Bedworm

Bedworms are painful and irritating parasites found almost exclusively in the eastern kingdom of Chantar, due to Chantar's anti-magic stance when magic is one of the only ways that Bedworms can be easily eradicated.

Bedworms hatch from eggs laid in the soil, becoming small white worms that move around close to the surface seeking bare skin. Upon finding bare skin pressed against dirt, the Bedworm will burrow into the flesh of the creature, secreting a mild anesthetic to prevent the host from initially noticing.

Once securely inside the host, the worm loses the ability to secrete anesthetic, and will instead begin to mature under the host's skin. This will result in a painful bright red lump on the creatures skin which may seep blood at times. Agitating the Bedworm while it is maturing will likely result in moderate to high levels of pain for the host. This is done intentionally by the Bedworm to protect itself while maturing.

After three months of maturing under the host's skin, the Bedworm hatches out into a fully grown Bedfly, which will mate and lay it's own eggs in the soil before dying.