Page 126 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

living bodies of other creatures, sometimes for months or hatch and intermingle. Thus, a single mature tsochar might
years at a time. have anywhere from one to dozens of different parents.
While a tsochar can skillfully position its thin tendrils
within its host’s body cavity without killing the victim, it DEVELOPMENT AND AGING
still requires a fair amount of room. Tsochar can only enter A single tsochar strand is only a small portion of an adult
the bodies of creatures that are their own size or larger. Thus, tsochar. During their first four to eight weeks of life, individual

a typical tsochar, which is size Small, can enter a victim that strands in the same area encounter each other and slowly
is size Small or larger. Tsochari lose the ability to invade Small self-organize, joining each other by ones and twos as they
humanoids as they grow older, simply because they grow too grow into tangles. These accumulating tangles begin to grow

big to fit in their bodies. They can and do infest larger creatures, together, fusing mouthparts, sharing blood vessels and nerve
given the chance. connections, and gradually waking to full sentience about one
A tsochar establishes physical contact with the key nerves year after hatching. OF FLESH CHAPTER 7
and blood vessels of its victim by growing the Tsochari are THE WEARERS
ganglia connecting its own limbs into virtually
the key parts of its victim’s anatomy. immortal.
The monster can deliberately avoid As strands

inflicting lethal injury, remain- age and die, a
ing an unwelcome mature tsochar subsumes
hitchhiker newly hatched strands to
hiding in the replace the old. Roughly half of all
victim’s body, or tsochari strands become incorporated
it can set about into mature adults in this fashion (the
ripping out and other half assemble new individuals,
replacing brain given the opportunity). An individual
tissue, major nerves, and other critical strand lives about 100 years.
parts. In the former case, the victim Tsochari grow larger as
revives, awake and quite aware that an alien they grow older, adding Illus. by C. Fix
presence is now ensconced in his or her body. more strands than
In the latter case, the victim suffers a death of they lose. The more
indescribable agony, leaving behind a ready- strands a tsochar has,
made shell for the tsochar to masquerade in. the larger those strands tend to be. Very old tsochari might
A humanoid carrying a tsochar in his or her consist of a hundred or more strands, some close to 20 feet
body appears normal enough at a quick glance, long and 3 inches thick.
but a closer look shows several telltale signs—a On rare occasions, tsochar strands

slightly distended abdomen; long, snakelike cordings never find others of their kind
bunched beneath the skin; and glints of blue-black alien to fuse with, and live out

flesh in the navel, the throat, or the their lives as small, solitary
ear canal. An adult tsochar predators that prey on rodents
and vermin. A single strand pos-
REPRODUCTION sesses the characteristics described
Tsochari are completely hermaphroditic. below.
Each tsochar strand is both male and
female, and the creature can spawn any Tsochar Strand: CR 1/2; Tiny aberra-
time it cares to. In general, a tsochar reproduces once every tion; HD 1/2 d8+1; hp 3; Init +3; Spd 20 ft., climb 10 ft.; AC

five to ten years, laying a clutch of about one hundred small, 17, touch 15, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +0; Grp –7; Atk or Full
tough eggs. Each egg hatches into a single undifferentiated Atk +5 melee (1d3–3, tentacle); Space/Reach 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.; SA
tsochar strand. A single strand is not a new tsochar; instead, constrict 1d3–3, improved grab, poison; SQ damage reduction
thirty to forty must assemble into a collective tangle before 5/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., resistance to cold 5; AL N;
a new tsochar comes into existence. New tangles can spring SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 4, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 2, Wis
from a single parent, but tsochari take no special steps to make 13, Cha 9.
sure that this happens. In places where tsochari breed, it’s more Skills and Feats: Climb +13, Hide +13, Spot +3; Combat

B
common for a new tsochar to arise from strands hatched by Reflexes, Weapon Finesse .
multiple parents, as egg-clutches from several different tsochari Languages: N/A.

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