Wyrm

Lesser Dragons

"PUT THAT THING AWAY! No, swords! You fucking moron! You don't fight a flying snake that can breath fire whit a sharp metal stick! This is what we will use!" Holds up a crossbow and a spear "You shot down the flaying son-of-a-she-wolf, and then you ram the spear in to his eye, mouth or IF your on a horse and have good momentum in to the back of his skull!"
"But is there any honor in that? If we start by wounding him..."
"Listen you dumb skit! That's a wyrm we're here to hunt! He don't care about honor! He only cares about how much of your meat he can get out of your armor whit out breaking a claw or tooth! Give him the chance and he will burn you, your horse and the rest of us to death and eat our smoking corpses! GOT IT!"
/Professional bestianader to the rest of the hunting party before going hunting a wyrm

Wyrms, or lesser dragons, are the worlds next most dangerous beast. They fear no other creature besides the last phase of their kind, the dragons. They are the second phase in a dragons path to becoming the worlds deadliest being. And already are they far more deadly then their infantile form, the basilisks. Their no longer the pray of other predators, the only thing above them in food chain is their own kind.

Behavior

Wyrms are often on the move. The reason is in part that they need more food now then ever to grow into fully grown dragons. But also because their always on the hunt for more and more treasure. It is indeed in this phase that this life long need for things that gleam and sparkle is awakened in their dragon minds.
Why? We do not know why. Many have asked that question and many more about this. One theory is that the dragon race where once mortals that where overcome whit a endless greed. This greed transformed them and the conflicts that followed ended a great civilization now lost to time. There are some wordings in nearly all faiths that could confirm this.
In said texts the dragons are first mentioned as the children of some god, or the holy servants of one, and then they end up overturning the world in some way. But this texts could just as easily be our ancestors trying to understand the same question we ask today. Why are dragons so greedy?
In any case wyrms seldom stay anywhere for to long. Only if they find a place that could become a very good nest do they stay and start to build a hoard that is greater then they could carry. Some less then brilliant wyrms chose to make such nests in abandoned tower, burial mound or mausoleum already full of lost treasures.
This wyrms have given rise to the myth that wyrms eat carrion and old bones of the dead. This is not true, its not the long dead but their gold that draws the wyrms. Once they made their nest the only way to get rid of them is to kill them.

Basic Information

Anatomy

A wyrms body is more or less that of a giant snake. But it now also has a pair of wings that it also uses as forelegs. Their heads are triangular in shape and their fangs are the length of short swords. The claws on the middle of there wing/forelegs are sharp hooks whit which they can rip flying beings out of the sky.
And their scales are now tough enough to whit stand most arrows and blades. Only their eyes and mouth are weak points.

Biological Traits

Wyrms soon after ending their Basilisk phase learn how to not only breath fire but also cast thunderbolts whit their tails. A power that makes the truly horrifying to all other living beings.
Wyrms also grow a new stomach during this phase of development. The so called "Gold stomach" which does what it sound like. Wyrms will "eat" their treasures before moving to a new nest and carry their hoard whit them.

Genetics and Reproduction

Wyrms are newly sexually mature and can there for mate and have eggs. A female wyrm goes in to heat once every 20 years. She will then seek out a number of mates* over the course of six mouths and two years later she will lay between 10 - 23 dragon eggs. Of this eggs only half will hatch, the rest will be eaten by the mother dragon.
*There are rare cases of so called life-mates. Dragons whom chose to live, hunt, eat, have sex and guard treasures together. This pairs are very dangerous to other dragons, as the inborn jealous nature of their kind makes them see all dragons of their own gender as a threat to their love life.

Growth Rate & Stages

It takes a wrym two thousand years to grow into a fully grown Dragon. During this time it will grow from a giant snake whit wings to the massive monster we think of when we use the term dragon.

Ecology and Habitats

Wyrms can be seen both day and night as their no longer blinded by bright light. Younger wyrms who haven't found a cavern to call their own often find themselves drawn to abandoned towers, burial mounds or mausoleums. It is at this time of their development they start to gather riches.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Carnivores. All dragons, no matter the phase their in, eat only meat that has been burned. Those the power to breath fire is the first magic young dragons learn.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Like all dragons their blood can be used to create Dragon Blood Elixir. Wyrm skin is also used by leather worker to create all manner of leather items.

Facial characteristics

Wyrm eyes are in fact not much bigger then basilisk eyes. Which means that they are now not all that big in proportion to the rest of their head. The horns are now almost fully grown, more and more of there face scales grow sharp and their snout grows longer to make room for more fangs.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

In the mountain regions of the world.

Average Intelligence

High

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Wyrms can see very well in the dark and nearly as good in the light of day. Their sense of smell is greater then most beasts in the world, it now smells whit both tongue and nose. And it hear as good, or perhaps better then, your averaged human.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Dragon kind name themselves after characteristics they see whit in themselves. Therefore many dragons have names that end in "inax" as that means "great" or "mighty" in draconic. There are no female or male specific naming traditions. Tho basilisks seldom have names as they are to busy staying a live to give themselves a powerful name. So most dragons have names like:
Harzunarinax, Dhrukmarrinax, Fhaargranuraxus, Raxusghounhärn, Unarfhaarinax, Marrdhurkinax, Nhärnharzinax and so on

Beauty Ideals

Long claws and horns are seen as signs of virility among dragons. Therefore some dragons whit shorter horns have trouble finding a willing mate.

Gender Ideals

Wyrms care little about genders. They are even known to often have same sex intercourse during their mating season if no wyrm of the other sex can be found.

Relationship Ideals

As far as wyrms are concerned a life-mate, or lover, is just a different sort of treasure. One which they guard just as jealously as any other treasure they hoarded during their life. Those wyrms ideal relationship is one where both wyrms keep a constant eye on the one another and kill any whom dear to come between them.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Wyrms are fast learners when it comes to the spoken word, as well as the written word, and more often then not speak the language of the land their in whit in a few months of hearing the people near by speaking. But they also have a language of their own, tho it is seldom used as dragons are solitary beings.
Draconic - The language of the dragons in all of their forms.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Other beings are only useful as slaves, food or makers of gold, silver or jewelry. They especially hate Nagas for some unknown reason.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Basilisk

Genetic Descendants

• Basilisk
• True Dragon

Conservation Status

Depends on whom you ask. Most states would send warriors and wizards to kill any dragon living to close to their territory. But there are those whom see dragons as holy beings*. *Tho they are few and far in between.

Average Height

7 meters at the start of this phase and close to 11 meters at the end of this phase. Measured from the ground to the top of its head when standing on its wings/forelegs

Average Weight

200 kg at the start of this phase and close to 1 ton at the end of this phase

Average Length

17 meters at the start of this phase and close to 20 meters at the end of this phase. Measured from nose to tail end.
Average wing span
10 meters at the start of this phase and close to 20 meters at the end of this phase. Measured from wingtip to wingtip

Average Physique

High

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Wyrm scales come in a myriad of colors and shades. Everything from green, blue, purple to red, gold, orange, silver, white and black. All of them gleaming like polished metal.

Inborn Magic

High