Lindwurm (lind-wurm)

Summary

The unbreakable fortresses who dwell deep within Veltrona, lindwurms are a veltron (and sometimes metal) aspected variant of dragonkind. They're distinctive for being a jointed humanoid species, with a humanoid upper body, a snake-like lower body, lack of wings, complete blindness, and incredibly well-armored, powerful physiques.   Of all dragonkind, lindwurms are typically the rarest to encounter on the surface of Veltrona. Natives of the Underworld, the snake-like lindwurms burrow through dirt, stone, crystal, and more in search of food, habitable areas, and chance encounters to meet people. Their natural strength and durability is leagues above almost anything on the surface, but not so underground. The fearsome reality of the Underworld demands much and more to survive, a challenge lindwurms must ever face.   In fact, the most common reason for lindwurms to breach Veltrona's surface is to seek refuge from their time in the Underworld. It's terribly difficult to fathom the challenges they face, as both their world view and language is often exotically unique. Still, that such powerful people live in fear of certain beasts is enough to put ice in the hearts of anyone who listen. Mostly the surface dwelling dragons whom lindwurms confide in, at least.   While lindwurms recognize blood lineage, for the most part they tend to travel and live in tribal groups. Their prodigious appetites and free-spirited nature often combine into a destructive outcome for any local environment they settle in. This leaves them to a migratory lifestyle, burrowing from one rich area to another within the Underworld. Circumstances, however, changed as civilizations began building themselves up.   The advent of farming and other ways of making rich food naturally captured their attention. Lindwurm tribes would strike deals with other civilizations, usually offering their incredible might in exchange for safe and reliable food. As a result, most of these tribal groups settled down and assimilated within the other civilizations. Things being what they are, the history of the two would often intertwine. If, however, calamity struck, lindwurms would easily be among the survivors, and so return to migrating once more.   For what can be said of their Underworld dwelling people, those upon the surface are much more easily recorded and known.   Lindwurms, naturally social people as they are, would seek out 'others like them' when they reached Veltrona's surface. To their surprise, the ones their senses led them to were the surface-born dragons, similar yet different. A fact that both sides puzzled over: dragons had no real records of lindwurms, and lindwurms had little, if any, historical details to offer up. Why the two had gone down very different paths as they had remains a great, unsolved mystery of the world.   Regardless, once the initial awkward attempts to communicate were handled, many dragon lineages accepted the lindwurms. Most regarded it in a manner as welcoming home long lost cousins, and so made comfortable accommodations. The lindwurms, in turn, took their newfound opportunities with great enthusiasm. Life upon the surface proved far more comfortable than the Underworld, even despite the incredibly disquieting 'sky' and the 'ever-watching eye' people called 'the sun'.   Still, not all of them forgot about their roots down below. Some lindwurms, emboldened by the newfound prosperity they achieved, could only look to the veltron. They each eventually left, promising to return with their own kin some day before burrowing deep into Veltrona once more. A promise they all made, but not all of them lived up to, disappearing forever into the dirt and rock.   Those that eventually returned had quite the tale on finding their new lineage's homelands. Some even drilled up onto the entire other side of the world and had to journey across the surface to 'find home' again. Such lost and wandering lindwurms is how many other species often encountered them, for better or worse. It seemed the lindwurm reputation for wanton destruction invariably followed them, even when they were just traveling. Then again, with their incredible strength in lands that often had nothing comparable to them, perhaps it was a bit troublesome.   Much of the lindwurm history on Veltrona's surface is intimately tied to their lineages. Very few lindwurms ever branched off to make their own civilizations, and those who did largely did so in their traditional tribal groups. What can be said, though, is the dire ramifications the age of the Imperium had for them all.   Though Imperious herself didn't care at all about things like 'species' or 'variants' or any real concept of xenophobia, it was a different story for those around her. Imperial dragons were eager to prove not only their superiority, but their 'just cause' to dominate all others. Racism became their tool of choice, a poison that would rot the very souls of all who imbibed it.   Lindwurms were signaled out for their 'lack' of culture, general knowledge, and competency. Their brutish reputation was played up entirely to diminish their worth, with some imperial dragons postulating they weren't real dragons at all. It created an easy-to-abuse narrative that the Imperium used to regulate them to what were, essentially, slaves by another name. Lindwurms were too incredibly powerful to ever fully subjugate.   Instead, the imperial dragons sought to break their self-confidence and worth, tooling them along to their whims. A tactic that proved distressingly effective as many lindwurms wanted to live with their newfound lineages more than anything else. Those who resisted were ultimately either killed, or chose to flee and burrow deep into Veltrona once again. Through the many centuries of the Imperium, the lindwurms received horrific treatment and indoctrination by most of the imperial dragons.   Help, however, came in the form of the other enslaved peoples. Humanity, the then-unknown baarham, helunae, lauraume, and so forth ever resisted the Imperium and its tyrannical rule. The lauraume were those who found the closest relationship with the lindwurms, offering sanctuary and healing from their terrible fortunes.   Indeed, it is that kindness that is said to have given many lindwurms a love of nature, and flowers in particular.   When the end of the Imperium finally came about, many lindwurms joined in the open rebellion against the imperial dragons. Those war-filled days saw their might brought forth in awing greatness, tearing apart draconic fortifications as if they were sand castles. What dragons dared to fight them paid the price in forgetting how unstoppable an enraged lindwurm could become. Though their numbers were few, the lindwurms most likely tore more than half of the Imperium's actual infrastructure apart themselves.   The ensuing Great Darkness saw most of their number killed in the explosion of the World Gate. Those who survived fled underground, never to return to the surface again, and even fewer still managed to return to their lineages. For as suddenly as lindwurms arrived on the surface, they all but vanished as well. It was a detail that didn't go unnoticed during the founding of Votyoger, either.   Many dragons, feeling responsible to the horrible fate of their kin, resolved to make amends. Some, alongside their lindwurm kin, took to braving a route into the Underworld itself. Others, learning of how the lindwurms communicated through vast distances, created seismic 'beacons'. They sent deep-reaching tremors into the Underworld, a sort of message conveying sorrow and righteous vengeance. Though the dragons didn't understand such a language exactly, the lindwurms who helped made it clear their fellows would understand.   Still, the beacons rang their message for decades without any appreciable response.   Some centuries later, it would be some of the long-lost expeditions who returned. With hundreds of lindwurms at the fore, drilling an enormous path through the Underworld, they burrowed straight to Veltrona's surface. Directly into Votyoger itself, thanks to some of the message beacons still operating there. Their triumphant return saw thousands more lindwurms accompanying the surviving dragons. Alien and exotic riches, knowledge, and harrowing experiences represented the bounty of wealth these adventurers all brought back.   Such a reunion became one of Votyoger's greatest triumphs of the era, and a celebration that lasted for nearly ten years was held. During which, the many lindwurm tribes were propositioned to by the dragon lineages, offering home, kinship, and blood ties. The tribes took up the offers that best suited them, but some banded together to make their own lineages. Regardless, the lindwurms had returned to Veltrona's surface, and by all accounts, were there to stay.   While they are the 'youngest' of all dragonkind, many possess bountiful wealth of lived experiences, capability, and know-how that only life can readily impart. With time and incentive to make civilizations of their own, or adopt their parent lineage's ways, they took to these new opportunities ravenously. It's hard to say what they may ultimately settle into becoming, even thousands of years later, as the lindwurms build their corner of existence up and up.