Concordian Wyrm

## Concordian Wyrm(*Labirudae Concordaena*)

"*Oh glorious insect! Great wyrm of the beautiful jungles! Truly there is no greater proof of the God-Emperor than the Concordian Wyrm's loyalty to humanity!*"
—Imperial propaganda poster recovered during Concordia's reclamation
Hailing from the jungle planet of Concordia, the insectile beast known as the **Concordian Wyrm** is a terrifying ambush predator and, in many ways a symbol of its homeworld as a whole; beautiful, yet brutally deadly. After the Tau's conquest of Concordia, and the Imperium's retaliation campaign to retake the world, the Concordian Wyrm rose to prominence through Imperial propaganda as a heroic species and servant of the God-Emperor, due to their natural predation on Tau who entered their territory. Since then, the Wyrm has become something of a minor star in its sector of space, with many using both ownership of one, or the hunting of them as a symbol of status, especially given their fiendish animal cunning.

## Evolution and Classification

The Concordian Wyrm was first classified (Labirudae Concordaena) during the Great Crusade, when an Imperial Expedition, led by elements of the Salamanders Legion, discovered the beautiful jungle world during the 30th Millennium. Studies of fossil records show that the Wyrm itself has remained relatively unchanged, quickly carving out its evolutionary niche as apex predator. Amongst the oldest fossils discovered, show that during the earliest stages of its existence, the Wyrm was once a much smaller, flying creature, where now it is eight feet in length it was once three. It is believed that this stark change was brought about by environmental changes which caused an explosion in the growth of Concordia's jungles, making flight simply too impractical and ambush predation from the tree canopies much easier.

## Distribution

As the name suggests, the Concordian Wyrms are found primarily on the jungle planet of Concordia. However, since their explosion in popularity after the Imperium and Tau's struggle for the planet ended, many enterprising Rogue Traders and Planetary nobles have managed to capture specimens as 'pets' and, in efforts to reseed devastated worlds with life, the Adeptus Mechanicus has introduced this voracious creature to several planets across the Imperium.

## Anatomy and Physiology

On average, Concordian Wyrms (primarily males) measure a terrifying 8 feet in length and 3.6 feet in height (when not rearing up) and usually weigh between 200-500kg. The creature's entire body is covered with a tough, thorny exoskeleton (usually a bright green colour for camouflage), these thorns serve a dual purpose; flexible enough to be used in threat-displays, yet also solid enough to be a painful deterrent.

Though their mandibled heads have two pairs of eyes (the primary set are thermally based and forward facing, and the second are motion based and set into the side of the beast's head) the Concordian Wyrm's primary sense is smell, with the large antennae on the top of its head being its greatest sensory organ, capable of interpreting chemical alterations in the air caused by scents. For locomotion, the Concordian Wyrm has six legs, each with tarsi, allowing the creature to easily climb the trees and canopies they usually reside in.

As well as the tarsi which allow them to easily scale trees, the Concordian Wyrms have a strong, segmented tail, most often used during hunting, to slowly lower the creature from the canopies during ambushes. For offence, the great insect is armed with a pair of wicked raptorial claws, capable of ripping and gouging into flesh. As well, the saliva of the Concordian Wyrm is intensely caustic and harsh, capable of melting through the hull of a taurox in sufficient quantities. Perhaps most terrifying of all, the Concordian Wyrm is capable of dislocating its acid-slick maw and swallowing its prey whole.

The sexual dimorphism between the male and female members of the species are obvious. Whilst the female of the species are slightly smaller, their tail is different to those of the male, bearing a stinger of the end. Whilst not venomous, the true purpose of the tail is decidedly more sinister; the razor-sharp sting is hollow, and acts as part of the Concordian Wyrm's reproductive cycle, used to inject fertilised eggs into the bodies of unfortunate hosts.

## Behaviour and Ecology

These insectile monsters are voracious apex creatures. Usually lurking in the canopies of the Concordian jungles, these massive hunters are expert ambush predators. Usually the Wyrms operate during the day, devouring their prey early in the morning whilst it is still groggy from sleep. Whilst primarily carnivores, the Concordian Wyrms do sometimes, when desperate and hungry, consume plant-life. Amusingly, if interrupted or prevented from killing prey, the Concordian Wyrm usually becomes incredibly irritable, usually attacking the interloper.

As ambush predators, the Concordian Wyrms will usually slowly lower themselves from sufficiently strong branches by their thick tails as stealthily as possible, hanging as close as they can to their unaware prey as they can. Once in range the beast then reach down with their claws and, depending on the size of their victim, either hoist them up and slash them to death with their claws or, if the prey is suitably sized, simply reach down and swallow them whole, eating their meal alive. After feeding, the Wyrm will retreat into the trees to digest their meal. However, if in some way, their retreat is blocked, the massive insect will violently defend itself, attacking anything it deems dangerous and threatening enough. If the situation is deemed suitably desperate, the Concordian Wyrm will projectile vomit, hurling up the foul-smelling contents of its stomach at its assailants. Usually, if deemed safe enough again, the Wyrm will then eat (or drink depending on how dissolved its stomach contents were) the vomited food as well as its unfortunate target.

Solitary creatures, Concordian Wyrms are fiercely territorial, usually only temporarily allowing others of their kind (and even then, only members of the opposite sex) into their territory during mating season. Because of their parasitic reproductive cycle, impregnated hosts have their pheromone glands altered to give off a scent only noticed by the Wyrms, usually protecting them from predation by others. The reproductive cycle, which requires two wyrms is generally a fast one. During mating season, males will sing a carrying, chirruping song from the tops of their nest trees. Fertile females are usually attracted to the louder, more variable melodies. Once attracted, the successful males will fertilise the eggs that the female will then impregnate an unfortunate host with.

Usually, it takes three months for gestating Concordian Wyrms to hatch, once they do, they devour their withered host alive and then go their own way, rather rapidly growing to their full-size (the larger the host, the larger the wyrm.)

## Cultural Significance

Before the the reclamation of Concordia from the Tau, the Concordian Wyrm was of little significance as a creature used by the Mechanicum to reseed worlds. During it however, the Tau's belief that the locals of the world exaggerated the creature's deadliness (which resulted in countless patrols being ambushed and killed by them) combined with the discovery of a female Wyrm nesting in a shrine to the Emperor, led the creature to sky-rocket in popularity. Almost immediately upon this discovery, the Imperium's propaganda machine went to work, exalting the insect predators as loyal and devout servants of the God-Emperor of Mankind. Their natural predation on the xenos was spun as proof-positive that Concordia was a planet destined for humanity and that the planet itself would not allow any other hold it. Officially, it would be treason for any member of the guard to kill a Concordian Wyrm. Any reports of patrols lost to the creature's hunger or territorial disputes were quickly suppressed. Since the reclamation of the world by the Concordian 42nd of the Imperial Guard along with elements of the Stormborn Astartes, the Wyrm has been adopted as the regiment's mascot animal with the soldiers taking the nickname of 'the Wyrms' for their regiment. Whilst not well known, given the Inquisition's secretive nature, Inquisitor Rhea Dia of the Ordo Xenos a native of the world of Concorida and in fact once a member of the 42nd regiment, owns a Concordian Wyrm both as a reminder of the homeworld she has long since left behind and a beloved (if incredibly dangerous) pet.