Core spawn

Core spawn
Fan art of core spawn, by Cecil Krchman.
Biological Information
Type	Aberration
Subraces	Core spawn crawler Core spawn emissary Core spawn seer Core spawn worm
Alignment	Neutral evil (Emissary) Chaotic evil (Crawler, Seer, Worm)
Vision	Blindsight, Tremorsense
Abilities	All immune to psychic damage
Sociocultural Information
Planes	Material Plane (Exandria)
Locations	Blightshore, Wildemount
Language	All understand Deep Speech Emissaries and Seers have telepathy Seers can speak Deep Speech, Common, and Undercommon

Core spawn are horrific, insect-like, eldritch aberrations that reside in the Miskath Pit and other underground mazes of tunnels across Blightshore.

History

Core spawn are a subterranean breed of servants and soldiers of the Elder Evils, awakened during the Calamity by the massive disturbances caused by the Betrayer Gods and their minions. Some core spawn are humanoids who have been corrupted by the Elder Evils through ritual or terrible encounters with eldritch power. Whatever their origins, these creatures frequently appear on the surface of Exandria following seismic events, like the one that created the Miskath Pit sinkhole. Indeed, when the omens are right, cultists and warlocks occasionally gather to channel their arcane power to stimulate natural seismic instability to accelerate the arrival of core spawn. Core spawn reportedly drag other creatures of Blightshore through their labyrinthine tunnels into underground nests for unknown purposes.

There is at least one case of an intelligent core spawn cooperating with non-core spawn, helping a dracolich with necromantic experimentation.

Varieties

Core spawn have a wide variety of physiologies, but four types have been described:

• Crawler: Small creatures with four taloned arms and a hooked, prehensile tail. Crawlers frequently travel in packs known as 'veins'.
• Emissary: Medium creatures with six taloned limbs, wings, and a tail. Emissaries can expel clouds of toxic, crystalline spores from tubes in their heads.
• Seer: Humanoid arcanists corrupted by the Elder Evils. Unlike the rest of the core spawn, Seers can speak, and know Common and Undercommon in addition to Deep Speech.
• Worm: Gargantuan creature with a lava-like glow beneath its hide, and barbed tentacles around its toothy maw.

References

Art: