Stromling

"You have seen it with your own eyes. The Mutant Dinosaurs are literally created and bred to be nothing but mindless monsters that obey only the destructive will of the Darkitect. You thought you could save them. But you can't just adopt a Stromling, give it a cage, feed it every few hours, and think that it’s cured. A Stromling is still as vile, despicable, destructive, and evil as it ever will be."

— A Temple Stromling disguised as Kotua

Stromlings are evil beings controlled by the Maelstrom, bent on destroying all of Imagination.

History[]

Creation[]

The first known Stromling is the legendary Maelstrom Spider Boss created by Baron Typhonus. Using Planet Crux's Imagination Nexus, the Baron imagined the spider into being to demonstrate the power of chaos. However, the Spider Boss turned on the Baron and dragged him into the Imagination Nexus, mutating it into the Maelstrom.

Most other Stromlings were once normal inhabitants of the LEGO Universe. Many of them were once Minifigs, but other types of Stromlings have different origins. After the Maelstrom was created by Baron Typhonus, the dark destructive energies spread their influence across the LEGO Universe, transforming the innocent and unfortunate into corrupted chaotic Stromlings to serve as the Darkitect's minions.

Nimbus System[]

After being created, Stromlings spread across the LEGO Universe, corrupting other beings and destroying Imagination. However, the Stromlings were forced to fight against the Nexus Force, an organization created to protect Imagination and to defeat the Stromlings.

A massive army of Stromlings gathered at a planet chunk called Zorillo Plaza, a plaza formerly inhabited by minifigs. Commanded by Stromling Champion Murgle Blotch, Stromling Ape Kinga Hurl, Dark Spiderling Invader Whack Bliddo, and the Four Riders of the Maelstrom, this army disguised themselves as normal minifigs using cardboard cut-outs, luring the founding members of Nexus Force into a trap. However, the brave minifigs fought back against the army, smashing the commanders, defeating the Four Riders, and vanquishing the army. Zorillo Plaza has since been rebuilt and named Nimbus Station.

While Nexus Force continues to battle the Stromlings and has won many victories, the Stromlings have proved to be a powerful menace. When a Maelstrom Spider Queen was created at Paradox Research Facility for study, an accidental explosion released contained Maelstrom energies and turned most of the Paradox researchers and Defense Robots into Stromlings, gaining a foothold in Avant Gardens. At Gnarled Forest, greedy pirates were corrupted by Maelstrom-infected treasure chests and turned the once-safe haven for pirates into a dangerous jungle. In Forbidden Valley, various types of Stromlings occupy many regions of the planet's hazardous cliffs. Property worlds have all been occupied by Stromlings to prevent use of Imagination.

With such a strong presence in Nimbus System, Stromlings are a constant threat faced by the Nexus Force.

Dino Attack[]

The Maelstrom spread to LEGO Planet and infected a temple dedicated to Imagination in the jungles of Adventurers' Island. XERRD discovered this temple and used its power to create Mutant Dinos to set out on the LEGO Planet. While the Dino Attack raged on the planet, several natives and explorers on the island would discover the temple. Many of these natives and explorers were infected by the Maelstrom and transformed into Stromlings.

Due to the Dino Attack, the Maelstrom's presence on LEGO Planet grew increasingly stronger, leading to the creation of more powerful and intelligent Stromlings with the ability to disguise themselves as normal minifigures. Some of these Stromlings, including Ahua and Mailstorm, have successfully infiltrated the TumTum Tribe and Dino Attack Team. In addition, the Maelstrom Temple has begun to infect other beings on Adventurers' Island, including an Inferno agent, an ape, a monkey, and three Brickster-Bots. Additionally, the Maelstrom's presence on Adventurers' Island is now so powerful that it can directly spawn Stromlings without having to infect other beings.

When Zachary Virchaus and Ahua learned that Dino Attack Team was following Paulie Gonepus to the Temple of Hotep III, mistakenly believing it to be the Maelstrom Temple, they took advantage of the situation by amassing an army of Stromlings to ambush the Dino Attack Team at the pharaoh's forbidden ruins. The true Maelstrom Temple was guarded by a Dark Spiderling, many Stromling Explorers, and a few Stromling Islanders. The Darkitect was also able to spawn Temple Stromlings, which he disguised with illusions of Dino Attack agents' worst fears.

After Willa the Witch allied with XERRD, her powers became enhanced by the Maelstrom. Using her new-found abilities, she corrupted some of the dragons of Castle Cove into Maelstrom Dragons, which harassed the Dino Attack Team during their mission to retake their outpost in the region. After the outpost was secured, King Joseph Race and Lord Vladek followed Willa the Witch into the Maelstrom Dragons' lair, where they battled and defeated the mighty creatures.

