For those who don't know, Teke-Li-Li, our favorite cavebound gnoll vampire, has his name derived from the wonderful classic Lovecraft tale, "At the Mountains of Madness." Being a big fan of Lovecraft (and leaning into the whole Thing in the Ice storyline), I wanted Teke-Li-Li to feel like more than just a cave sub boss. I've been building up the Caves of Hunger through character backstory, and visions. Teke-Li-Li is not the monsters true name (long lost to time), but he is called that as it is a phrase he cannot stop repeating. The ominous sound echoes through the darkness, occurring in frightening tales the Rhegeds uses to keep their children away from the dark caves on the glacier. One of my characters parents disappeared into the caves, the phrase Teke-Li-Li being the last memory he heard. He's been asking everyone he can what it means.
But what does it mean? It turns out, Professor Skant knows a little something. Ask him and he'll say:
"Why, that's Netherise! Very old, archaic version of it. You see, Teke means desire, or need, or consume. I suppose, Hunger might be the most adequate term. Li is a word meaning "a period of time". And so "Li Li" means a period of time multiplied by a period of time but without a set word defining that time, the best translation may be Endless. So it could be best translated as... Endless Hunger. Why? Is that bad?"