Bog Serpents
It weren’t the river that took the barge. It were the river watching us." -Varda Moontan, last surviving crew of the Hollowback, 451 C.A.
Dreaded phantoms of the Snaketongue River’s western fork, Bog Serpents are massive, cold-blooded predators that haunt the mist-laden waters of The Bog of Lies. As much myth as beast, their appearances are sudden, violent, and final. These creatures are not territorial so much as ritualistic, known to strike only when the river itself is watching, or so the locals say. Boats go missing with no wreckage. Shallow wakes ripple across mirror-still waters. Something moves, and then nothing ever does again. With jagged, algae-matted scales and unnervingly bright yellow eyes, Bog Serpents are masters of stillness and deception. Their bodies blend perfectly with the riverbed and reeds, and when they strike, they do so with a speed that betrays their immense size. They do not coil like other serpents, but stretch and wind like a rope unfurling from beneath the world. In marshland folklore, Bog Serpents are river-spirits sent to punish pride. Offerings of salt, braided reeds, or blood are sometimes tossed into the water before crossings. Songs like “The Serpent’s Toll” or “River, Take My Son” speak of bargains struck with the water to appease what waits below. In the Bog of Lies, some outcasts claim to worship the serpents as incarnations of death, silent, patient, and inevitable. Sailors navigating Snaketongue River's western paths speak of watching the reeds bend in the shape of a serpent long before they ever hear the water move.Basic Information
Anatomy
Bog Serpents average between 50 and 60 feet in length, though rumors tell of longer. Their bodies are thick and heavily muscled, sheathed in jagged, uneven scales colored a damp bluish-green that matches the flowing river water they inhabit. Their heads are wedge-shaped and flat, with a pronounced ridge of bristling, hair-like mossy filaments running from the crown down to the neck. This growth captures silt and algae, allowing them to pass as little more than a submerged log or a clump of overgrown weeds. Their eyes are a striking yellow, not glowing, but vibrant, with vertical pupils and a glassy, watching stillness that unnerves even the seasoned marshfolk. Rows of inward-curving teeth line their elongated jaws, meant not for chewing but for latching and dragging prey under. Rather than constricting, they rely on weight, leverage, and ambush, slamming prey into the mud before drowning or devouring it.
Genetics and Reproduction
Bog Serpents reproduce infrequently, with mating believed to occur only once every few years. During the mating season, their movement increases significantly, and entire stretches of river are abandoned by other wildlife as the serpents prowl for mates or rivals. Females lay clutches of 3-6 leathery, dark green eggs, often hidden in underwater pockets near reed-thickets. Hatchlings are roughly three feet long at birth and quickly disperse into the bog. There is no parental care, most hatchlings do not survive their first year.
Growth Rate & Stages
- Hatchling (0-6 months): Highly vulnerable, they rely on shallow waters and dense foliage to evade predators, including their own kind.
- Juvenile (6 months-3 years): Rapid growth. Become competent ambush predators.
- Adult (3-20 years): Reach full size and territory dominance.
- Elder (20+ years): Slower but significantly more cunning. Known to stalk boats silently for miles before striking.
Ecology and Habitats
Bog Serpents are found exclusively in the Bog of Lies, particularly where the Snaketongue River forks westward. They prefer slow-moving, sediment-heavy waters where visibility is low, and prey is abundant. Fallen trees, sunken ruins, and flooded caves serve as lairs. While they do not defend strict territories, they will repeatedly hunt in familiar waters, developing intricate knowledge of river paths, ambush points, and human travel patterns. They are apex predators, no creature native to the bog hunts them, and even dragons are said to avoid their favored waters. Their presence alters the local ecosystem, as amphibians, fish, and other predators flee their hunting grounds.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Carnivorous and methodical, Bog Serpents feed on large aquatic animals, deer, livestock, and, all too often, people. They hunt primarily through ambush, remaining motionless for hours until movement or vibration signals prey. When attacking boats, they often use their body mass to strike or tip the vessel before wrapping around and dragging it beneath the surface. They can survive for weeks without feeding after a large kill. During lean seasons, they consume carrion or lurk near known migratory paths, often letting hunger drive them to attack larger risks, including guarded barges.
Biological Cycle
Most active during late spring and early autumn, Bog Serpents hibernate in submerged dens during the coldest months, buried beneath layers of moss, mud, and debris. In mating years, activity spikes as they become more aggressive and territorial. Molting occurs roughly every two years in adults, with the shed skin often found clinging to roots or draped over the surface of stagnant pools like a wet banner.
Behaviour
Bog Serpents are solitary and cryptic. They do not vocalize, do not threaten, and offer no warning. Their intelligence is often debated, but they show signs of memory and decision-making, known to avoid traps, circle villages during feast days, or bypass armored boats in favor of easier prey. Many believe the serpents are drawn to grief, appearing near funerals or after bloody battles. Some folklore insists they feed on memory itself, growing fat on sorrow and loss.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Bog Serpents detect prey through a mixture of pressure sensitivity, scent trails, and vibration detection. Their forked tongues can read the chemical signature of blood in water from over a mile away. Their hearing is limited, but they are acutely aware of ripple patterns and water tension, able to distinguish boat oars from swimming prey with eerie precision.
Scientific Name
Serpentis umbraferrum.
Origin/Ancestry
Believed to be native to the ancient bog long before Everwealth’s rise. Some myths claim they were born from the sorrow of the river itself, formed when drowned kings cursed their fate and bled out beneath the reeds.
Conservation Status
Not endangered.
In fact, considered a major threat to riverborne trade and marshland populations. The Hierarchy of Power restricts civilian traffic through the western fork without escort, and the Ferry Watch of Axebreak maintains a bounty system on any confirmed kills, though none have ever been verified. Attempts to capture or study the creatures have resulted in missing expeditions and shattered hulls. Many believe they cannot be contained, only avoided.
Geographic Distribution
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