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Merwyrm

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"Its gory banquet was to be swiftly cut short though as a strange sound drew its attention. Standing before it was the Doom Lord, his eyes lit with an azure glow as he whispered words he'd read upon an age-tattered scroll he found whilst travelling amongst the Border Princes where the sorcerer Kadon had once roamed. Enthralled by his words the Beast of Nordland quickly succumbed to Helsnicht's will and with total obedience followed the necromancer as he walked into the darkness of the Forest of Shadows, another addition to the army the Doom Lord was gathering for the battles soon to come."

—From Gustav Juablhiemer's Histories of the Northern Lands, Vol XIV[1a]
Merwyrm

A Merwyrm hunting Lizardmen.

A Merwyrm is a monstrously large reptilian marine predator and one of the most ancient creatures to be found within the seas of the Old World. Like Sea Dragons, Merwyrms are distant kin to the mighty winged Dragons that once ruled the skies of the world of Mallus.

History[]

Amanar Total War Warhammer 2

The Great Merwyrm Amanar as depicted in Total War: Warhammer II.

Loremasters believe that the Merwyrms' scaled forms once 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 beasts.[1a]

Scholars suggest that the Merwyrms represent a lineage possessing the characteristics of both Sea Serpents like the Gargantuan and Dragons, and which is ancestral to both. They also believe that they once had proportions to rival Leviathans and that the modern specimens are but pale reflections of these ancient creatures.[4a]

Merwyrm Total War Render 1

Render of a Merwyrm from Total War: Warhammer II.

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 great speed and allows them to possess a frightening gait across dry ground when their hunger takes them there to pursue prey. Adults are known to grow as large as baleen whales in length.[1a][4a]

Merwyrm Total War Render 2

Render of a Merwyrm from Total War: Warhammer II.

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 more 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 of Nordland, devouring the inhabitants with ravenous fury.[3a]

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.[3a]

Masters of the primordial darkness that surrounds them in the deeps, Merwyrms are said to be one of the few creatures that dares to hunt the mighty Kraken, thanks to the venom found in their fanged maws. This toxin is called "Whale Bane."[1a][3a]

Merwyrms in High Elf Armies[]

Merwyrm High Elves

A Merwyrm in battle alongside a unit of Lothern Sea Guard.[5]

The High Elf kingdoms of Ulthuan are places of learning, poise and refinement. The peoples of Ulthuan are master warriors, scholars, craftspeople and masters of anything else to which they deign to turn their delicate hands.[5]

So it's always a surprise to their foes when they pitch up to a fight with a grotesque behemoth in their midst, a scaly, sinuous Merwyrm thrashing about and making a violent nuisance of itself in the least graceful manner possible.[5]

The Asur are known to call up Merwyrms out of the deeps as servants, similar to the Sea Dragons enslaved by their Druchii kin. The High Elf Sea Lords sometimes summon and bind them to their will, letting them loose to writhe in battle, battering and eviscerating the foe with their heavy bulk and sharp claws -- a dark, watery foil to the nobility of the High Elf Dragons above.[4a][5]

One of the most famous Merwyrms to be summoned by the High Elves is Amanar of Lothern, and Sea Lord Aislinn used a Merwyrm during his campaign in the Sea of Claws. The Asur value the Merwyrms especially because they are able to survive on land, unlike other Sea Beasts.[2a][4a]

Notable Sub-species[]

  • Pagowyrm - The ocean's chill follows the Pagowyrm onto the field of battle, obstructing those enemies who try to reach it in melee.[1a]
  • Sciowyrm - Crushing darkness surrounds the Sciowyrm in battle, making it a harder target for ranged units, and terrifying those who reach the beast in close combat.[1a]

Notable Merwyrms[]

Miniatures[]

Sources[]

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