Tomewyrm

"A word of caution. Many say the only dragons which exist in these modern times are within the pages of legends and myth. Many also say there is a grain of truth in everything. In this case, you could fill an hourglass. If a book has a lock on it, be very careful about opening it."

— Master Sage Alanli, Keeper of the Great Library

Across Erisdaire, common wisdom among modern folk suggests dragons are little more than a myth. It's accepted they might have existed at some point, but most people don't actually interact meaningfully with either dragons or their legacies. Dragonfolk exist, of course, and common folk believe they are all which remains nowadays. Scholars and adventurers disagree with dragons being gone from the world, partly due to many associations with actual living dragons. But some ideas are stubborn and refuse to go quietly, least of all those concerning dragons. No clearer is this made a cold truth than with the existance of the tomewyrm.

Tomewyrms are a curious creature, as they are not "alive" in the same ways people experience life. They do not have flesh, nor do they breathe or require tangible food. However, they are very much capable of thought and planning beyond the next desire or whim entering their minds. They do not possess a physical form unless they wish to manifest one, nor would doing so render them 'vulnerable' to damage from purely physical sources. These reasons collectively drove many to believe they didn't exist until enough proof had been collected for a short book to be written on the 'tomewyrms'. Scholars debate exactly how they come into being, however it is believed a combination of factors allow the proper environment a tomewyrm can be created within:

Ambient Magic. The presence of a strong ambient magical energy is almost always a factor in places where tomewyrms are known to have existed. This can be a naturally-occurring field of magic, or one created through intentional methods. The minimal level of strength is hard to gauge, as natural ambient fields tend to fluctuate and created ones tend to belong to those paranoid about their secrets.

Written Words. All instances of tomewyrms existing have been in the presence of written words, and a high concentration of them. Libraries belong to arcanists are almost always a likely place for a tomewyrm to begin, as they usually also have ambient magic around. However, reports also have persisted of them coming to exist within places such as historical record vaults or collections kept by nobility. The threshold seems to be much lower for bound codices instead of scrolls or loose papers, perhaps owing to the potential density of such books.

Lack of Activity. Tomewyrms seem less prone to manifesting within libraries which are well-maintained and also under constant use, though scholars are not entirely sure why. A lack of maintenance makes a degradation of the medium the writings are on more likely, hence undermining the previous factor. However, in many cases this degradation is slow and leaves a window for a manifestation to begin. Having an attentive curator seems to disrupt the necessary conditions for a tomewyrm's creation, though exactly how this matters is currently under investigation.

Once manifested, a tomewyrm is barely self-aware and instinctively seeks to secure its domain against any who might disrupt its presence. Over the course of its early development, a tomewyrm starts developing a personality and goals based on the contents of the library. After this personality develops, a tomewyrm becomes much more cautious about hiding and seeking ways to increase its power. It is now known tomewyrms have the capacity to influence individuals within their domain, either subtly or blatantly. Physical or visual manifestations of a tomewyrm seem to trend towards displaying draconic traits, possibly because of the ingrained reaction of others to show fear or awe towards dragons. This is, naturally, why they are called "tomewyrms".

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Tomewyrm Codex

"Yes, yes, it's a very nice book. Yes, it's genuine dragonhide. Please don't touch it, handle it, or read it. It's for your own good."

— Sage Cile

During investigations of tomewyrms, it has been noted a mature manifestation will invariably lean into the identity of a dragon. As they also can influence intelligent beings around their domain, each tomewyrm steadily starts altering the physical spaces they dwell in for their comfort. One of these ways is to produce what is both a valuable possession and a decoy: the Tomewyrm Codex. It takes the form of a book which is finely crafted from good-quality paper or vellum, acquired at the behest of the tomewyrm and slowly altered to take on aspects reminiscent of dragons. This can be in the style of artistic embellishments to the Codex itself, or using draconic materials to be created from. Often the interior of the codex becomes filled with (untrue) tales of the tomewyrm's exploits as a mighty dragon, sprinkled with a few truthful selections to make it harder to determine what's false. Additions and alterations to the codex continue as long as the tomewyrm can maintain influence over intelligent individuals, and records have noted there are sometimes multiple different codices in a domain. The meaning of this has not yet been ascertained, but the differences are often striking enough to suggest very different ideals behind the minds creating them.

More importantly, the Tomewyrm Codex seems to pick up a magical aura all of its own through the various alterations and efforts of the tomewyrm. When the tomewyrm entity is properly excised, the Codex maintains its aura of magic and is a worthy candidate for being enchanted with focused arcane effects. Since tomewyrms have become understood, a few arcanists have sought the studies on the entities in order to cultivate them and maybe acquire a Codex of their own. This is, of course, extremely risky as a tomewyrm must be mature to influence the creation a Codex, Mature tomewyrms have more likely acquired a subtle touch, and thus can potentially manipulate even aware arcanists into behaving along a greater plan.