HOME | DD

Description

NU:AMAM - Neofauna Taxon Classing Guide - www.deviantart.com/djaymasi/ar…

Order - Stomiiformes
Suborder - Draconid beast
Infraorder - Leviathan
Species - Draco everwyrm
————
Length - 16.7m (55ft)
Weight - 1.25 Ton (2,500Ib)

Sound concept - youtu.be/tCoa9zhwDQk?si=O-xUvW…

Deep from the darkest abyss into a world stilled by unrelenting winds the Wyrm is a needle toothed nightmare said to have sprung straight forth from the frozen lake Cocytus. Their breath so unyieldingly cold that those who experience its brisk is eternally locked away into their icy prison, never to escape.

— Grimoire passage from the Tapster

HABITAT RANGE

Wyrms are bathypelagic Leviathans that inhabit 4000m below the Polar seas of the Northern Ice Realms where temperatures drop to 3°C. Wyrms would also venture onto land relocating themselves into frozen lakes accessible through a series of holes that the Leviathan took the liberty of tunnelling into. These relocations are solely due to the fact of raising their spawn into safer nurseries in which many predators that normally target Wyrms or their young cannot reach.

ECOLOGICAL NICHE

Wyrms are icthyophagus hunters, devote fish eaters that use penetrative exploitation tactics against large schools. In the Polar seas of the Northern Ice Realms Wyrms would actively hunt schools of Mackerel, Cod, Flounder & several species of Arctic Icefish in which they’ll target under the cloak of night when visibility is at its most lowest. Thanks to its speed Wyrms would perform drive by strikes swallowing copious numbers of fish whole where inevitably they’ll target the remaining few whilst they’re stunned & panicked.
In spite of their piscivorous lifestyle Wyrms aren’t entirely specialists. True that the majority of dietary intake is mainly fish however the Leviathans won’t pass up the opportunity to tackle large meaty prey. Large specimens of Wyrms have been seen ambushing colonies of Selkies devouring several small pups or targeting a single fully grown adult in the surprise attack. In other cases these Leviathans would target the calves of Telkhines or even Juggernauts in their migratory travels or aim for the unguarded eggs or chicks of Tawekia, however in either of these these cases were often failed attempts as many of the Wyrms were greatly injured or Killed by the super sized parents.
This unusual feeding behaviour may be due to living within the Bathypelagic zone for extended periods of time, the moment when food becomes too scarce or game patterns change this would prompt the Leviathans to migrate to land for greater chances.

Despite being predators themselves Wyrms can often wind up on the menu of bigger & much more lethal adversaries. Predatory Behemoths like the Nanuq, Lycans & Berserkers have been known to dig up Wyrms from beneath the ice in surprise attacks. Wyrms are the favoured prey of the Akhlut where pod members would gang up on lone Leviathans often tiring it out & corralling it into a tight squeeze further pushed by the circling pod, harassing it into the point of exhaustion.

Wyrms have been hunted by Paladins stationed in the Southern Ice Realms as a population control. Every now & then Wyrms would earmark the native fish population during the annual mass spawning where the Leviathans would often devastate large school populations in an uncontrollable frenzy, leaving local fishing communities with such a low haul & setting the Ice Realms food web off balance if damage control isn’t concluded. Therefore during the annual mass spawning, between the months of early September to late October, Paladins are pardoned to hunt as many Wyrms as one could where no part or portion is wasted. The skulls of the Wyrm are often used as a moulding tool to fashion the saddle brace & muzzles for Wargs whereas their fangs are kept as makeshift precision tools & knives. Wyrm blood is stored & kept in sealant containers in the use of antifreeze products & upon tanning their skin is used for leather for clothing & interior straps.

BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS

Wyrms possess a unique attack in order to deal with both fleeing prey & potential threats. Wyrms are able to expel a stream of super cooled saline solution from their mouths that comes directly from a highly elastic bladder located in its chest. Underwater the saline almost immediately freezes the surrounding water within its range due to its gelid nature causing anything caught in its path to become encased in ice. The solutions efficiency becomes relatively weaker without the fusion of water, therefore if the Leviathan were to traverse on land it must store a copious amount of water in a specialised throat pouch. Both the bladder & water pouch become utilised the moment it uses its freeze beam.
The Wyrm also has the ability to secrete this same solution through its scales in which hardens with the application of water, creating a secondary coat of armour. In close range the Wyrm is able to sculpt an icy sword from its tail in which is used as a powerful cutting edge weapon strong & sharp enough to leave slash marks on newly formed Ice 7.

Wyrms possess photophores along the ventral side of its body in which emits light through adrenergic nervous control. Wyrms utilise bioluminescence for two distinct purposes, that is attracting prey as well asavoiding predators. They show distinct anatomical adaptations for the two functions. Distribution of this light closely matches the distribution of light ratio within mesopelagic & bathypelagic oceanic zones, thus increasing difficulty for both predators & prey to visualise the Leviathan. This is a form of specialised camouflage known as counter-illumination, a form of camouflage used to obscure the organism's silhouette produced by the down-welling light.

Like the Hag the Wyrm is an endothermic Leviathan where not only does it inhabit the coldest parts of the polar seas of the Ice Realms but also the darkest. Therefore the Wyrms blood contains antifreeze proteins, unique macromolecules that help the Leviathan avoid a freezing death in their icy domain preventing cellular death.

BEHAVIOUR

Wyrms are aggressive Leviathans that will outright attack anything they deem as a potential threat, or prey. However despite their hostility towards many organisms both human & animal alike they are the first to retreat the moment they encounter a creature stronger let alone bigger than they are.

