All Monsters in "Linnorm"
Source Bestiary pg. 224Immense, primeval dragons of the northern reaches of the world, linnorms hate those they deem to be lesser creatures and seek to inflict as much suffering as possible upon their unfortunate victims. While these serpentine monstrosities might not be the powerful winged dragons most imagine, they nonetheless possess incredible strength and deadly powers that often rival authentic dragon brutality.
Death Curses
The death curses of the linnorms are often the subjects of tragic sagas, and those who would think themselves vanquishing heroes for slaying a linnorm often meet their dooms soon thereafter, succumbing to these curses well after the death of the linnorm responsible for bestowing it.
First World Connections
Linnorms have a deep connection to the
First World, the primordial home of the fey. While linnorms typically won't think twice before devouring a
gnome or other
fey, they do have an unusual respect for wielders of powerful primal magic. The only way to cow a linnorm, according to common wisdom, is to remind it that there are forces of nature even stronger than itself.
Linnorm Kings
In the storied Lands of the Linnorm Kings, the slaying of a linnorm is traditionally required for those who would claim a nation’s crown. Recently, though, the Linnorm King White Estrid claimed her crown not by slaying a linnorm but by beating it into submission, gaining a powerful and dangerous ally to help secure her rule.
Linnorm Legends
Creatures as powerful as linnorms tend to spawn stories of their own, accurate or not. Critical failure on a check to
Recall Knowledge on linnorms might suggest that you can avoid a linnorm's death curse by closing your eyes as you deliver the fatal blow, or that rubbing poison oak on yourself can ward off a linnorm's attention.
Linnorm Treasure
As with true dragons, linnorms tend to amass immense piles of treasure in their lairs. These hoards consist of the weapons, gear, and belongings of would-be vanquishers more often than minted coins or works of art.
Newborn Linnorms
Almost all linnorms lead solitary lives; they are too reprehensible for even their own kind to tolerate for any length of time. Most species do not even meet to reproduce; rather, female linnorms usually deposit a solitary egg in a remote location, which a wandering male linnorm then fertilizes and places in a nook suitable for incubation. Newborn linnorms range in size from that of adult crocodiles to full-grown bulls, and their growth is rapid. Even a juvenile linnorm is strong enough to wreak havoc on a small settlement— though most don't dare to commit such audacious pillaging, for fear of evoking the anger of another, larger linnorm in the area.
Other Linnorms
Linnorms exist in a variety of forms beyond the four detailed here. The gaunt cairn linnorm, the spiny taiga linnorm, and the aquatic fjord linnorm each terrorize their own specific regions of the Material Plane.
Rarer Linnorms
While the linnorms presented here and in the first
Bestiary constitute the majority of these creatures, others exist, particularly in the remote regions of the
First World. It may be that these rare linnorms simply find the
Material Plane too constraining for their might!