Vesper Wyrms



Excerpt from: "Treatise on Vermin and Vespers"

Vesperdae colonies have always been created from a collection of many hundreds of rocks and boulders grown together using root and vine. When they were first discovered it was thought that the islands were grown much like hives of wasps as is their name sake. However, it was discovered while they can produce a resinous building material via the mastication of chitin the islands themselves are grown from caught landmasses in the sky. The aggregate landmasses that make up Vesperdae colonies are actually stitched together with silk and the vegetation grown around that. This is done using the very rarely seen Vesper Wyrm.

The Vesper Wyrm is not a dragon despite the name, in truth it has far more in common with the velvet worms that inhabit the underside of islands than one of the dragons from the Age of Darkness. The wyrm has a soft fleshy body, long tubular antenna and fat stumpy legs. Wyrms are typically kept within the islands in specially designed crèche caves. This is for several reason but most noticeably despite the colossal size of the great beasts they very much have the characteristics of a puppy they are overly affectionate to the point of squishing inexperienced handlers and excitable enough to accidentally spray their glue net. They are kept within the cavernous crèche for their safety as well as would be inhabitants.

The young  wyrms are sent out with a small flight of Vespers when they have located a desirable spot for a colony. The younger worms are smaller and carried by caretakers and used much in the same way leaf cutter ants build their nests. The glue and silk dry into a fibrous resin that encourages growth from spores from open sky.

When the wyrm finally grows into its adult form it is capable of netting boulders the side of frigates and pulling them into place.

There is no known upper lifespan for the great wyrms. However, colonies typically as part of a grand ceremony induce the wyrm to lay eggs. This causes a distinctive change in the wyrm and it retreats to the cavern crèche to brood its young. The Wyrm’s its typically implanted with many Vesperdae eggs following this change. The Wyrm gradually dies protecting its brood and as the eggs hatch so to doo the drones it was incubating. Most Vesperdae drones are born in large batches from Vesper Wyrms granting the fledgling colony the immediate workforce it needs to start turning the constructed landmass into a farming territory.