Firborer Beetle

This family of medium sized beetles range in size from about that of a Halfling to about twice that. Once believed to be found only on Parasitic Fir, varieties of this beetle have been found on nearly all tree species indigenous to the Green Maw. They prey upon the larvae of other beetles by partially burrowing their abdomen into the bole of their preferred tree and generating a series of strong vibrations that drive larvae in the tree out to the surface for the Firborer to harvest. There are unconfirmed reports of Firborers preceding an attack from an Abyssal Render. If true, it's unknown if the connection is accidental or intentional.

Powered by the Apocalypse (Dungeon World)

Questions:

What is it known to do? The Firborer's principle food is beetle larvae but they are opportunistic and highly territorial. Travelers who wander into a Firborer's territory will be chased down.
What does it want that causes problems for others? The Firborer has an insatiable appetite and no sense of fear.
How big is it? From the size of a Halfling to about twice that.
What is its most important defense? It's attack. It's persistent and highly aggressive.
What is it known for? A deep, nearly sub-harmonic, thrumming that both drives larvae out into the open and warns other Firborer's of it's territory.
What is its most common form of attack? Massive mandibles with razor sharp serrations and hollow spikes that can pierce even the strongest armor. Many of it's larval prey are armored with chitin. The Firborer latches on to its prey and grinds its mandibles until hollow spikes penetrate into the softer tissues. They will then maintain attachment until it has sucked all of the internal fluids. It then drops the empty carapace to the forest floor.
Description: The Firborer is hunted not for the beetle itself but for the carapace discards it drops. Due to its tendency to draw Abyssal Renders to it, the Firborer does not stay in one location for long. However, it's favorite prey is the Threadwing larvae and a feeding Firborer can produce a steady supply of "free" Threadwing carapaces if followed diligently. This job is very dangerous since following a Firborer to collect it's discards exposes the harvestor to both Firborer attack as well as potential Abyssal Render attack.

DW Stat Block:

Attack: Mandibles (D10+2 damage; Close, Piercing, Messy)
HP: 10 HP
Armor: 4 Armor
Tags: Solitary, Small to Large
Special Qualities:

• Grapple: Defy Danger (STR) to avoid or break (10+ Avoid/Break Free; 7-9 Break free but lose armor. Grappled character may make melee attacks with already equipped weapon.