The Immortal Naturalist's Guide to Cryptic Creatures: The Dracomole

This post is part of the Immortal Naturalist's Guide series. The explanation for that series can be found in this post.

    Rarely seen above ground is the Dracomole, the fifty-foot long mole with the scales and claws of a dragon. Although fearsome, the beast spends almost all of its time below the soil of the plains it calls home. Under the soil, the Dracomole spends its days hunting giant muck worms, using its massive claws to dig through the dirt. Not having much need for its eyes, the Dracomole has sensitive feelers around its nose that help it find things in the dark. The only times it seems to come above the ground is when it detects gold, which it covets. Anyone traversing the Damp Plains with large amounts of gold has always been said to be doomed, and while this is mostly superstition, I believe that it started out as a serious warning in the parts the Dracomole is known to inhabit. 

    Somehow, the beast is able to smell gold, and any amount larger than a pound is bound to draw the Dracomole's attention if it is nearby. This of course made observing the creature fairly easy, although expensive. This compulsion to collect gold seems difficult to ignore, but avoiding this creature is as easy as not carrying large amounts of gold. The Dracomole does not seem to use much discretion when it collects gold, leading to many other things getting dragged along after the beast attacks. 

    Where the Dracomole takes its gold is unknown. My best guess is that somewhere beneath the surface of the Damp Plains is a large, wet cavern filled with gold and whatever other trinkets the Dracomole took along with its treasure. If someone were to be brave enough to bait the beast and then follow it when it went below ground, I think they would be taken on the express route to this hoard. That said, given the Dracomole's lust for gold, taking its treasure away would probably mean a fight. For the record, this fight would probably have to happen below ground, in a damp tunnel, covered in mud, and this beast is massive.