Wyrmbij

Born of Norse myth, specifically pertaining to Jormongandr the Midgard Serpent, the Wyrmbij would flourish in the lore of many other cultures round the globe but for all intents and purposes we will concentrate on North America.

It was the Native Americans that gave rise to the Wyrmbij in what their Viking couriers called Vineland. The deposited folklore rooting in the pre-existing mythology of the indigenous populous, particularly those tribes that revered the rattlesnake as grandfather and king of snakes. The manifestation established the legend and would continue to evolve through the centuries hiding behind the guise of such Christian cults as the Charismatics; protestants believing that snakes represented the Devil and thus taming the serpent, tamed one's sins and so on. All of these hidden cults, a fusion of myths transfigured all true believers into the visage of the venomous snakes they had worshipped for eons, becoming the pure Wyrmbij.

The Wyrmbij will always have strong ties to the Norse myths from whence they were born. Like the Vikings who fused themselves and their seed into those they conquered, the Wyrmbij are as lusty and fearsome when provoked. A rare few are versed in Old Norse, such as the Wyrmbij Mutti. The Mutti will know the old tongue, a gift from the goddess, and a few of pure blood may also know the language.

CULTS

People have worshipped the goddess, Wyrmbij Mutti since before the Norsemen sailed the seas. In recent times, these cults were disguised in order to protect their members from the prejudice of society and allow them to continue with practices considered heresy by most. In America, the Charismatic faith was common facade due to the fact that they employed the use of snakes in their worship. The Wyrmbij Cult Members performed rituals much the same using snake bites to empower their belief and make them more like the goddess and their revered snakes. Many, of course died. The slumbering deity unable to provide protection for her devoted followers. The Nevus event changed everything. After the world, the universe, was transformed and the Wyrmbij Cults were rewarded.

In their culture they worship the Wyrmbij Mutti, the Snake Mother of creation and endless life. Every cult possesses a representation of the goddess serving as their High Priestess or Mutti. She lives in seclusion from the rest of the cult and is likened to a prophet, employing such mediums as bones to divine the will of the goddess.

The Mutti is pure, a metahuman transformed into a Wyrmbij at the time of the Nevus event. It is considered a great honor for other pure Wyrmbij to be allowed into her lair to perpetuate the pure blood line. It is they who are the strongest, born and not made into Wyrmbij. Other forms of their kind are made by the transformation of a devoted cult member. These individuals who have all but permeated their blood with rattlesnake venom will receive the 'mark', a patch of snake skin somewhere on their body. it will not be long after that they will undergo the change. They will go into stasis forming a cocoon of snake skin which will eventually shed revealing their new form.

BIOLOGY

Their head is the most human part of their body, but still holds abnormally large glossy green eyes along with a forked tongue and mere slits for nostrils. Covered in snake scales and as limber and flexible as their namesake, their structure is easily more serpent than man. Their Human sized torso rises an imposing nine feet tall when stretched upright upon their coiled bodies, able to strike out with blinding quickness.

The pure bloods have twice the strength of a Human while the 'marked and made' gain only a slight enhancement. The Wyrmbij Mutti has three times the strength of a Human, stronger than the others of the cult or clan, but these statistics are only for their human halves. The bulk of their body, the massive serpentine coil below their waist is extremely powerful. The long serpentine body can flip a car and the Wyrmbij will naturally use this enormous appendage as weapon if needed, using it to ram opponents against the walls of their favored hunting grounds.

All possess amazing endurance so long as their body temperatures remain warm. Just like snakes, the Wyrmbij are cold blooded. Their true strength lies in their healing abilities. They heal rapidly, can regenerate just about any amount of damage save for being burnt to a crisp or losing their head.

Wyrmbij are highly intelligent and cunning creatures that have a great deal of patience when it comes to the craft of stalking or hunting their prey. They will not strike unless the odds are heavily in their favor of injuring or killing their victim.

Their speech is like an exaggerated lisp, dragging out any “s” in a word due to their forked tongue.

REPRODUCTION

ONLY THE WYRMBIJ MUTTI CAN PRODUCE PURE BLOOD OFFSPRING.

