Deep Sea Serpent
| Deep Sea Serpent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fauna | |
| Official Name | Deep Sea Serpent |
| Common Nicknames | Great Sea Serpent, Bane of Fleets |
| Classification | Reptile |
| Habitat | Waters in and around Hadar |
| Domesticated | No |
| Current Status | Rare |
The Deep Sea Serpent is one of the largest creatures in all of Aloria and once dominated oceans across the world. Spreading out from Hadar, or perhaps always present across the many bodies of water in Aloria, Sea Serpents were almost reduced to nothing by the Cataclysm, leading them only to be found in and around Hadar. They are reviled and feared by many, seen as creatures of dangerous power by most, yet for the Slizzar are ancient beings to be respected. This has not stopped misunderstandings in the past that the Slizzar worship these creatures, but they do not. Deep Sea Serpents are commonly believed to be extinct following the Chrysant War, but others know better and these long-formed sea beasts are stirring once more.
History
The history of the Deep Sea Serpents is likely older than anyone can fathom. While most would suggest an age somewhere between twenty to fifteen thousand years, most Slizzar would suggest the giant serpents instead date to the dawn of life. For this reason, they greatly respect them. Draconism faithful also subscribe to this belief, and some hold that the Deep Sea Serpents are the spawn of Nox, created to serve as muscle and menace, yet also creatures of subterfuge and stealth given their ability to thrive in the depths of the water. But, this is ultimately unclear and the belief has wavered over the centuries.
The first outside interactions with the Deep Sea Serpents ultimately date back to the Allorn Empire and Fin'ullen expeditions through Hadar's waters. These encounters were brief but left a notable impact as the Fin'ullen soon associated the beast with demons from the depths, as opposed to the Estelley deity of the ocean. But, this faded with time into a begrudging respect, with the creature later taking on connotations of power and prestige as the Allorn Empire reached its height, and then began to decline. In this same period, the Deep Sea Serpents seemed to expand their reach beyond Hadar, but some doubt that such huge creatures were truly ever contained to that one space. Encounters with Deep Sea Serpents are recorded in waters as far north as those that surround Northbelt (though this region did not exist as it did in ancient times). By the year 500 BC, this expansion greatly contracted due to the hunts for the creature led by Fin’ullen serving Archmages and other Allorn nobles who desired symbols of power and to test their prowess against such enormous creatures. It was possibly this aggression that caused the giant reptiles to lash out in response and led to how the Minoor see them today. The Minoor viewpoint of the Deep Sea Serpents is flawed and appears to be a mix of Allorn-era prejudice against the Slizzar, a lack of true understanding of Slizzar faith, and the Minoor probably encountering hostile Deep Sea Serpents while in the waters of Hadar. The Cataclysm, however, was a fresh slate for the rest of the world’s knowledge of these creatures.
What few, if any, Deep Sea Serpents remained beyond Hadar died off in the destructive reshaping of the world, resulting in the beasts lurking only in the deep blue depths between the lush pinpricks of Hadar’s many new or transformed islands. There they would remain hidden as creatures of myth largely to the Ailor and various non-Minoor Elves, until 120 AC when Ailor trade ships encountered one of the leviathans. Later, six Deep Sea Serpents were known to have caused accidental chaos during the collapse of the Essa Empire during the Chrysant War. These ships crashed into Regalian vessels, and were fired on in turn, but their deaths led to overinflated beliefs by Regalians in the creature's extinction. This is, however, untrue, and Deep Sea Serpents have been seen in recent years by various water-dwelling groups.
Physical Appearance
Deep Sea Serpents are incredibly long creatures, ranging in lengths from between sixty to a hundred feet, with a body radius of between eight and twelve feet. It is impossible to accurately calculate a serpent’s weight, but likely it rests in the dozens of tons. Their heads are huge, with a beaked shell of hardened scales serving as their snout, which features a mouth with two rows of flesh-sawing teeth. Their “beak” also has two nostrils, supposedly to help them scent their prey underwater but to what extent that is true, is unknown. Their large, forward-facing eyes are vertically slitted, with a gleaming hue of yellow, blue, or purple to the pupils, well built to see in the ocean depths. Their head is separated from their serpentine body with a crest of flexible frills between three and six feet in height, often pointing backward but flexing forward when calm or happy (a very rare situation). The rest of their body is a sleek form that reaches to a pointed tail. There are strange reports of some Deep Sea serpents having a pair of small, three-fingered webbed and clawed hands at about a third of their body’s length, but this is unconfirmed. The animal’s body is covered in a dense layer of scales, with their color either being blue, purple or green hues. Rare examples in myth, and one of the serpents who fought at Huallo, have all black scales, in rarity alongside the unconfirmed white scales. Their scale coloration extends to the animal’s frills and “beaks.”
Diversity
The Deep Sea Serpents have minimal diversity known to the wider world and even among the Slizzar. While some claim the creatures possess both female and male characteristics in one individual, the Slizzar insist there are male and female Sea Serpents. It is almost impossible otherwise to determine Deep Sea Serpent gender from external appearance alone. As a result, it has been hard to track or understand the creature’s gender ratio. On matters of population spread and coloration, Deep Sea Serpents almost entirely inhabit the waters around Hadar, cut back from their expanse across Aloria from generations ago. There are also three colors of eye color possible in the species, with purple the rarest, and blue and yellow more common.
Life Span and Development
Deep Sea Serpent development and age is an area of aggressive speculation. Those who seek to divorce the animals from a magical origin insist they must be born through the laying and hatching of eggs, likely from within a feminine Deep Sea Serpent’s body. Others contend they are laid, but in a single, common space far underwater where the young are watched over and are then allowed to enter the wider waters of Hadar. The final theory is the oddest and claims that the creatures are born through spontaneous creation by a pair of Deep Sea Serpents, formed through Magic, and one of the few times a Deep Sea Serpent is said to feel happiness. From their stage of youth, their development appears to be slow. They are commonly believed to clear 200 years of age, but some claim them to be ageless beings, capable of living millennia.
Mental Overview
The Deep Sea Serpent is generally viewed as a savage, brutal apex predator of the deep oceans, only approaching the surface to mate, chase particular prey, or answer the calls of unknown Magic. They are commonly seen to hunt the largest of whales, sharks, squids, and even aquatic Allar, who fear and revere the Sea Serpents in equal measure. There is some care believed to be shown by these creatures to their young, as female or female-coded Deep Sea Serpents have been seen with as many as three young around them, guiding them through the water. However, some insist on a very different truth about the Deep Sea Serpents, that they are intelligent enough to speak, capable of using Magic, and are highly deceptive. There may be truth in both positions, but such a thing will likely take years of searching to uncover for certain.
Territory and Groupings
Deep Sea Serpents are solitary beasts, with each Serpent having their patch of the sea around Hadaria. These often stretch dozens of square miles underwater. Unless it is mating season, Sea Serpents who pass into each other's territories are considered threats which leads to fierce confrontations. The Slizzar, however, claim that all Deep Sea Serpents “share” the ocean as a common bounty from the rulers of the Deep Realm, and these fights are instead contests of strength and power versus efforts to kill one another over a mate.
Trivia
- One of the most precious items carved from Deep Sea Serpent scale is held in the Imperial Treasury. A gift to the Emperor from Admiral Gerwald Theli, the large purple scale is carved with golden storks, dragons, and images of Unionism and is set in a golden frame.
- A radically different system of belief about the Deep Sea Serpents exists within the Pagan Faith called Xeradon's Will. Followers of this faith claim that Deep Sea Serpents are Xeradon’s children and are as savage as he, unparalleled hunters who deserve great respect.
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