Sifter Wyrm
Sifter wyrms, otherwise known as “sand dragons”, are
gargantuan snake-like creatures more closely related to
elementals than true dragons. Nevertheless, close
inspection reveals glowing cracks of draconic essence
flowing between their large, sandstone-textured scales;
a telltale sign of their presence despite their otherwise
perfect camoflauge. Normally these creatures are
content to burrow beneath the sand, hunting for
unsuspecting prey and surfacing only when they find it.
However, their enhanced tremorsence allows them to
detect surface threats and erupt from underneath the
Sifter Wyrm
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sand in a deadly ambush. Sifter wyrms ingest large
quantaties of sand while burrowing, intentionally or not,
and are capable of storing this sand in their stomachs
for long periods of time. This stored sand can then be
unleashed as a breath weapon, dealing massive damage
to anything unlucky enough to get caught in the blast of
molten sand and sandstorm-force winds.
Some desert-dwellers worship sifter wyrms as
protectors of the sands, viewing them as ecologically
important apex predators; creatures of elemental and
draconic lineage worthy of both fear and respect.