Brewed by heinous magic, these formless and ferocious creatures are saturated with infections, disease, and blight. Chumoi are a roaming and ever-growing plague pile of decomposing corpses, bursting with every manner of contagious pestilence. The chumoi has but one purpose in its godforsaken, mephitic existence: consume dead flesh. On its gluttonous path it grows, contaminating the living before consuming their corpses. The foul stench of death, disease, and decomposition accompanies chumoi through the caverns, tunnels, towns, and villages where they roam, bringing plague by simply passing through.

Pandemic Origins. Ancient tales are told of a powerful being with demigod-like powers, the Chuma. It walked the lands like a force of nature, spreading diseases and plague—not out of malice, but simply because its nature was to do so, just like a thunderstorm or a volcano bears no grudges amidst its impartial destruction. A powerful but nefarious sorcerer tricked and trapped Chuma, and with the power of their new thrall, the evil mage spread horrible plagues across the land.

The gods wouldn’t allow such foul corruption of the Great Cycle, and soon Chuma was freed from its arcane shackles. The malevolent sorcerer had to face the very being they once commanded and controlled. Chuma’s punishment was not pleasant—the evil arcanist was infected with each and every disease that Chuma had spread across the lands. However, the sorcerer didn’t die. Through suffering, the arcanist was transformed into a terrible monster: the first chumoi.

Ever since, deviant arcanists, powerful biomancers, and evil cults have tried to replicate this vile process to create powerful minions and living biological weapons. Unfortunately, some have succeeded, and the chumoi’s cursed disease still spreads through the dark corners of the world.

Growing Infection. Whether an ancient curse by a powerful being or a horrible experiment, the chumoi is a vile cocktail of toxins and diseases that spread through every fiber of its wretched body. Its touch immediately starts the process of decomposition in any living being, tainting their flesh. When living creatures contract this deadly disease, they slowly enter a degenerative state of deterioration. The infected creature’s flesh oozes and falls off; boils and blisters burst, further infecting the tissue; and bones, tendons, and joints slowly turn into jelly, leaving the body compromised. If a creature dies from this infectious malady, its bloated corpse turns into a chumoi spawn in a matter of hours, squirming away to spread the contagion even further.

Carrion Gorgers. The chumoi and its spawn have amorphous bodies of dead and rotting organic matter. They feast on corpses, consuming dead matter to restore themselves and fortify their carcass-built body. A chumoi spawn grows whenever it assimilates dead flesh, and given enough time, it turns into a chumoi.

The hunger for rotting flesh is a chumoi’s single but powerful drive. They have no sense of self or self-preservation and are drawn to the scent of death. They are also sensitive to the movement and warmth of the living. If they manage to reach a living creature, they quickly try to snuff out its life by sheer force and nefarious infection.

If an infected creature escapes, the deadly toxins might kill it in a manner of hours, while the chumoi patiently treads behind, following the scent of impending death. Chumoi are usually found where death and disease reign. They are drawn to graveyards, corpse-laden battlefields, and plague-ridden cities where bodies await them like gruesome necrotic feasts. In some cases, a chumoi and its contaminating touch might be the catalyst behind massive epidemic outbreaks. There have even been rumors of gargantuan chumoi festering in the sewers beneath large cities plagued by disease, devouring the discarded corpses.