Creature
Description
Neethed (the plural form of the singular “neeth,” also called “threadsnakes” or “threadworms”) are synthetic, tubular creatures entirely composed of incredibly strong threads. While juvenile specimens may only measure a yard long and a thickness of two fingers, they begin to grow after a few months, with most mature specimens measuring three to four times their juvenile size.
In fact, although never verified, there are sources to claim that the low berm that encircles the Guldavi Waste is actually a long-dormant neeth, one that’s lain quiescent for so long that the sandy soil has piled atop it to make it resemble a natural feature of the land. If true, the Great Guldavi Neeth would dwarf all known examples of its breed (and should it ever rise from its slumber, woe betide the nomads of the waste...)
Quirks
Alive, or Not?
While classified as “creatures” by this Gazetteer, there is a healthy debate amongst scholars as to the veracity of the claim that a neeth is “alive.” Thorough investigation and dissections have made it clear that while neethed do seem to behave similarly to an organic creature, in that they “drink” from dry streams, engulf dry sticks and stones (which pass through them unchanged), and so forth, they have no organs—sensory or otherwise. Despite this lack, neethed are still capable of navigating their environments and reacting to stimuli without issue.
Swarming Time
Neethed seem to prefer warm and dry environments, growing sluggish and irritable when in the cold and damp. While normally solitary, they do swarm periodically, an event that occurs more frequently during long periods of drought.
During swarming time, the neethed form enormous braided gestalts for long stretches of time, sometimes up to a tenday or more. Eventually, the swarm breaks up into a larger number of smaller neethed, which will then go their separate ways. Study suggestions that this is neethed reproduction, although more precise observation is made difficult by heightened aggression during the period immediately following the breakup of the gestalt, and caution is advised when attempting to interact during this time.
However, it’s important to note that not all neethed created (if "created” is the correct word to use in this context) quicken after a spawning event. Those who live near neethed spawning grounds will then gather and split apart the “dead” neethed into their component threads. These can then be woven to make a fabric called “neethcloth,” which is not only incredibly strong and lightweight but also stain-resistant as well.
Colorful Blankets, Rugs, and More
While normally a dull, mottled gray and brown in hue, another oddity of neethed is the fact that their coloration can change dramatically when exposed to certain pitches, tones, and frequencies. Those who harvest neethcloth often take this into account, using instruments or Wonders to change the color of the neethed as they spawn.
The process is not an exact one—there’s no guarantee that the neethed that do not quicken will possess the precise colors the harvesters wish—but as neethcloth repels dye as well as it does all other forms of contaminant, music is the only way to create this type of fabric in colors other than their natural ones.
Adventure Hooks
An entrepreneurial neethcloth dealer in town has built a climate-controlled enclosure for the dozen recently purchased mature neethed. The floor of the small warehouse is piled in hummocks of sandy soil, and the environment mimics the creatures’ natural one through the use of a pair of Wonders, ones shaped like cat-headed statues that constantly emit a warm breeze from their mouths and draw in moisture through their many hands. However, every few nights for the past tenday, a neeth has vanished without a trace. Despite investing in new locks and posting guards, the neethed keep disappearing. As such, the merchant is offering a big reward to anyone who can help solve this problem. Is there a neeth thief in town? Are the Wonders somehow to blame? Or are the neethed simply figuring out how to escape the warehouse themselves?
Due to the incredible durability of their component threads, neethed normally ignore most living things (people included), with the sole exception of inappropriate climate and spawning season. And yet, a caravan traveling across the Guldavi Waste claims that no matter where they run, a swarm of neethed follows close behind. And what’s worse, the threadsnakes have already taken a few of their number. Is the caravan telling the truth? If so, why are the neethed so uncharacteristically aggressive? If not, what does the caravan stand to gain by spinning such an outrageous fable?
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