Serpent
| Serpent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Creator | Xero |
| Information | |
| Average Length | 200cm (Whelp) 1250cm (Adult) 5000cm (Elder) |
| Lifespan | 1000 years |
| Hair Colours | Varied |
| Eye Colours | Varied |
| Scale Colours | Varied |
| Current Leaders | Zamendrya (Dragonqueen) Shizukesa (Dragonlord of the Serpents) |
| Capital | Dragonhearth |
| Continent | Serena |
In an age remembered as the Dusk of Dawn there existed a Dragon known for his guile and perfection in the art of war: Seiryu, the Blademaster. Known among his peers as a rare case of a dragon wielding a weapon into battle, Seiryu was one of the survivors of Dragoosh's destruction as well as a close friend of Xaxandros when they were both youthful which made his betrayal to order personal towards the blademaster. Wounded in the aftermath of his homeworld's destruction yet holding onto the iron will of revenge, Seiryu was quick to volunteer in the defences of Serena, just in time as that world's earth shook and shattered to beckon forth a dark being - Archdevil Orochi, the Devourer of Dragons.
Seiryu would do battle with the 8-headed and slay Orochi with his blades, decapitating each of their heads in a single continuous slice, bringing an end to Orcohi's brief reign of terror over the tranquil mountains of Serena. The Blademaster's triumph was short-lived as he soon succumbed to Orcohi's venom coursing through his body, dying on one of the floating islands upheaved by the Archdevil's summoning.
Years later the war would end and Zamendrya would charge the six remaining survivors of Dragoosh to each choose a planet and watch over it with her blessing. Shizukesa, Seiryu's student and friend, would recover from his grievous wounds he was inflicted with and become one of those six Dragonlords, choosing to journey to Serena to find his missing master's body, building the Doragon Shrine upon his gravesite and naming the islands after him. Centuries of development would lead to a great temple city to be built around this shrine as it would become the main point of operations for Shizukesa and the Dragons that joined him in preserving Serena's tranquility.
Yet a strange phenomenon would take place over multiple generations of Dragons that lived in the Seiryu Skylands. Shizukesa's kin would be witnessed being born with smaller and smaller wings each generation to the point that by the tenth they would develop none at all, causing them to take to a resemblance of the mighty Wyrms. At some undisclosed time, they would begin to call themselves Serpents, becoming a sub-species of Dragon. Magic would become instrumental in the lives of the Serpents as they'd use wind magics to lift their elongated, serpentine bodies off the ground and keep themselves afloat through the clouds of Serena.
Mortals who had come to exist in the serene lands of Serena would commonly see the magnificence of a Serpent gliding through the sky and acting as a protector to them, oft swooping down to save one's life at the risk of its own which led the races like the Oxine to revere the Serpents with utmost respect and devotion.
As the most duty-bound sub-species of Dragon, the Serpents would work hard to keep their oath to the Dragonqueen true, hardly ever interfering with mortal businesses. One day that would change however as Lamia outcasts led by Lady Sethris would be found tossed ashore without the protection of the seas. Though they know they could not aid the mortals in any way, Shizukesa would go out of his way to free the Lamia of their bounds and save them using part of his own magic to gift them evolved bodies that could live outside of water which would in turn create the Naga. Grateful of their help, Sethris promised to erect shrines in the name of the Serpents so that the good will of the Dragons would never be forgotten by her kin.
Continuing through existence, the Serpents of Serena have remained peaceful beings that live in the mountain tops, yet what sets them apart from the rest is their connection to the Mortals: While other species of Dragon look down on the idea of interacting with the Mortals, the Serpents have found a serene pact with the native Naga which allows them to come down to their temples and shrines on special occasions for recreation, forging a strong bond between Dragon and Mortalkind.
Powers
With their long slender bodies, Serpents are one of the quickest flies in the Draconic Empire and they know that. Utilizing evasive maneuvers, hit-and-run tactics and different schools of magic usually reserved to Water or Wind elements, the Serpents can be dangerous arial opponent but are vulnerable to opponents that can snare or slow them.
Serpents are pacifists however and rarely fight to kill. Instead they prefer to use tactics that simply disable or knock out their target unless they are hunting in which they use quick lethal attacks that can kill before the victim even notices the Serpent. Serpents also practice a lot of healing magics and in war usually fall into the healer archetype, supporting their allies.
