Sea Serpents Species in Deus | World Anvil
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Sea Serpents

Sea Serpents are Titans that make their homes in all bodies of saltwater on Deus. Despite their menacing appearance, they are typically indifferent towards mortals, but sea travel is restricted to avoid aggravating them.

All Sea Serpents bear a slight resemblance to giant eels, with a long, snakelike body and a dorsal fin which spans the entire length of their body. However, Sea Serpents' fins are supported by tough spines of cartilage, and they have a pair of pectoral fins, similarly spined. Their bodies are covered in pointed scales with a hardness approaching that of diamond. Sea Serpents have two rows of teeth, with the front row being longer and sporting four large fangs on top and two on bottom, and the back row being shorter and uniform in size.

There are two species of Sea Serpents. Shallow Sea Serpents live in shallow waters surrounding the Sea of Earth and the main continent of Deus. They have smooth scales in a desaturated blue or green, and they are much smaller than their counterparts—though even Shallow Serpents rival most sailing ships in length. Deep Sea Serpents, on the other hand, live in the deeper parts of the Unknown Sea, with angular scales in a darker, more saturated blue, green, or purple. They also sport a second set of fins at the edges of their head.

Sea Serpents will often use constriction to kill large prey, such as whales, other Serpents, or passing ships. They use their teeth to rip into large carcasses—including those scavenged instead of hunted. Smaller prey may be swallowed whole, the spines inside a Serpent's throat preventing it from swimming back out.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Sea Serpents may mate at any time during the year. Due to their solitary nature, mates do not remain together after mating, and in fact the male Serpent will often immediately change sex and find another mate. After mating, a Sea Serpent has a gestation period of slightly over a year, at which point it will give birth to a single live offspring.

Growth Rate & Stages

Newborn Sea Serpents resemble smaller, paler versions of the adults, with smoother scales and smaller fins. They also only have the smaller, inner set of teeth. At birth, they are a mere three feet long, and can become easy prey for other carnivores if they are separated from their mother. For protection, they latch onto the spines of their mother's pectoral fins whenever they are not hunting—a Sea Serpent which has given birth many times will have noticeable scarring on its fins.

Over the course of a year, newborn Sea Serpents will grow to roughly a fifth of their adult length, their scales will darken and harden, and their outer set of teeth will grow in. At the end of this period, the juvenile will leave its mother and spend the next ten to twelve years hunting on its own and growing steadily larger until it reaches its full adult length.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Sea Serpents will eat any animal that can snugly fit inside their mouth, or anything larger. They are not picky between hunting or scavenging, and there is yet to evolve a creature besides a Kraken that can dissuade a Sea Serpent with poison.

Typically, Sea Serpents will eat anything they come across, and are constantly searching for prey to give chase to. They rarely turn their gaze to the surface, and thus to passing ships, unless they are particularly starved—but in the case that a ship is the most convenient source of food, they'll gladly capsize it and eat the mortals within.
Lifespan
150 years
Average Length
100 ft. (Shallow) 500 ft. (Deep)
Geographic Distribution

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