Were-Worms

True Were-worms are formidable monsters. Wingless, they resemble Cold-drakes, except that they are long and very slender and are usually reddish brown or green. Like Cold-drakes, they are powerful spell-casters; however, Were-worms concentrate on their ability to magically alter their form. As powerful shape-changers, they can elude, bewilder, surprise, terrify, or simply overwhelm their foes. A Were-worm can reduce or increase its size by as much as fifty percent of its mass, assuming any form it can actually see (or envision in detail) at the time it alters its shape.

Most Were-worms live in the highlands of eastern Middle-earth. Their greatest concentration is in the Mountains of the Wind (Q. "Orosúli"; S. "Ered Gwaen") in southeastern Endor, but a few live in the Red Mountains (Q. "Orocarni"; S. "Ered Ceren") to the north. They favor mist-shrouded lairs, which may account for the legends that say Were-worms live in the clouds. Oddly, Hobbit tales confuse true Were-worms and Sand Drakes, for only the latter are found in real desert terrain.

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