Description

NU:AMAM - Neofauna Taxon Classing Guide - www.deviantart.com/djaymasi/ar…

Order - Stomiiformes
Suborder - Draconid beast
Infraorder - Leviathan
Species - Draco everwyrm
————
Length - 16.7m (55ft)
Weight - 1.25 Ton (2,500Ib)

Sound concept - youtu.be/tCoa9zhwDQk?si=O-xUvW…

Deep from the darkest abyss into a world stilled by unrelenting winds the Wyrm is a needle toothed nightmare said to have sprung straight forth from the frozen lake Cocytus. Their breath so unyieldingly cold that those who experience its brisk is eternally locked away into their icy prison, never to escape.

— Grimoire passage from the Tapster

HABITAT RANGE

Wyrms are bathypelagic Leviathans that inhabit 4000m below the Polar seas of the Northern Ice Realms where temperatures drop to 3°C. Wyrms would also venture onto land relocating themselves into frozen lakes accessible through a series of holes that the Leviathan took the liberty of tunnelling into. These relocations are solely due to the fact of raising their spawn into safer nurseries in which many predators that normally target Wyrms or their young cannot reach.

ECOLOGICAL NICHE

Wyrms are icthyophagus hunters, devote fish eaters that use penetrative exploitation tactics against large schools. In the Polar seas of the Northern Ice Realms Wyrms would actively hunt schools of Mackerel, Cod, Flounder & several species of Arctic Icefish in which they’ll target under the cloak of night when visibility is at its most lowest. Thanks to its speed Wyrms would perform drive by strikes swallowing copious numbers of fish whole where inevitably they’ll target the remaining few whilst they’re stunned & panicked.
In spite of their piscivorous lifestyle Wyrms aren’t entirely specialists. True that the majority of dietary intake is mainly fish however the Leviathans won’t pass up the opportunity to tackle large meaty prey. Large specimens of Wyrms have been seen ambushing colonies of Selkies devouring several small pups or targeting a single fully grown adult in the surprise attack. In other cases these Leviathans would target the calves of Telkhines or even Juggernauts in their migratory travels or aim for the unguarded eggs or chicks of Tawekia, however in either of these these cases were often failed attempts as many of the Wyrms were greatly injured or Killed by the super sized parents.
This unusual feeding behaviour may be due to living within the Bathypelagic zone for extended periods of time, the moment when food becomes too scarce or game patterns change this would prompt the Leviathans to migrate to land for greater chances.

Despite being predators themselves Wyrms can often wind up on the menu of bigger & much more lethal adversaries. Predatory Behemoths like the Nanuq, Lycans & Berserkers have been known to dig up Wyrms from beneath the ice in surprise attacks. Wyrms are the favoured prey of the Akhlut where pod members would gang up on lone Leviathans often tiring it out & corralling it into a tight squeeze further pushed by the circling pod, harassing it into the point of exhaustion.

Wyrms have been hunted by Paladins stationed in the Southern Ice Realms as a population control. Every now & then Wyrms would earmark the native fish population during the annual mass spawning where the Leviathans would often devastate large school populations in an uncontrollable frenzy, leaving local fishing communities with such a low haul & setting the Ice Realms food web off balance if damage control isn’t concluded. Therefore during the annual mass spawning, between the months of early September to late October, Paladins are pardoned to hunt as many Wyrms as one could where no part or portion is wasted. The skulls of the Wyrm are often used as a moulding tool to fashion the saddle brace & muzzles for Wargs whereas their fangs are kept as makeshift precision tools & knives. Wyrm blood is stored & kept in sealant containers in the use of antifreeze products & upon tanning their skin is used for leather for clothing & interior straps.

BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS

Wyrms possess a unique attack in order to deal with both fleeing prey & potential threats. Wyrms are able to expel a stream of super cooled saline solution from their mouths that comes directly from a highly elastic bladder located in its chest. Underwater the saline almost immediately freezes the surrounding water within its range due to its gelid nature causing anything caught in its path to become encased in ice. The solutions efficiency becomes relatively weaker without the fusion of water, therefore if the Leviathan were to traverse on land it must store a copious amount of water in a specialised throat pouch. Both the bladder & water pouch become utilised the moment it uses its freeze beam.
The Wyrm also has the ability to secrete this same solution through its scales in which hardens with the application of water, creating a secondary coat of armour. In close range the Wyrm is able to sculpt an icy sword from its tail in which is used as a powerful cutting edge weapon strong & sharp enough to leave slash marks on newly formed Ice 7.

Wyrms possess photophores along the ventral side of its body in which emits light through adrenergic nervous control. Wyrms utilise bioluminescence for two distinct purposes, that is attracting prey as well asavoiding predators. They show distinct anatomical adaptations for the two functions. Distribution of this light closely matches the distribution of light ratio within mesopelagic & bathypelagic oceanic zones, thus increasing difficulty for both predators & prey to visualise the Leviathan. This is a form of specialised camouflage known as counter-illumination, a form of camouflage used to obscure the organism's silhouette produced by the down-welling light.

Like the Hag the Wyrm is an endothermic Leviathan where not only does it inhabit the coldest parts of the polar seas of the Ice Realms but also the darkest. Therefore the Wyrms blood contains antifreeze proteins, unique macromolecules that help the Leviathan avoid a freezing death in their icy domain preventing cellular death.

BEHAVIOUR

Wyrms are aggressive Leviathans that will outright attack anything they deem as a potential threat, or prey. However despite their hostility towards many organisms both human & animal alike they are the first to retreat the moment they encounter a creature stronger let alone bigger than they are.