Book Wyrms
Book Wyrms
Dragonkin
Thought to be a species of dragonkin from the western mountains of Brangorn, the Book Wyrms are now a protected species. Used primarily in libraries, archives, and schools, these tiny reptiles hatch in broods of 100 or more.
Domestication
The domestication of Book Wyrms began as a project to protect the species from extinction. Thought to be entirely lost after the Calamity of Caves in 3800, explorers from the Great Sky CIty of Clair found them breeding in forgotten pockets of the ravaged landscape. The broods being tragically small, researchers from The Great Library of Clair took them in and began breeding projects.
Uses
Primarily used in libraries, archives, schools and the like, Book Wyrms feed off of the vermin that eat away at the paper and parchment of books. Entire ecosystems of adult Book Wyrms can live off of the strange creatures that replaced mice and bugs when habitation took to the skies. They can also be found sleeping inside books, disguised as a bookmark.
Book Wyrms are also intelligent, being used as companions for magic practitioners. When a Book Wyrm chooses a person, they stay with them for their whole life, and often ride wrapped around the wrist of their person. They can act as a pocket while on the wrist, safely holding small objects. It is thought that this is related to draconic hoarding.
Helbrig the Magnificent
A famous mage from the early days of the Book Wyrm breeding program who was said to have up to six bonded Book Wyrms wrapped around his wrists. As legend tells, this led to him being able to discover the properties of thistle down in alchemical recipes pertaining to magical flight. This had been previously impossible, and considered ludicrous from multiple sectors of magical practice. As it turned out the humble down of thistles, with their lightness and relationship to air, were more important to the discipline of magical flight than once realized.
Helbrig credited the help of his Book Wyrms in his work, their names being listed alongside his. He stated that it was while researching in the field that they, in their wisdom, kept him from giving up on his research, continuing to bring him samples, and pointing out his missteps.
Whether the Book Wyrms were truly that important to his research is not known, although it hardly matters as the explosion of desire for Book Wyrms in other institutions that arose from Helbrig's discovery helped secure the future of the species.
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