Prologue (3k)
Chapter One: Designing Beasts (61k)
Chapter Two: New Rules for Familiars (2k)
Chapter Three: Familiars and Saga Development (42k)
Chapter Four: Popular Familiars (103k)
Chapter Five: Quadrapeda (84k)
Chapter Six: Birds (84k)
Chapter Seven: Serpents (62k)
Chapter Eight: Worms (9k)
Chapter Nine: Fish (13k)
Appendix One: Humans as Familiars (12k)
Appendix Two: Familiars of the Realms (70k)
Appendix Three: Forms, Effects and Sizes (11k)
Bibliography (6k)
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Worms are creatures produced from eggs, but without mating, from
the substances of the earth, the air, the water, leaves, wood,
flesh or clothing. They come in very many types, and tend to
live off that substance which first creates them. I have already
described the bee, which is born from the flesh of oxen, but it
is an exception to the rule of feeding, for it comes from flesh
but feeds on flowers.
The spider is a worm of the air, and it spends its long life in the construction of elaborate tapestries. Many little things that fly are not true worms of the air, however, for they do not feed upon it, and are not born of it. For example butterflies, which flit about, are worms of wood that feed upon wood, and use the air only for travel. Wood worms come of many types, but those best known are the caterpillar, the termite and the locust. The scent of the rose kill locusts. The best known water-worm is the leech, for coming from water it then feeds on the waters of the human body. In doing this it demonstrates that it is not truly a flesh worm, for they are concentrated in the meat. Meat-worms include the maggot; the louse; the ringcus, which fastens itself to the ears of dogs; the usia, which blisters swine with its bites; the bug, which feeds on plants but comes from rotten flesh. The flea, interestingly, is an earthworm, like the centipede or scorpion, and is born of dust. The clothworm is called the moth and its burrowing causes holes. One may know a worm from a serpent by its movement. A serpent slides upon its scales, but a worm lacks a spine, so it moves by stretching and contraction. |
| The largest of the worms known to the Order is the Well Worm, a huge, slimy thing that breeds in springs and wells. It is a little like the eel, but far larger. It has, in many cases, some serpentine properties, such as a desire to suck dry cows. As with many worms it can regenerate, and there is some danger that if chopped into pieces each section itself develops into a worm. By tradition the defeat of this creature is best dispatched by conflict in a fast-running watercourse, as this is thought to scatter its pieces, preventing their recombination. It may be that salt, fatal to many other worms, also kills this one, and flushing it out to sea may prevent the larger pieces growing new heads and continuing in lieu of the parent worm. |
The Lambton WormThis creature is drawn from the story of the Lambton Worm. In that story the young son of Lord Lampton skives off church to go fishing, catches the worm then drops it in the well. Many years pass, and when he returns a man from the Crusades he finds the fully-grown worm terrorising his father's lands. Since the Crusades are currently occurring in Mythic Europe its inclusion is only slightly anachronistic. The story ends with the lord killing the creature while wearing spiked armour, which prevents it crushing him in its coils, while standing in a fast-flowing stream. He knows that the first thing that greets him on his path home he must kill, so he arranges with his father than a hound should be released at his approach, but the old man forgets and welcomes his son himself. Since the boy will not slay the father, the line of Lambton is curse and all meet ill ends for nine generations, at which time the final Lambton, destitute, passes away and the line is extinguished. |
Source: http://orac.sunderland.ac.uk/lambton.html
Ars Magica Drinking Songs #1:
The Song of the Lambton WormOne Sunday morn young Lambton went a-fishin' in the Wear; An' catched a fish upon his huek, He thowt leuk't varry queer, But whatt'n a kind a fish it was Young Lambton couldn't tell. He waddn't fash to carry it hyem, So he hoyed it in a well. Chorus Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs, Aa'll tell ye aall and aaful story, Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs, An' Aal tell ye 'bout the worm. Noo Lambton felt inclined to gan An' fight in foreign wars. He joined a troop o' Knights that cared For neither wounds nor scars, An' off he went to Palestine Where queer things him befel, An' varry seun forgot aboot The queer worm i' the well. Chorus But the worm got fat an' growed an' growed, An' growed an aaful size; He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob, An' greet big goggle eyes. An' when at neets he craaled aboot To pick up bits o'news, If he felt dry upon the road, He milked a dozen coos. Chorus This feorful worm wad often feed On calves an' lambs an' sheep, An' swally little bairns alive When they laid doon to sleep. An' when he'd eaten aal he cud An' he had has he's fill, He craaled away an' lapped his tail Seven times roond Pensher Hill. Chorus The news of this most aaful worm An' his queer gannins on Seun crossed the seas, gat to the ears Of brave an' bowld Sir John. So hyem he cam an' catched the beast An' cut 'im in three halves, An' that seun stopped he's eatin' bairns, An' sheep an' lambs and calves. Chorus So noo ye knaa hoo aall the folks On byeth sides of the Wear Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep An' lived in mortal feor. So let's hev one to brave Sir John That kept the bairns frae harm Saved coos an' calves by myekin' haalves O' the famis Lambton Worm Chorus Noo lads, Aa'll haad me gob, That's aall Aa knaa aboot the story Of Sir John's clivvor job Wi' the aaful Lambton Worm |
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Characteristics: Cun: -2, Per: +2, Pre: -1, Com: -2, Str: +7, Stm:
+5, Dex: +1, Qik: +2
Magic Might: 15 Size: +5 Virtues and Flaws: Poisonous: Water this creature touches is no longer potable, as per "Vile Water of Sterility". The creature's bite is mildly toxic and characters who are bitten must roll Stamina of 6+ or lose a fatigue level. Personality Traits: Hungry +3
Weapon (Bite): Init: +9, Atk: +10, Dfn: +0, Dam: +24 (and poison)
*To break free a character must roll Strength + Brawl of 15+. Soak: +15 Fatigue: +5 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0/0/0, -1/-1, -3/-3, -5/-5, Unconscious Body Levels: OK, 0/0/0, -1/-1, -3/-3, -5/-5, Incapacitated Abilities:
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It is not suggested that this creature should be a PC.
Vis: 5 Perdo, body.