Denzelian

Denzelians were a strange, very rarely encountered species of subterranean creature that lacked any features.

Description
Denzelians were very thin, featureless creatures that took up a large surface area. Their thick skin had a texture similar to smooth stone, but was somewhat flexible. The color of their bodies varied, derived from whatever minerals they had recently absorbed, though the most commonly seen colors were brown and gray. On average their bodies were in diameter and  thick, weighing around.

Their bodies exuded a repulsive smell and were indigestible to most animals and plants. Denzelians were composed of a very rich variety of absorbed minerals and included deposits of almost pure carbon, sulfur, magnesium, and more. Some of these deposits formed into gemstones and it was not unusual to find perfectly round diamonds inside of them.

Male and female denzelians were indistinguishable from each other.

Behavior
Denzelians were generally rather peaceful, non-aggressive creatures with a semi-level of intellect. Though they would go to great lengths to drive off or kill anyone that threatened their young.

Abilities
Denzelians were capable of sensing vibrations in their environment.

The entire surface of their bodies secreted acid, which they used to burrow through rock and break down mineral deposits. However, if frightened they could significantly increase the amount they produced. This allowed them to escape by sinking into rock, leaving behind a blackish, crumbly sand-like residue. This gritty substance would fill the air, getting into the eyes, nose, and mouth of creatures within of the hole and paralyzing their senses. Some sources claimed that they traveled through solid rock at a rate of per week.

Combat
Denzelians had two methods of attacking other creatures. The first was to simply rush towards their enemy, attempting to trip them and have the enemy fall upon their acid secreting body. Their second tactic was to burrow through rock until they made its way above their enemy, then drop down on to them with their incredibly heavy, acid-secreting body.

Society
Denzelians were rather solitary creatures, but a male and female could often be found traveling alongside each other in a pair. Females ovulated only once in their lifetime, though some claimed that it was actually once every decade.

Female denzelians laid around three to twelve eggs which resembled fist-sized, faceted gemstones, in particular smoky quartz with a milky white liquid inside that was their embryo. These eggs were spread out over a apart and laid over the course of a month. Some claimed these eggs would hatch after only a year, while others said they took over a hundred years to hatch. Those who claimed the former would say denzelian mothers stayed near their eggs until they hatched.

Diet
Denzelians subsisted solely upon mineral deposits, which their bodies absorbed after breaking them down with the acid they secreted. However, they hated the taste of metal and would try to avoid it, making detours round even small deposits, which led to their tunnels having a meandering course and uncovering metal deposits that other creatures could harvest.

Homelands
These creatures were only known to inhabit subterranean areas, far away from any form of civilization. Footmen in the Realms were capable of identifying their tunnels.

Beyond Toril, denzelians could be found in the asteroids of the Tears of Selune.

Languages
Denzelians had a rudimentary form of language, consisting of vibrations sent through the rock. No other creatures were known to have been capable of mastering this form of communication, though denzelians could be trained to respond to taps on their surface.

Relationships
Dao were sometimes known to enslave denzelians.

Usages
The eggs of a denzelian fetched prices of up to a thousand gold pieces. Their body parts could be of great worth to alchemists, especially their acid-secreting glands if intact.