Considering that the dragonewts in their regular development have the magic and potential to develop wings as an additional pair of limbs, I wonder why they would give up their legs for a while.
The only older description which has dragonewts and wyrm together is the Ralios expedition in the scenario outlines in Elder Secrets: Secrets Book (page 110). There, a "medium-sized, trained, battle wyrm which is knowledgeable about fire magics" named Heir of Flame is serving as an aerial mount for warrior dragonewts. "Even though he knows he is considered to be 'fallen', he is a devout disciple of the Dragon Way. As a result he is considered to be a scout dragonewt in rank."
So the dragonewts accept the wyrms as fellow draconic beings, although of diminished status. The wyrms appear to heed dragonewt commands – possibly hoping to gain draconic advancement from the association.
I wonder, though, how that correlates to their use of mainstream magic?
Wyrms are a fertile race, and according to Anaxial's Roster were observed as early as the Storm Age.
The only humans we know dabbled in dragon magics in that era were the Kralori, but I don't see why a Kralori whose dragons run on the air rather than use wings would change into a winged serpent.
> If Wyrms are a stage of Dragonewt development, where do they come in the cycle? Or is it a stage that Dragonewts only end up in if things go wrong (like becoming a Magisaur), but as a result of a particular kind of draconic bad karma
The thing that makes me doubt that wyrms developed from dragonewts is that the lack of legs (and claws) is a step backwards on the way to full dragonhood. The dragonewt magics (or the Immanent mastery magics) might be able to give a wyrm legs.
In the Dragon Pass boardgame, the dragonewts gone down the dinosaur error had a chance to redeem themselves, spinning a cocoon and emerging as pteranodons if they had been good. These pteranodons haven't appeared in print ever since. However, it seems that becoming a winged creature is considered a step towards dragonhood.
One race which associates with dragonewts without any reason given are the newtlings. Newtling slaves had the chance to gain one-use dragonewt spells during their terms of service. I don't see how they would transform into fertile wyrms, though.
There is another winged serpent prominent in Gloranthan mythology: celestial Lodril descended as the winged spear. He was feathered, though.
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