The psychneuein are warp creatures that look like oversized, spindly wasps, and they reproduce by planting eggs inside the brains of psykers. They nearly destroyed civilisation on Prospero, and they still lurk in the Webway, waiting for any unprotected mind to wander past.
What the psychneuein actually are
A psychneuein is a predatory warp entity that resembles a large wasp, roughly 2.5 metres long, with a thin, spindly build. It’s not a daemon in the usual sense, but it’s just as dangerous to anyone with psychic potential.
Two known genera exist, one native to Prospero and one to Mara. They’ve also spread into forgotten stretches of the Webway, where they’re one of the many hazards facing anyone trying to map those abandoned tunnels.
How they reproduce
Female psychneuein are drawn to unprotected psykers and psychically project their eggs straight into the target’s brain. The eggs are tiny, no bigger than grains of sand, and they hatch after about a day.
The maggots look like spiny slugs. They grow fast by eating the host’s brain, then pupate by nightfall and emerge as adults the next morning. On Mara, the process is slower: the infected psyker gradually loses intelligence and changes in appearance until they die or trigger the Perils of the Warp, at which point multiple psychneuein burst out of the corpse.
Larval and adult forms
Larval psychneuein are small and weak, but they make up for it in numbers. Their main weapon is infection, and an injury can trigger a sudden metamorphosis into the adult form. A swarm of larvae is hard to control, especially if there are latent psykers nearby to infect.
Adults are a different problem entirely. They’re stronger, faster, tougher, and more perceptive than a human, and they can fly, turn insubstantial, and sense minds. A single adult is a serious threat to every sentient being in the area.
Why they matter
The psychneuein infesting Prospero almost brought down the planet’s civilisation before its people learned to control their psychic abilities. Even after that, swarms still haunted the wilderness and the ruins of ancient cities.
They show up as an enemy in the old Talisman: Timescape game under the name Psychic Parasite, which is a nice bit of trivia for longtime fans. In the lore, they’re a reminder that the warp doesn’t just send daemons, it sends predators that treat a psyker’s mind as a nursery.
Key facts
- The psychneuein is a warp creature that looks like a 2.5-metre spindly wasp.
- Two genera are known, native to Prospero and Mara, and they also infest abandoned Webway corridors.
- Females project eggs into a psyker’s brain; the larvae eat the brain and emerge as adults within about a day on Prospero.
- Adult psychneuein can fly, turn insubstantial, and sense minds, making a single one a major threat.
- They almost destroyed Prospero’s civilisation before its people learned to control their psychic powers.
FAQ
What do psychneuein do to psykers?
They lay eggs inside a psyker’s brain. The eggs hatch into maggots that eat the brain, then pupate and emerge as adult psychneuein. On Mara, the infection slowly degrades the host until psychneuein erupt from the corpse.
Where do psychneuein live?
They’re native to Prospero and Mara, and they’ve also spread into abandoned parts of the Webway. Anywhere with unprotected psykers is a potential hunting ground.
Are psychneuein daemons?
They’re warp creatures, but they’re not classified as daemons. They’re more like psychic parasites with a wasp-like form, and they’re treated as a separate hazard in the lore.