Lindworm Golem

Lindworm Golem

### Abilities

Shape shifting (stone to corporeal form), exists without sustenance, recognizes children of Kaia

### Diet

the blood of enemies

The Lindworm Golem, or “the beast below” as it is known in some stories, is a near legendary creature that many equines no longer believe in, and knowledge of it has been relegated to the trivialities of folklore, cropping up in children’s nursery rhymes, old mare’s tales, and fragmented bits of clan lore. But there lies within the multitudes of contrasting knowledge, bits of truth. And after all, the Golem needs not for mortals to believe in it. It need only wait, as patient as the earth that it belongs to.

Most legends depict the Lindworm Golem as a single beast, who appears to those worthy children of Kaia in their hour of need, and vanquishes their foes before returning once more to Kaia’s embrace beneath the crust. It is depicted in various guises, but always massive, with eyes that burn red with the magma and fires of the earth. Most legends seem to agree that the Golem always appeared fairly reptilian, but would never be mistaken for a dragon, as it had no wings, only a sinuous, twisting body of rock and earth. Indeed legends speak of the Golem dipping in and out of the soil as if to it the earth’s surface were nothing more than welcoming water; some tales paint the creature as a beast of continually shifting, falling dirt and rock, never truly separated from the earth.

The truth of the Lindwom Golem seems to have been obfuscated and lost over the eons… but as the years have turned and the gods have renewed their interest in their wayward morals, more stories have been cropping up again, sightings of strange, earthen creatures that can melt away in a heartbeat, and can only be commanded by a true child of Kaia. Stories of Onean citizens picking up nondescript stones, stones that they claim called to them, and that they are unable to discard again, no matter how they try, are more and more prevalent. And sometimes, when the owner of such a stone finds themself under great stress or emotion… it’s as if the earth itself responds to them. They may not believe in the beast below, but it believes in them, and if a true child of Kaia is in danger… the earth answers.

### Additional Notes:

* Lindworms cannot be purchased, bred, or transferred between owners. A Lindworm Golem chooses its own master, and if you ever find yourself picking up an odd stone with no reason other than that it feels “right”, you may just have been chosen. Only equines who have been called to by such a stone and carry one in their possession (often braided into the tail or mane) can call forth a Lindworm Golem. If you steal or possess a stone that did not call to you, then the Golem will not answer to you, and the stone will make its way inexplicably back to its original owner.
* When an owner of such a stone dies, the stone too returns to the earth, where it waits for another worthy to master it. Centuries may pass, but the earth is patient.
* Often summoned into being by extreme emotions on the part of their equine companion, Lindworms materialize from the earth itself. They are single-minded, vicious foes in battles, though if a child of Kaia wishes to harm another child of Kaia, the Lindworm may initially hesitate, but if their master’s will is strong enough, they will attack.
* Accordingly, the Golem’s powers are diminished off of Onean soil, and though they can still be brought into tangible form, they will be significantly smaller, slower, and distractible. A less dangerous Golem is still not something you’d want to meet in a dark alley, however.
* Heat also drastically affects Golems. Born of Onean soil they're used to cold, frigid earth. Anything south becomes too warm and soft for the Golem to travel through. Sand is their worst nightmare.

 Creation Rules

### The Golem will always:

* Be reptilian in basic form, with powerful front legs
* Be made of earth and stone, and coloured accordingly
* Choose its owner
* Weigh more than they appear to

### Golems can:

* Have eyes with or without pupils
* Have eyes any shade of an earth tone
* Be studded with precious stones or veins of metal
* Be long and supine in form like a snake, or shorter and stockier, like a lizard
* Have two legs or four
* Be injured and need to retreat to heal

### Golems can **not:**

* Be bought, sold, or transferred between owners
* Have black, blue or white eyes
* Be spotted or "patterned" outside of normal earth tone gradients and striations
* Have wings
* Be smaller in size than their equine owner
* Be more than 4 or so times larger than their equine owner
* Be truly killed