With the Darkitect and his Maelstrom banished from the LEGO Planet, all Stromlings except Mutant Dinos and Quasifigus Hybrids have been eradicated from the LEGO Planet as well.

Biology[]

The biology of Stromlings varies significantly depending on the Stromlings' origins. Since the most common Stromlings are former minifigures, the general appearance of Stromlings is associated with exposed bones, giving them the appearance of zombies, and also have weapons fused to their hands. However, Stromlings of non-minifigure origins, such as Stromling Apes, Maelstrom Dragons, and Mutant Dinos, do not share this zombie-like appearance and instead appear to be powerful, mutated versions of their original forms.

While most Stromlings are blindly loyal to the Maelstrom, not all of them are mindless beings. Numerous Stromlings have retained their sense of identity and are referred to by specific names, such as Murgle Blotch, Whack Bliddo, or Torchblight. Some breeds are shown to be very sentient, such as the Mutant Dinos or Stromling Islanders.

There are many known types of Stromlings, varying with the origins of the Stromlings. Known types of Stromlings include:

Stromling, the "standard" type of Minifigure Stromling. These are weak, mindless minions of the Maelstrom. Known variations include Chainsaw Stromlings.
Stromling Mech, which were once Defense Robots before being corrupted by the Maelstrom. Known variations include Corrupted Sentries and Stromling Mech Invaders.
Dark Spiderling, chaotic arachnids spawned by Maelstrom Spiders. Known sub-breeds include Elite Dark Spiderlings and Dark Spiderling Invaders.
Maelstrom Spider, rare and powerful spiders created from pure chaos. Only two known specimens exist: Baron Typhonus's Spider Boss and Paradox's Spider Queen.
Stromling Pirate, former pirates whose greedy nature led to their corruption.
Stromling Admiral, cunning and intelligent Stromling Pirate commanders with grappling hooks and cannons fused to their hands. Known sub-breeds include Stromling Admiral Elites.
Stromling Ape, vicious and powerful primates created as a result of the Maelstrom's foothold on their habitats.
Dark Ronin, ancient ronin statues animated by the Maelstrom's energies.
Maelstrom Horseman, possessed samurai armor and the skeletons of their long-dead steeds.
Maelstrom Dragon, rare, intelligent, and powerful dragons mutated into nightmarish monsters.
Maelstrom Beaver, rabid rodents that are capable of disturbing natural ecosystems.
Dark One, mysterious creatures rumored to be among the first Stromlings created.
Hammer Stromling, a breed of Stromling that uses hammers. Known sub-breeds include Hammerhurl Stromlings and Stromling Champions.
Mutant Dino, dinosaurs mutated by XERRD experiments with the Maelstrom. The most common sub-breeds are Mutant Lizards, Mutant Raptors, Mutant Pterosaurs, and Mutant T-Rexes. Additional known sub-breeds include Mutant Mosasaur, Mutant Spinosaurus, Mutant Triceratops, Mutant Stegosaurus, and Mutant Brontosaurus.
Mutant Vinscale Octomus, giant sea monsters mutated by XERRD's Maelstrom experiments.
Quasifigus, hybrids between Minifigs and Mutant Dinos. Sub-breeds are Quasifigus lacertilia and a zombified variant, Quasifigus pterisa, Quasifigus velosis, and Quasifigus tyrannus.
Mutant Viking Monster, hybrids between Mutant Dinos and the mythical monsters of Vikings Isle. Known sub-breeds include Fenris Lizard, Wyvern Lizard, Pteranodon Serpent, Nidhogg Raptor, Fafnir Rex, and Ofnir Rex.
Octosaur, Maelstrom-infected hybrids between dinosaurs and cephelopods.
Stromling Islander, intelligent and deceptive Stromlings who blend in with Achu's TumTum Tribe.
Stromling Explorer, former adventurers corrupted by the Maelstrom Temple, some of which possess pistols fused to their hands.
Stromling Agent, infected Dino Attack Agents with the ability to disguise themselves as Minifig Dino Attack Agents.
Stromling Guard, evil corrupted XERRD guards who also have the ability to disguise itself as a minifig.
Stromling Scientist, former XERRD scientists corrupted by the Maelstrom who have the ability to disguise themselves.
Stromling Monkey, a common primate that has been infected by the Maelstrom.
Brickster-Bot Stromling, former Brickster-Bots whose programming has been corrupted by the Maelstrom.
Stromling Crocodile, a large aquatic reptile guarding the Temple of Hotep III.
Temple Stromling, generic Stromlings that are disguised by the Maelstrom's illusions in the Maelstrom Temple.

