Emerald Serpent
From ElanVital
A mysterious and beautiful predator found only occasionally in the Goldsea, the Emerald Serpent is a beautiful and rare creature that has few documented encounters with man.
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Physical Description
Thus far, the only encountered specimens of the Emerald Serpent have been found by advanced patrols and in the occasional beast attack on the city of Titania itself. They are a snakelike creature, perhaps seven feet in length and as big around as a man's forearm, with a heavy flat head, bright emerald scales, and wide, birdlike, feathered wings. The males of the species have plumage in a wide and scintillating array of jewel-like colors - red, blue, yellow, green, and white are common - while the females have more discreet plumage, usually grey to brown, though in no less striking a pattern.
A ridge of solid, serrated and sharp scales are noticible along both back and belly, with a crest of feathers found behind the head and a flat ribbon at the end of its body that makes it easier for the creature to steer while airborne.
The Emerald Serpent is not poisonous, instead relying on speed, stealth, a dangerous bite and constriction to capture its prey.
Magical Properties
The Serpent has exceedingly limited Aeromancy, entirely devoted to allowing the beast to fly despite its weight and the relative fragility of its wings.
Habitat
Unknown, but it is assumed to be the wooded lands beyond the Goldsea, though it occasionally ventures out into those plains (presumably in search of prey). It is, however, a social and pack animal, apparently hunting in loose family groups of three to six individuals. It causes a bit of consternation among exploration parties - at least two have reported that their vehicle was lost when a colony of Serpents curled up on it in the afternoon, shorting out everything aboard as they sunned themselves and hissing dangerously at anything that got too close before they were done.
Danger Level
Moderate to High.
In the wild, the Serpent does not generally seem to prefer man as a primary target, instead actually choosing smaller prey for an individual hunt, and larger targets when the group works in tandem. The Serpent is near-silent on the ground, using that property to creep in close to potential food, then launching itself with a burst of aeromancy and heavy wingbeats to wrap up that prey that is small enough to constrict, or rake along prey that is larger.
Brutally efficient, the serrated scales along the snake's body turn it into something of a saw - as it constricts, it moves along its target, quite literally sawing it in pieces. Against larger targets, the Serpent will 'fly by' and rake its body along a limb or back, making deep wounds that slow and confuse the target until one of the pack can constrict around a limb or neck, usually severing the appendage within a few moments. A feeding pack can cut large targets apart with ruthless efficiency.
During attacks on Titania, the Serpents use their hunting tactics to stealthily target foes well behind the main 'lines' of the battle, usually choosing those who are in upper stories or among the heights of the Arcology where their flight and stealth give them a natural advantage.
