Wordworm: It’ll Eat Your Words

I got hit with the  XP Internet Security 2010 malware program. Two days and six anti-malware programs later, I’ve finally gotten rid of it (knock on wood …). But the whole experience wasn’t a total loss, I guess, since it did give me an idea for magical vermin:

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetmck/ / CC BY 2.0

Wordworm

Description: A small worm about 1″ long, with no discernable eyes, mouth, or other features. These worms like to hide in the spines of books, where they’re easily overlooked, being the same color as the parchment and paper books are made of. However, once seen, they’re easy to find when the book owner knows what to look for.

Threat: Though related to bookworms [not to be confused with our real-world bookworms -- Jade], who devour not the actual paper of the books, but the wheat paste used to bind them, wordworms actually devour books. These pernicious pests are drawn to magical books and other writings, including scrolls, spell books, and warded items made of paper, parchment, or vellum. Once there, the slowly devour the magical work, leaving behind only empty covers (or the wax seals of scrolls), if they’re not discovered and removed.

Treatment: Normal magical wards and dispells will not prevent or remove a wordworm invasion. In fact, they tend to escalate the problem, as the woodworms use this magical energy to multiply. Treatment must be provided by professional magical exterminators who have been trained in pest removal. Most large cities of Guang Keshar have at least one such sorcerer and itinerant exterminators wander from one small town to another. One can usually be dispatched to a particular area by contacting the Sorcerers’ Guild.

Origin: The Grand Sorcerer Ti Mu (pronounced “tee moo”) created this now invasive and pernicious pest to thwart the ambitions of his rival, Marwu Tang (MAR-woo tang [to rhyme with "bang"]). In the days of Emperor Gyamun Atum (GEEYA-moon A [short "a", like in "far"]-toom), great grandfather to the present Emperor Hotashen Atum (HO-ta-shen A-toom), the two legendary sorcerers vied for the position of Imperial Sorcerer. Ti sought to cripple his rival by destroying his spell books. Unfortunately, he lost control of his creations and the multiplied and mutated to where even Ti could not longer control them and they spread throughout Guang Keshar. Ti was executed as an enemy of the state. Unfortunately, his worms are far more difficult to remove.

A note about the term “Sorcerer”

In Guang Keshar, “sorcery” is the term used for all magic, from high ceremonial magic rituals requiring several mages, to lowly hedge magic performed by a midwife to ease a woman’s labor.

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