🐙 The Soul Worms are an extra-dimensional race from the fictional universe of the Rifts pencil-and-paper roleplaying game by Palladium.
Background[]
The Soul Worms are a malevolent race of alien intelligences, a race of manipulators and enslavers. Larva-like beings with a great cyclopean eye surrounded by a dozen tentacles. Ranging in size from 25-30 ft in length and 5-7 ft in height. They have an average lifespan in the 1000s of years.
It's a race with superhuman strength which is able to regenerate, have psionic abilities, and are able to use magic. Resilient enough to survive a 3.8 Megaton nuke though with grievous wounds. Soul Worms drain the life force and memories of their victims, though they must focus on their victim when doing so. Most of them become addicted to this activity, doing it at least once a week.
They used to serve a far more powerful alien intelligence which reigned over 100s of worlds, millennia ago. Until one day it mysteriously disappeared, leaving its servants vulnerable to its many enemies which included the Splugorth. Their invasions combined with the slave uprisings resulted in 9/10ths of the Soul Worms perishing, the rest scattering across the Megaverse.
A few thousand Soul Worms have survivved. Some of them are now wanderers. Others have established dimensional kingdoms. Some of them lead dimensional raiders. Others are now in servicee to demon lords or evil gods. On the post-apocalyptic Earth which emerged after the cataclysmic return of magic, a Soul Worm has established himself. Inix who relocated his trans-dimensional city of Cibola to South America. A city of a million with over 40 permanent portals to other dimensions.