Craw Wurm

An enormous predatory wurm which stalks the largest forests and jungles, the predatory pinnacle of the food chain. Unlike a true dragon, the craw wurm is not a very intelligent beast. Seeking only to fulfill its enormous appetite, legends across the world speak of terrifying earthquakes caused by two of these creatures deciding that the other would make a filling meal.   Mindless Devourer The craw wurm lives only to seek its next meal, requiring massive amounts of food in order to power its enormous body. Because of this, the craw wurm does not sleep, and it does not think. Despite its lack of intelligence, the craw wurm is just as dangerous as other dragons, capable of overcoming nearly any obstacle put in its path. Once a craw wurm has been sighted in a forest, the residents will often evacuate the area en masse, attempting to flee from the destruction which will surely follow.   Powerful Hunter Because the craw wurm requires so much energy to survive, and expends so much merely to chase after prey, the only time the craw wurm stops is when it encounters large prey. The larger the beast a craw wurm kills, the longer it will stay in one place as long as possible, attempting to gather as much energy from its meal as it can. During this time, because of the stillness of its movements, other creatures may pass by the craw wurm without even becoming aware it sits there. If the creature is large enough, the craw wurm will quickly lash out and devour it whole, returning to a placid stillness to conserve energy. In this way, a craw wurm might cease to move for weeks or even months at a time, long enough for the forest around it to grow over its still body.   Ultimate Challenge Because of the craw wurm’s reputation as a destroyer of forest dwelling civilizations, some cultures which place high value on the hunting of big game see the craw wurm as the ultimate hunter’s challenge. Its sheer size alone marks it as a hunter’s dream, and the rare few who have ever faced a craw wurm and come back alive are forever renowned in these cultures. Even more so are those who actually manage to kill one of the beasts, though such claims are hard to verify after a few years. Attempting to bring back more than a spine or a scale is difficult because of the size of the creature, and a decayed body is not much proof.