Purple worm

The purple worm was akin to an enormous and bizarre earthworm.

Biology
Purple worm eggs were approximately in diameter, silvery spheres with extremely hard shells. Purple worms often clustered their eggs together in groups of six and suspended them from their chamber walls by strands of sticky saliva.

After successfully hatching, these young creatures were known as purple wormlings. To be classed as wormlings, the creatures had to be less than 6 weeks old. At this point, the wormlings were about long and weighed.

History
In 1367 DR, a mottled purple worm wandered into the submerged depths of Orvaskyte Keep.

Sub-Species
Varieties of purple worms were known to live in lakes or desert plains:
 * Desert
 * Desert purple worms were a species endemic to the sands and salt flats of Calimshan. Much like the desert cousin of the purple worm, thunderherders, this species typically traveled in groups. They also typically followed in the wake of Memnon's manifestations, since those loosened soil. There were never any reports of them tunneling underneat the Trade Way, as whatever magic protected it also stopped them from disturbing it.


 * Mottled
 * Mottled purple worms were an aquatic sub-species. They largely conformed to the standard characteristics of the purple worm, but were generally found in shallow bottom muck. They occasionally surfaced in order to find prey.

Relationships
Purple worms laid eggs in areas sometimes called nurseries. Sometimes these areas were the home of other creatures that formed a symbiotic relationship with the worms, lurking within their nurseries to hunt for prey that came searching for the worm's valuable eggs, thereby protecting them. Giant spiders and other creatures which had no direct interest in their eggs often served this purpose. Fomorian giants sometimes developed a relationship with the purple worms as well and became caretakers of the clusters of eggs.

Usages
Purple worm eggs were highly valued by wizards for various arcane rituals.

Rumors & Legends
There were rumored to be purple worms in the Underdark that had two heads due to mutation from faerzress.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Dungeon #38: "A Blight on the Land" • Storm King's Thunder
 * Novels
 * Streams of Silver
 * Comics
 * TSR Worlds Annual 1
 * Video Games
 * Secret of the Silver Blades • Treasures of the Savage Frontier • Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
 * Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford
 * Board Games
 * Battle for Faerûn
 * Card Games
 * Dragonfire (Sword Mountains Crypt)
 * Dragonfire (Sword Mountains Crypt)