Merwyrms are one of the most ancient creatures to be found within the Old World, a distant kin to the mighty winged Dragons that once ruled the skies of this world. Loremasters believe that once their scaled forms swarmed the primordial oceans of the Old World, but now they are rarely heard of save in the tales of embittered sailors who claim to have lost a ship and crewmates to these beast.[1a]
All Merwyrms possess long, almost serpentine and sinuous bodies, covered in scales and corded with muscle, with four stubby limbs each tipped with sharp claws. Unlike Dragons, the more primitive Merwyrms do not possess wings, instead the lashing of their bodies serves to propel them through the deeps at greater speed and is able to make frightening gait across dry ground when their hunger takes them there to pursue prey.[1a]
Merwyrms are also hardy and adaptable creatures, with the ability to heal wounds at a tremendous rate at the expense of an ever growing appetite for food. Merwyrms are most commonly found in the dangerous coastal waters of the Sea of Claws, and are bright silver-green and highly venomous. When food is scarce they have been known to assault coastal villages within the Province of Nordland, devouring the inhabitants with ravenous fury. Other rarer sub-breeds are known to exist, such as the albino Pagowyrm which dwells in the frigid seas of Naggaroth, and the legendary black Sciowyrms found only in the deepest ocean trenches. Masters of the primordial darkness that surrounds them in the deeps, they are said to be one of the few creatures that dares to hunt the mighty Kraken.[1a]