"It took us by surprise - none of us guessed it would really be as fast as it was based off of it's looks. It crouched low, flattening it's body completely before launching itself across the ice. Thankfully, there are few things a seasoned monster hunter can't take down on his own." - Luc Baptiste, La Patrian Monster Hunter on the first expedition to the Frozen Wastes
Skate Drakes are a medium sized Magickal Beast. In color they are very pale, ranging from grey to white, always with a tint of blue in their tone. The name comes from the fact that their shape is extremely similar to skates - their body is almost flat, very low to the ground with a helmet like curve notating their skull and spine. Their sides splay out flat on the ground as long flaps of muscle. Long, rigid plates cover their top while their sides and belly is covered in placoid scales. Males reach about two and a half meters in length and a width of two, while females are slightly larger by half a meter in both regards. They are not tall by any means, their knees are the highest point of their body and stand about half a meter above ground.
Having adapted for both terrestrial and underwater conditions, they make both their hunting grounds. While Skate Drakes are extremely muscular and can hold their own in a brawl, they are primarily ambush predators. They plant all four limbs, digging their claws either on the top or bottom of the ice depending on what side they are on, pulling back and propelling themselves across the ice. Doing this, they can briefly reach speeds of sixty kilometers per hour as they pounce on their prey, working to overpower them as quickly as possible. Having bitten their target, they inject a unique magickal toxin from glands behind hollow teeth that freezes the prey from the inside, rapidly dropping their body temperature and causing the body to shut down. They mostly target penguins and seals, yet packs have gone after larger prey when working in tandem.
Skate Drakes are found exclusively in the Frozen Wastes. Due to how difficult it is to procure, materials from one is exorbitantly expensive, yet sought after by elite clients. Their leather is excellent at protecting it's wearer from the frost, and the venom is highly valued by assassins as it leaves virtually no trace - the victim freezing to death from the inside before leaving a thawed corpse within a few hours.
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