Claw-Hand Nose Nuns

The Claw-Hand Nose Nuns are major antagonists of Level 4. They dwell in an unspecified high place where 'floors are known to end', and presumably do so in order to watch for opportunities to steal from or terrorize the citizens of Level 4. They are the first to notice the Cataclysm, and it fills them with terror because it removes their sense of control and power over Level 4.

Description
While each nun's appearance can vary individually, all have two elements in common: a massive nose that takes up a significant portion of their body weight, and long, sharp claws which almost always serve as their feet and sole appendages. Their eyes and mouths are never visible, and they are capable of speaking almost exclusively in the form of advertisements, question marks and images, such as of eggs. This adds to the inscrutable nature of their mindset.

Alternate Form
On the first page of Poorthwart: The Cataclysm, the fear the nuns feel in response to detecting the Cataclysm appears to show one or more nuns in an alternate form, through which their faces are visible. A nun is showing either looking at her own reflection, or at another nun in a different form, but no explanation has yet been provided for their appearance(s).

History
The nuns attempt to use the Admiral's retirement of the Ballyhoose, and the character's disappearance into Tutor Milk, as an opportunity to raid it for "newspaper column inches", and are only defeated through the combined efforts of Tyco Brahe, the Admiral, and their new friend, Upwhiac.