Book Wyrms

"It was shortly after entering the restricted section that we began to hear the rattling of chains and odd, chittering growls in the distance. Now and then the chains could be heard snapping taught. We drew closer together, not wishing to discover what sort of beast the Librarians might be keeping here."

-daftPirate

Physical Description
Book Wyrms are massive creatures, ranging in length from sixteen to forty feet. They have large, draconian wings, scaled bodies, and long, whiplike tails; like certain species of dragon, they have no hind legs. Their heads are insectoid in appearance, with strong pincers and thick exoskeletons, and they are typically colored in shades of black, green, brown, or yellow. Like typical dragons, Book Wyrms lay eggs, and have extraordinarily long lifespans. They feed on any kind of flesh, and have been known to prey on Library denizens and patrons alike. They make their nests in empty shelves, which they convert into makeshift burrows and mock-caves.

Having a strong capacity for regeneration, it is incredibly difficult to outright slay a Book Wyrm. More than one, however, has been captured by the Librarians and chained in the Restricted Section, where their instinct to jealously guard their hoards comes in handy as a line of defense.

Behavior and History
Book Wyrms are hoarders, like other dragons, whose sole obsession is books. They have an innate sense for any given book's value; they able to "judge it by its cover" so to speak. Magical tomes and scrolls are of greatest value to them. Their species being exceedingly rare, a meeting between Wyrms have never been observed; or. if it has, nobody survived to record the incident. They see all other creatures as food at worst and inferior legs that might be able to bring them more difficult to access books at best. It is difficult in the extreme to even be acknowledged as thinking creature to a Wyrm, let alone reason with it; most eat first and ask questions never.

The origins of the species are largely unknown, but commonly held belief is that at least two dragons independently found their way into the Library, discovered each other, and mated purely to propagate. Because there are so many transmutive (and in some cases corrupting) influences in the Library, there is no certain explanation for the physiological differences between Book Wyrms and ordinary dragons.

Behind the Scenes

 * The original design for the Book Wyrms was posted on reddit on December 6, 2020
 * Book Wyrms were officially made canon on December 18, 2020
 * The user who created Book Wyrms, daftPirate, also provided many of the original flavor texts used on this wiki.

HeroForge Link
https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D12861493/