Gogiteth

A gogiteth is a slavering nightmare of teeth, eyes, and hairy spiderlike legs, and its appearance is invariably seared into the minds of any who witness it. Hives of these skittering monsters compete with cave worms and other subterranean horrors for food and resources. A gogiteth is rarely seen alone, as these oversized vermin learned long ago that the best means of survival is sticking close to others of their own kind. Even the haughty drow know to seek cover when a gogiteth is spotted, for where there is one, a swarm is sure to follow.

Gogiteths make a clacking sound as they move about. The joints in their many legs pop and crack with each movement, though they can suppress this sound voluntarily so that they can hunt without giving away their presence. The odd creatures can also make a high-pitched whistling sound that echoes throughout the caverns where they live. Some report that groups of gogiteths sometimes join together in eerie, discordant songs.

Gogiteths’ alien anatomies have inspired no shortage of speculative origin stories. Some believe they are the result of a fleshwarping experiment gone horribly wrong.

Gogiteths are a menace to every other denizen of the underworld. Drow and duergars in gogiteth-infested areas frequently organize hunting parties to eradicate the terrors, even calling for temporary truces with unlikely allies in times when a gogiteth presence must be addressed. Since even an average gogiteth hive can host up to two dozen of the horrors, missions to eradicate them when they become established are dangerous quests indeed.