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| The Molten Worm of Adu
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| Molten Worms: (fire based) The only reason these creatures are classified as dracona is because they are mysterious and intelligent, and because Gadroku lore traces their ancestry back to a life in the oceans. The molten worms still swim in magma lakes and propel themselves through flowing lava tubes. In magma or fire, their outlines blur, making it very hard to distinguish them from their surroundings. Their physical form is very mutable, almost like a cephalopod, their bones long since evolved into crusty, charred cartilage. All six eyes are molten, and the mouth is flanked by two fiery appendages capable of reaching out and smacking enemies and flinging molten rock. The molten worm has no legs, no discernable break between body and tail, and no visible neck. Its body radiates intense heat, so hot that contact with it can stress rock and metal and possibly damage it. The molten worm requires a great deal of internal combustion to survive, created by the act of “eating,” which is believed to happen when the tendrils flanking its mouth pull organic material into its maw. It kills with sharp cartilaginous ridges lining the orifice, and through suffocation and extreme heat. It is believed that if necessary, molten worms can heat, and eventually crack, crumble, and melt rock. They then ingest it to increase their massive sizes. Molten worms have been seen measuring over sixty feet long. Many of the deeper tunnels on Adu are believed to have been created by molten worms, and these beasts only exist in the lowermost levels beneath the mountains. There are records indicating molten worm eggs and larvae. These are found only in the deepest, hottest magma lakes. It is noted that the eggs appear charred on the outside, but are not hard. Rather, they give slightly if prodded. Eventually, the eggs hatch, and small, five-foot long larvae dive into the magma. In essence, they are incubating in the heat, and existing off the molten minerals, until they reach maturity, when they are approximately twenty feet long. Molten worms have a crusty, charred skin, which is sloughed off frequently. These old skins are deposited throughout the Aduan tunnels, and are very common. The dwarves acknowledge the worms as dracona, but they always call them “demons.” |
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