The Mutti is selected by the goddess as her representation on Earth, every cult has a Mutti. Her destruction can destroy a clan and thus they will protect her with the last breath.

She can only mate four times a year at very specific times which are not always convenient. Every year, few pure-bloods are produced. Naturally female Wyrmbij are highly sought after and closely guarded for it is only they that become Mutti and able to perpetuate their kind.

The gestation period is four months and ten to sixteen of the offspring will spill from the Mutti's abdomen. The creatures will then fend for themselves under the protection of the clan, but have a very high mortality rate. Only a third are expected to survive as they are extremely susceptible to disease and will instinctively prey upon one another. Females, however, receive some nurturing and they being larger than the males have a higher chance for survival.

Maturation rate is triple that of a Human. They reach maturity (equal to a fourteen year old) within six years.

As of 2015, five years after the Nevus event it can be assumed that every existing clan has produced on average eight off spring a year and the oldest of those 'children' would appear to be between seven and eight years of age.

Wyrmbij cannot transform into Human form until they are fully mature. After the age of six they will be able to disguise themselves.

ENVIRONMENT

Wyrmbij dwell deep within the rock and prefer shale. Due to their cold blooded physiology they warm their caverns with fires, which, since they lack the ability to see in the dark also serves as light sources. Eerie flickering lumination reveals the shadowy corners making it all the more inviting for exploration.

Entering the maze of their intricate caves is easy. Beware! For once you are deep enough with the heart of their mountain labyrinth, disoriented and without sense of direction, they will converge upon their prey when they are strongest and their prey is at it's weakest.

ABILITIES

Venom

The Wyrmbij have a poisonous bite, their fangs possessing enough venom for five bites, each releasing a full dose capable of killing a full grown man. If not treated within half of an hour your average Human will most likely be dead by the end of the hour. Victims can, however, extend their life. Unlike other poisons the toxicity of the Wyrmbij venom does not increase with movement. As long as person remains in motion and keeps the adrenaline high they can double, even triple their time, that is if they do not pass out from utter exhaustion first.

Symptoms include: Fever, profuse sweating and the gradual change of eye color to a milky white as the poison progresses. Victims experience gradual paralysis as well as the venom expands through their blood and eventually saturates it with deadly toxins.

Antidote: It is the same as the poison used to kill a Wyrmbij Mutti, listed below in the “Weaknesses” section. It must be combined with the saliva of a human and placed into the wound of the bitten party within the half hour to hold any hope of salvation. If the antidote is administered too late, there is still hope of life, but the victim will be paralyzed for the rest of their days. The extent of this will depend on when the antidote is administered.

Heightened Senses

The Wyrmbij also have a heightened sense of smell and vibration. They can detect fain doors at a distance of ten yards and sense vibrations from as far away as twenty yards. Combining these attributes allows them to learn the “imprint” of a scent and distinguish it once exposed.

Transformation

The Wyrmbij have the ability to transform into a Human. This is done by literally sloughing off their snake body and growing legs, a metamorphoses that takes a full six hours. During this time their facial features will change and the only trait of the Wymbij left will be a patch of snake skin somewhere on their body which can be hidden by clothing. This form lasts for seventy-two hours then they will begin to change back. The legs will cease to function, bind together and start to transform back and so on. The return is quicker, taking only one hour.

Common Wyrmbij, those transformed after the Nevus event via ritual, can hold their previous Human forms much longer than pure bloods. They can maintain the form for at least five days and even extend that time by using certain herbal mixtures to slow the change, possibly remaining Human for two weeks if desired.

WEAKNESSES (How to kill these critters)

The common Wyrmbij, those transformed after the Nevus event (or not born as a Wyrmbij) can be killed by cutting off their head, but pure bloods require the severing blade to be bathed with a concoction of Monkshood infused with sunflower seeds soaked in a liquid mixture of the moisture of Yggdrasil root and Poison Hemlock.

The Wyrmbij Mutti can only be destroyed by a snake-wrangler…. (more to come)

WYRMBIJ OF THE APPALACHIANS

Dwelling in the Appalachian Mountains of North America, these Wyrmbij reflect the physiology and appearance of a copperhead rattlesnake. Their cults are cleverly hidden among the mountain folk who have always instinctively maintained their secrecy.