| Other Names | - |
| Climate/Terrain | Deep Ocean |
| Frequency | Rare |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Sea Serpents are aggressive snake-like aquatic reptiles of fantastic size, typically reaching 80 meters in length. Their heads are saurian with elongated snouts and spiked dorsal fines on either side of the head that flair out like great fans. Their eyes are large and bright red and their gaping maws are filled with long sharp teeth. The tear drop shaped scales of the body are smooth and sleek, varying in size from 5cm to 30 cm long. Scales on the sides and back are greyish green, while the scales of the underbellyare pale blue. It has a distinctive roar which sends shivers down the spine of those who hear it.
Sea serpents have one primary method of attack... their tremendous bite. Their mouth is two meters wide and large enough to swallow a man whole. The creature is highly aggressive and has been known to attack seafaring ships, plucking sailors directly off the deck. It will occasionally also strike at ships with its tail. Archers and spearmen are the best deterrent against these monsters. If the crew of a ship can pierce the beast's hide enough with arrow and spear, the creature will break off its attack and find easier prey.
These monsters are thankfully rare and are only encountered in the deep sea. They has never been an reported encounter within a day's sail of land. Usually, only large ships traveling between continents have a chance of encountering them.
Precious little is known of sea snakes. Attacks are rare and survivors are few. In 2209 CY, the Sea Hammer, a Mercian trade vessel, was attacked by a sea serpent en route to Qeshir. The battle was fierce and a lucky bow shot into the creature's eye killed it. To the surprise of the crew, the great carcass floated and huge amounts of meat were harvested from the serpent's body before dozens of sharks appeared to prey on the dead creature. The serpent meat was found to be edible and tasty and the crew feasted on the flesh of the great beast for the rest of the voyage. Since that encounter five hundred years ago, only a handful of serpents have been killed.
Nothing is known of the sea serpent's mating habits, life cycle or young. It is assumed that the sea serpent lays eggs like other reptiles, but where it might lair or make a nest is open to speculation.
The sea serpent is an air breather and has no gills. It must surface to breathe from time to time, though it is suspected that the beast can stay submerged for up to a half hour on a single breath.
At 80 meters in length, the sea serpent is the largest predator of the open ocean.
Both the blood and brain fluid of the sea serpent have been found to be useful as alchemical and spell components. Whenever a sea serpent is killed (a very rare occurance to be sure), the crew usually goes to great effort to harvest both fluids in huge quantities and bring them back to land to sell to various wizard guilds.
This website was last updated March 31, 2026. Copyright 1990-2026 David M. Roomes.