

The Curse of the Fate Shifter[]

The zom injured by its encounter with Four and Mariposa would later wander into the abandoned village of Northton. It encountered the youths Tristam and Prydwyn, who kicked it down to the bottom of the Uncanny Valley. Lured by the lingering scent of Troll brains, the zom made its way to Guttersworth where it arrived at the Skeleton's Key. When Rouge opened the door, the zom attacked her, subdued her, and consumed her brain matter.

The zom crawled into her skull, interfacing with her brain stem and using the electrochemically stored information to masquerade as Rouge. Its intention was to lure other humans back to its caverns where the other zoms could feed upon them and use them as additional host bodies. Its behavior seemed strange to Four, however. Eventually, the last vestiges of Rouge's consciousness were able to exert partial control over the shared body, trying to warn Four by attempting to kill him. Four struck back, knocking the shared body off a cliff. The zom escaped, making its way back to its zom-cave where the others, sensing its injuries, summarily devoured it.

The Veil of Souls[]

After undergoing cryo-sleep, an unconscious Four dreamed of brain-eaters, and was forced to walk upon the carapaces of thousands of the creatures.

Trivia[]

In The Veil of Souls, Mariposa classifies the zoms as "arachnoids."

Behind the Scenes[]

In A Butterfly's Tale, Four did not know the proper name for the creatures and Mariposa refused to offer one, finally describing them as "brain-eaters" after repeated prompting. The Curse of the Fate Shifter establishes their true name as zoms, a name used in the Troll language. The correct terminology for a group of brain-eaters is not known, but Four thought that "a panic of brain-eaters" seemed appropriate.

The illustrated profile for zoms, written by the author, further explains the physiology of the zoms, classifying stages of their life cycles as the zom-A phase (where they exist as single entities) and the zom-B phase (when they join with a living host). The unspoken implication is that this term is "really" the origin of the word zombie, which quite aptly describes the host form.

The zoms were partly inspired by the headcrabs from the computer game series Half-Life.