Notable Stromlings[]

Ahua: The cunning leader of the Stromling Islanders. After Zachary was freed from the Maelstrom's influence, the Maelstrom disposed of Ahua.
Colonel: A Stromling Agent known for his leadership. He was shot and killed by Holly Vinyaya
Cranky: A Stromling Ape who wears a tie and once kidnapped a plumber's girlfriend. Cranky was killed by Rudo Villano.
Cyrus: A disguised Stromling in Osprey's crew. He was cured by Loop shortly before being killed.
Doctor Dunkelheit: A female Stromling Agent who disguised herself as a doctor. She was killed by Zach.
Ghost: A Stromling Agent who acted as a spy for the Maelstrom. He was killed by Hotwire.
Gypsy: A acid-spitting Hybrid who worked with Colonel's Stromling army on Adventurers' Island. He was killed in the battle for the Temple of Hotep III.
Jango: The red-headed leader of the Brickster-Bot Stromlings. Jango was disassembled by Andrew.
Kiddy: A Stromling Monkey who wears a hat. Kiddy was killed by Kareem Nazareno and Andrew.
Loop: A former Inferno agent who became infected by the Maelstrom.
Mailstorm: A Stromling Agent who disguised himself as a former mailman. He was killed by Semick.
Navi: A Hybrid who rode a Mutant Pterosaur as one of the Seven Hybrid Riders of the Maelstrom. She was killed during the battle for the Temple of Hotep III.
Norris: A former geologist before being infected. He was first discovered after Giovanni Wade, Gates Crusher, Naomi Carver, and Copper attempted to treat him after an apparent heart attack.
Palmer: A young Dino Attack agent who was at some point infected. Unlike Zelda and Norris, he managed to stay hidden and tricked Garry Moffat into taking him to the Maelstrom Temple before revealing himself. He was killed by Trigger.
Phoenix: A disguised Stromling in Osprey's crew. He was cured by Loop shortly before being killed.
Yogen: A wise sensei who was corrupted when the Maelstrom overtook his village in Forbidden Valley. He was mercifully killed in a duel with his former student, Ata.
Zachary Virchaus: A Stromling Agent gifted with Maelstrom powers. Zachary was cured by J.D.'s Creative Spark.
Zelda Frodongan: A female Dino Attack Agent who was at some point infected and later attempted to inform Zachary of the team's plans before being found. She has since been freed of the Maelstrom's influence and only a small amount of it remains in her body.
Temple Stromlings disguised as Kate Bishop, Clark, Jennifer Strangebrick, "Bad Luck" Beatrice, Kotua, Hendrik and Ariane Schattenberg, Oswald and Athena Fabello, the Infomaniac, Fitz, Naomi Carver, Swerve, and Talon.

Trivia[]

Since Dino Attack RPG takes place in 2010, any Stromling breeds revealed in 2011 are excluded from this article's list since they have not yet been canonically discovered in-universe. Stromling breeds that appear in the Battle of Nimbus Station are exceptions, since the battle took place prior to October 2010.
Of the official breeds of Stromlings, only the Dark One, Stromling Ape, Dark Spiderling, and Maelstrom Dragon have appeared in Dino Attack RPG. Mutant Dinos have not been confirmed to be Stromlings in the official LEGO storyline, and all other types are unofficial fan-created breeds of Stromlings originating in Dino Attack RPG.
Stromling Islanders, Stromling Agents, Stromling Guards, Stromling Scientists, Stromling Monkeys, and Brickster-Bot Stromlings were created by Brikman McStudz. Stromling Explorers and Temple Stromlings were created by PeabodySam. The Quasifigus were originally created by PeabodySam while their zombified Seven Hybrid Riders variant, which is more heavily infected with Maelstrom, was created by Brikman McStudz. Stromling Crocodiles were created by that guy from that show.
An apocalyptic mural in an Adventurers' Island desert temple depicted Stromlings, Mutant Dinos, and the Maelstrom, a foreshadowing of events that took place in the alternate ending December 21, 2010. This was the first appearance of Stromlings in Dino Attack RPG.
To lead Dr. Rex away from Dinosaur Island, Dino Attack Team spread rumors of Stromling Pirates at Pirates Forbidden Island. These rumors were proven false by Dr. Rex himself.
While under the influence of the Maelstrom, Zachary briefly mistook Dr. Cyborg for a Stromling Ape.
Stromlings are immune to XERRD's neurotoxins naturally because the toxins are gaseous Maelstrom.