Lindromen is one of the six great reptiles that inhabits the Scanderan mainland and is an animal shrouded in dark magic and mystery. While being one of the smartest animals and even able to talk and plan like a sentient species so is it still not considered a thinking species by most people due to it's sadistic tendency and lack of remorse for it's actions which have given birth to a mutual hatred between the modern sentient species and lindormar. As most species so does it make it's home in the dark Scanderan forests and especially in the dark and cursed land of Markvald just north of the northern iceplains is the most common home of the species.

History

Scanderan lindorm
	File:Lindorm.png
	A drawing of a lindorm
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	brachiumserptes
Genus:	Lindserptes
Species:	L.Scandera
Binomial name
	Lindserptes Scandera; Hylfred Görenssen, 1785
	File:Lindormhabitat.png
	Habitat

The history of lindormar is a long one and have since the dawn age been marked between conflict between them and other sentient species. Even the origin of this magical animal is wrapped in mystery and some people claims that it is a horrid creation made through dark magic by the wharen, other claims that it is the offspring between dragons and giant vipers while other claims they are part of creation just as much as every other living creature. The two first theories have made especially the "Drakens sener" sect of the holy chronicles consider them unclean and Karmanjakans have hunted them without mercy over history.

The first record of this long conflict however comes from the Imerian migration and the wars between the northern species and the Wharen where lindormar reportedly fought for the Wharen empire but deserted once the war was over and withdrew to their forests while their allies all died out. It is however unknown to how far this alliance reached and it is theorised both that lindormar served as citizens in the empire as a whole while other theories says that they were merely allies for the war between the northern tribes and the Wharen.

However just after the defeat of the wharen so did refuge lindormar create their own small states by taking over elven, hafling, fairy and rån villages witch runestone of the times tells of like "Lindkultir" or "lind cults" and mentions sentient sacrifices to the snakes for food and other similar actions. Most of these kingdoms fell apart really quickly as they were either ruined in uprisings or vanquished by Imerian or elf warlords trying to expand their own lands but some of these lasted for a long time and the holy chronicles mentions several nations of elves and faries that were lead by a ruler of this kind during the non-human wars.

While most other non-humans were enslaved however so did the snakes withdrew into the forests where they stayed and gave up any notion of any co-operation between one another as they lived their lonely lives while preying on human and animals alike while trying to gather treasure and wealth. In the old days so were it also common for non-karmanjakans that had slain a lindorm to take it's heart and let the two children be born of it and then feed them to grow up before he could slay them again. This was done as the scales of a lindorm was highly treasured due to it's strength and because of how light it was and were used both for sails and to make armour for the riches Scanderans.

However the practice was outlawed around the 11th century due to the risk it posed and if the two twin lindormarna survived so were they known to wreck a horrible vengeance against the countryside. While lindormar today are tolerated so are they not considered federal subjects and if they are proven to slay a fellow sentient being so are they quickly put down but otherwise are they left in the forests.

Taxonomy

The species were given it's official definition by Hylfred Görenssen where he latinised the Imerian name for lindorm and just named it "The Scanderan lindorm" and classified it as a brachiumserptes or "armed serpent".

Anatomy and health

File:Lindormsize.png

Size compared to a human

Lindormen is a very large reptile and can grow to be 30 meters long and looks generally similar to a giant viper. There are however some differences, the three biggest ones are the short under developed arms that grows on a lindorms chest and that it uses for simpler tasks. Another one is the gerneral shape of lindormen's head that is thicker but not as long as a giant vipers and has a moustache like growth from under it's lip.

The last change is the ridges of plates on it's back that is used to help it to absorb heat from the sun and then spread out over it's body. A prised part of a lindorm is it's white scaled skin that is not only light but it is also very strong and is known to be able to survive a lot of punishment which meant in the old days were it used to make high quality sails and armour and a ship with lindorm sail were considered one of the most prised possession a nobleman could own.

Lindormen is however a very magical creature despite being unable to use magic itself, all this magic is stored in it's heart that regenerates into two new lindormar when one dies but also if devoured can heal all wounds and injuries a man suffers from, however eating a heart like this also brings risk as one can be transformed into a lindorm oneself if you do. This have resulted in eating the heart of a lindorm carries the capital punishment by dragonflames in karmanjaka.

While magic is something that it is not very good at so can a lindorm however one simple spell and it is able to transform itself into a human, dwarf, troll or elf of one gender. However so can it only transform itself into one of those and can only assume one other shape.

Reproduction

A lindorm is one of the few reptilians that reproduces asexually and it does this only after it has died. After it has died so does it's heart split in two that slowly turns into two young Lindormar that eat their way out of the corpse of the old one after which they split his belongings between them and goes separate ways.

Diet

The Lindorm is a carnivorous creature that eats all manners of large mammals and even reptiles that it can get it's hands on and it is not unknown to eat sentient creatures, it is not known why however but it would seem that sentient creatures are in fact it's preferred prey despite humanoids are not very good prey animals.

Behaviour

A lindorm is a greedy creature and just like a dragon does it like to gather large piles of wealth even if it is not known why it does so as it does not gather it to attract a mate. It is also a highly territorial animal that digs a burrow for itself where it stay for most of it's life and it only leaves to hunt for food while it keeps it's wealth on a large pile outside to enjoy.

When winter comes however so does it takes it's treasure and hides it in it's burrow before crawling into it to sleep all through the winter. When it takes human form however so is it almost entirely a beautiful youth that often tries to lure away young men and women into the forest where it often devours them even if it have been known to play with it's food before doing so.

Despite it's sluggish look so is lindormen a hellish fast creature, able to move out of it's hole and drag down unsuspecting adventurers for a snack just as it is able to burst out of vegetation to grab a creature 15 meters away by using it's body and hiding in the undergrowth.