Graxworm Leg Gate

The Graxworm is a massive dead dragon of mythic scale, several miles long and large enough to contain a town in the mouth. Creatures have set up here to “mine” the massive corpse for its valuable materials – leather, scales, ichor, tendons, and more. Practically every bit has some value to someone, and in the long term the expectation is that nothing will remain, not even the massive bones. Today we explore one of the secrets of the Graxworm – Graxtown in the mouth of the Graxworm high atop the mountain might be the main entrance for those coming to visit – but for troop movements, the legs have been turned into massive gates that can spill troops out at the base of the mountain.

These massive clawed hind legs have been painstakingly converted from within to work as gates. The mighty claws can be lifted through winches and chains to grant access to the bones beneath – and those bones have been hollowed out so troops can be moved through them from their barracks throughout the Graxworm. The larger toes are easily big enough to allow a pair of war machines to be rolled through them side-by-side.

In addition, watch posts have been placed along strategic points under the scales, so the troops can keep an eye on the system of chains to make sure they are not sabotaged prior to their need. To further protect these gates, the harvesting of scales, claws, and bones in the legs has been stopped until there is no other place left to acquire them.

This map shows how the entrance is set up with chains to raise the claw – because the claws are so heavy and difficult to move, there’s no defensive setup in the bone tunnel behind it. Just space to line up troops waiting for the gate to be opened.

The detail view on the left is of a watch post at the southern end (under a scale that has been lifted enough that watchers can look out from under it) and one of the winches used to pull up the claw at the northern end. For each claw there are a dozen winches set to be used in concert to pull it up or slowly lower it. The winch is powered by a massive “hamster wheel” that is 20 feet tall and 30 feet across – people or animals slowly turn the wheel which even more slowly turns the winch – this particular winch is powered by humanoids as there is no ramp access to it – others have ramps within the leg structure to access them from much further up the bone passages. The whole process to open a claw gate fully will take at least 20 minutes.

https://dysonlogos.blog/2024/07/25/graxworm-map-12-leg-gate-detail/