MORE THAN A NAME
The story of Linkip.
The Linkip line travels Brassdeep on many paired legs, its linked armor following the bends of old mineral workings. Tunnel households value its steady presence along routes where a continuous passage matters more than an impressive individual stride.
When a small collapse interrupted Medicine Rail, the settlement beyond the break still had drinking water but lacked a delivery of prepared remedies. A Railipede keeper joined the relief crew with the parcels divided into soft, balanced bundles. The old rail bridge could not bear the group together, so they carried each bundle through the inspected side passage while the creature learned its turns. Nobody treated its armored body as a substitute bridge across the broken floor.
The final parcel belonged to the keeper's former teacher, who refused a special first delivery and asked that the shared dispensary be supplied instead. On the return journey, the tired Railipede stopped beside every chalk mark the crew had placed. Later, as Ironmarch, it became familiar along the repaired route. Brassdeep still calls the path Medicine Rail, remembering the patient sequence of small journeys rather than pretending the whole rescue happened in one triumphant rush.
Origins & background
Abandoned rails remain useful landmarks in Brassdeep, but households mark inspected walking routes separately from metal tracks that may lead into unstable workings. The line's names reflect its resemblance to linked carriages. Siegepede is respected for its formidable mature build, while tunnel keepers continue to emphasize that a living creature has its own needs and is neither mining equipment nor a public transport service.
A PLACE TO BELONG
Life in Brassdeep.
Mineral tunnels and abandoned rails.
Behavior
Linkip investigates a turn with its raised head before its rear segments follow. Older forms keep a steady rhythm through familiar bends and pause when the passage narrows unexpectedly. They accept carefully balanced travel gear from trusted companions, but shift restlessly when loose straps interfere with their many walking legs.
Diet
It eats small tunnel invertebrates, fungal growth, and soft organic scraps carried down from above. Mineral armor does not make abandoned rails or sharpened metal suitable food for it.
Place in the ecosystem
Its feeding connects fungal patches and small tunnel animal communities, while repeated passage keeps loose organic litter moving through the workings. The line's established routes can guide surveys toward occupied passages, encouraging crews to preserve connections between separated underground refuges.
Neighbors & bonds
Oreburrow often emerges from mineral walls near an Ironmarch route, leaving the larger traveler room to pass. Brasswarden accompanies some maintained switchyard inspections. Their keepers organize separate rest stops rather than assuming two armored companions share the same pace or working preferences.
ONE BOND, FOUR CHAPTERS
The Linkip lineage.
Evolution combines experience with a meaningful milestone. A WildKin may keep its current form until its keeper is ready.
Linkip Current
A raised rounded head leads a short chain of stone and slate body segments. Small paired legs move beneath each section, and curved antennae search above the brow. Linkip pauses at every unfamiliar bend until the rear of its body has caught up.
Railipede ↗
Additional linked segments lengthen the body and make its traveling rhythm more distinct. Copper dorsal ridges follow the armor, while stronger crescent mandibles frame the face. Railipede practices turning through inspected passages, learning how much space its following sections actually require behind the head.
Ironmarch ↗
A longer armored chain, fuller antennae, and raised head vanes create the mature centipede silhouette. Stone joins Iron in its identity. Ironmarch carries itself with deliberate continuity, matching its pace to a familiar companion instead of treating a clear entrance as proof of an open route.
Siegepede ↗
Many broad linked segments support heavy dorsal ridges and an imposing raised head. The numerous legs remain coordinated beneath the low rear body, balancing its long profile. Siegepede revisits established tunnel routes with practiced turns, but still stops when a formerly familiar passage has changed shape.
INSTINCT & ELEMENT
How it holds its own.
Linked Guard
A defensive move also protects its rear segment for a short time.
Rolling March
IronA committed segmented rush hits enemies along a short route.
A WildKin equips up to four moves. Its secondary element joins at Prime, alongside its signature move. Read the battle and evolution rules →
FROM THE KEEPER’S NOTEBOOK
Meeting in the wild.
- 01
Wait for its rear segments to clear a bend before stepping into the passage.
- 02
Balance travel bundles carefully and keep every leg free of loose straps.
- 03
Inspect the side passage before undertaking the medicine delivery through the collapsed mine.
“Count the parcels at the dispensary, not the speed of the journey. A successful tunnel delivery leaves every walking leg free and every inspected return marker standing.”— Hearthwild field notes