Apocalypse Beetles
Type: Lore — Cosmic Creatures / Reset Mechanism Also Known As: "Dicky Tarry Beetles" (Whisper transcription artifact; likely the DM's in-world name — confirm spelling) First Identified: Session 040 — Griggen explained their role Previously Encountered: Session 032 and adjacent sessions — the beetles in the dwarven mine that the party killed/shadow-dusted without knowing what they were
Description
Large-ish beetles that exist as part of a universal reset mechanism operated by the Outer Gods (also called "the Old World"). When a world — a plane, a reality, a cosmological system — is pushed past the point of recovery by forces like the Blight, the Outer Gods send Apocalypse Beetles.
Their role is not destruction. It is the beginning of reincarnation for a world: the beetles' tarry/sticky secretion is a key component of the reset process that allows the world to eventually begin again.
They are, as Griggen put it: "the beginning of rock and roll, not the end."
What the Party Knows
- The beetles in the dwarven mine near Leilon were Apocalypse Beetles — sent by the Outer Gods because the Blight's progress here has triggered the reset-threshold
- Their sticky secretion (the "tarry substance") is a key component for making Grey Flame Torches — this is where Clan Greyflame sources their torch-making material
- The party destroyed the supply. The beetles they killed shadow-dusted, and the juice was lost with the dust. Clan Greyflame's beetle supply for this world is gone.
- There may be more beetles in the Leilon mines — a lost contingent of Clan Greyflame went there and disappeared; beetles might still be alive or harvestable
- The beetles are sent by the Outer Gods — they are not native to the world, and their presence is a sign that the world has been flagged for reset
Session 063 — Nimri's Confirmation
In Session 063, Nimri Greyflame confirmed and expanded on Griggen's earlier account. Key additions:
- The cosmic mechanism is Elder God-level. When "the old gods, the elder gods — the gods before the gods" determine a world can't be saved, the Apocalypse Beetles are deployed. Not a natural process; a deliberate divine judgment.
- The Leilon beetles were the beetles. Confirmed. The party's killing of the iridescent green-and-yellow beetles in the dwarven mine was the destruction of this world's only known Apocalypse Beetle supply.
- Chaos seeds birth World Eaters. The beetles and the chaos seeds are part of the same reset cycle. Chaos seeds (planted or arrived) initiate the destruction; they birth World Eaters. The chaos seed in the Caves of Chaos from Crowley's origin campaign was such a seed.
- Beetle secretions require holy/radiant fire to ignite — normal fire isn't hot enough. The Greyflame dwarves' process is likely the most reliable method, but radiant fire (paladin/cleric-level) might also work.
- Greyflame HQ likely has one or two torches remaining. Nimri has a recall spell that could retrieve one. He hasn't used it yet — his mission isn't complete.
- Possible additional source — the Leilon mines. Moist asked whether the secretions could be sourced from beetles still underground. Nimri confirmed the beetles usually come from underground, and chaos seed sites may harbor more. The Leilon mines remain a potential recovery site.