Gnashburrow - The Ankheg
Known to locals as Gnashburrow, this unusually large and aggressive ankheg has become a subterranean terror beneath the Verdure Meadows, ripping up crops, devouring livestock, and tunneling so close to homes that entire buildings have collapsed into the earth.
Role in Its Society:
Ankhegs do not possess traditional societies, but Gnashburrow has unintentionally become the center of a growing nest. Other ankhegs—likely its offspring or opportunistic kin—follow its tunnels, scavenging from its kills and expanding its hunting territory. Locals believe it to be a queen, though it is not; it is simply the biggest and meanest.
Appearance Description:
Gnashburrow is larger than a draft horse, its dull carapace cracked with age and stained dark with earth and blood. Its mandibles are chipped and jagged, like old iron shears, and its antennae twitch constantly, tasting vibrations in the air. A broken arrow is permanently lodged in the chitin above one of its many dark eyes.
Backstory:
Gnashburrow was hatched beneath the ruins of an old druid circle in the eastern Verdure Meadows—where the land had once been magically enriched. That latent magic infused the surrounding soil with an unnatural fertility, which made the area a paradise for prey animals… and for predators like Gnashburrow. Over time, it grew too large to burrow quietly, developing more aggressive hunting patterns and creating a veritable labyrinth beneath the region.
