The Conqueror Worm
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Overview
The Conqueror Worm (Commonspeak), also Juiblex (Farspeak \ˈʤuiˌblɛks\ for no known translation), is an Eldritch God associated with the Strange Realm of The Horizon, specifically the region known as The Ivory City, and is recognized as the patron and origin of the Eldritch species of Meldspawn. It's Commonspeak name comes from the belief that it's ambition is to conquer all flesh.
Integral scholarship classifies the Conqueror Worm as a godlike phenomenon rather than a true god. Its influence manifests as biological and existential assimilation, the reduction of all distinct flesh into a single, undifferentiated mass. Reports concerning the Conqueror Worm derive primarily from Horizon expeditions, medical records of anomalous neurological syndromes, and post-incident analyses of Meldspawn incursions.
Among the Eldritch Gods, the Conqueror Worm is regarded as uniquely hostile to bodily identity. Where other Eldritch influences erode perception or thought, Juiblex dissolves the very concept of physical selfhood.
History
The Conqueror Worm came into existence at the very beginning of the Shattered Age, contemporaneous with the collapse of The Orrery and the transformation of the Servitors of Destiny into Eldritch entities. As with the other Eldritch Gods, its prior existence as a Fate is inferred but unrecoverable.
Throughout recorded history, Juiblex has not waged campaigns or sought dominion beyond the gradual expansion of Meldspawn influence and minor incursions into The Integrum. Its presence is instead inferred through zones of mass assimilation, anatomical dissolution, and the emergence of cultic practices centered on surrender of bodily autonomy.
Description
The Conqueror Worm manifests in two primary forms.
Anthropomorphic Form
Appears as a vaguely humanoid figure three meters tall, composed entirely of translucent, gelatinous matter. Limbs are present but poorly defined, sagging or elongating as if the figure has only a tenuous understanding of skeletal structure. Movement is slow and imprecise, with gestures that overshoot or collapse inward, suggesting a being that occupies a body as an experiment rather than a necessity. Observers report profound discomfort when viewing this form, often describing the sensation that their own bodies have become heavy, misaligned, or improperly assembled. This manifestation is widely believed to be a crude cognitive accommodation, a shape adopted without comprehension of why such shapes matter.
Surreal Form
The surreal form of the Conqueror Worm is a colossal vertical mass of multicolored slime, rising like a living tower. Within its bulk, vague impressions of faces, hands, and limbs appear and dissolve continuously, never fully forming and never persisting. These features do not express emotion or awareness; they are remnants rather than identities.
Personality
The Conqueror Worm embodies the Strange Epiphany of kinesthesis, proprioception, and vestibular sense, granting it absolute mastery over position, balance, and bodily orientation. Integral scholars stress that this does not imply conscious control in the mortal sense. Rather, Juiblex appears to experience existence as continuous physical occupancy without boundary.
Like all Eldritch Gods, the Stone Dripping Blood does not display recognizable psychology. Its behavior is inscrutable and inconsistent, offering no evidence of intention, desire, or awareness. Integral scholars increasingly caution against assuming consciousness at all, suggesting that Soma may function as a masked phenomenon rather than an agent, analogous to a Chinese Room executing a process without understanding.
Abilities
The influence of the Conqueror Worm manifests as a progressive corruption of proprioception and bodily orientation, eroding the distinction between self and flesh. Integral scholars classify this progression as a somatic perceptual infection, culminating in the complete rejection of bodily integrity.
Environmental Cues
Areas touched by Juiblex’s influence exhibit subtle but pervasive physical anomalies. Gravity feels unreliable, surfaces seem faintly viscous, and footing becomes uncertain even on stable ground. Living creatures report unexplained numbness, heaviness, or the sensation that their bodies are slightly misaligned with the surrounding space.
In advanced cases, terrain appears to flow imperceptibly over time, and structures may slump or bulge without clear cause. Prolonged exposure is associated with outbreaks of unexplained vertigo and balance disorders among local populations.
Early Corruption: Perceptual Awareness
The initial stage is marked by proprioceptive dulling. Affected individuals report difficulty sensing the precise position of their limbs, describing them as heavy, distant, or slow to respond. Fine motor control degrades subtly, often attributed to fatigue or illness.
This stage is frequently accompanied by a sense of bodily unfamiliarity, as though one’s physical form requires conscious effort to inhabit. Pain perception remains intact, but touch and balance feel muted or imprecise.
Advanced Corruption: Perceptual Otherness
As corruption deepens, the afflicted develops a pronounced sense that their body does not belong to them. Limbs are experienced as foreign objects attached to the self rather than expressions of it. Movements feel imposed rather than initiated.
This stage is characterized by profound distress and disorientation. Subjects may describe their bodies as “incorrect,” “misplaced,” or “hostile.” Attempts to reassert control through movement, exercise, or ritualized motion often accelerate deterioration.
Terminal Corruption: Body Integrity Dissolution Disorder
In the terminal stage, the afflicted becomes convinced that their body is an alien intrusion upon the self. This belief is not metaphorical but absolute. Individuals frequently attempt to remove, damage, or surrender their own flesh in an effort to restore coherence.
Self-mutilation, voluntary dismemberment, and submission to Meldspawn assimilation are common outcomes. Consciousness does not fade during this process; victims remain lucid and deliberate in their actions, driven by the certainty that bodily destruction is necessary for relief.
Integral healers classify this condition as Body Integrity Dissolution Disorder. It is universally fatal and irreversible once fully established.
Orisons
Most Orisons of the Conqueror Worm arise among the Meldspawn, for whom Juiblex represents both origin and inevitability. Meldspawn Orisons act as vectors of assimilation, accelerating the breakdown of bodily boundaries in surrounding life.
Among mortals, Juiblex most often draws the attention of individuals whose identities are deeply bound to physical movement or bodily mastery. Dancers, acrobats, martial artists, and performers who define themselves through perfect motion are particularly susceptible, as are victims of paralysis, amputation, or chronic disorientation seeking restoration or wholeness.
Notable Orisons include:
- Ileana of the Falling Step: Human, Woman, Acrolon, Dawn Age, Alive. A Dawnspeak dancer whose final performances reportedly caused audiences to lose balance and collapse. Witnesses described her movements as increasingly fluid until her limbs lost all articulation.
- The Bent: Elf, Man, Pelithos, Dark Age, Unknown. A paralyzed sailor who vanished during a coastal Meldspawn outbreak. Fragments of his journal describe the sensation of finally “knowing where I am” immediately before his disappearance. He has been reported by sailors ever since like a fabled sea creature of ill omen.
- The Ivory Host: Meldspawn, Horizon, Shattered Age, Alive. Orison credited with the abduction of an entire battalion of soldiers during Realm War and turning their bones into a grim sculpture in the Ivory City.