Xiclotlan

The Xiclotlans, or simply Beings of Xiclotl, are a large, brutish species of faceless pillar-shaped tentacled beings from the planet Xiclotl which have been conquered and enslaved by the Shans.

On Earth, they're also known as the "Daytime Guardians" due to being employed to guard the Shans' temple during daytime, as the Shans themselves only come out at night.

Biology
At first glance, a Xiclotlan resting immobile in the woods may be easily mistaken for a somewhat abnormal tree. They stand about 16 ft (~ 4.87 meters) in height, have a metallic coloration and thick cylindrical "branches" arranged regularly around their apex. The faceless head is oval in shape and completely featureless, with only a gaping mouth opening on its top. The lower part of a Xiclotlan's cylindrical body is divided into two equally cylindrical short legs, each with six flat circular extensions for feet.

Their diet is carnivorous, and although their physical strength is immense, their intelligence isn't well-developed.

Culture and society
They're an enslaved race used to perform manual labor for the comparatively weak insectoid Shans from Shaggai.

Naturally carnivorous, the Xiclotlans are rendered harmless by the energy field emitted from the Shans' crystal-box device, which makes them obedient and complacent. It's been claimed that without this field in effect, they would view the Shans as prey instead of obeying them.

On their world, they worship a vegetable deity which grows on the bottom of a pit, and which periodically requires Xiclotlans to sacrifice themselves by falling down the pit to become food for it.

Appearances

 * "The Insects from Shaggai", by Ramsey Campbell (1964)