#034 - Plague Serpent

[Diogenes the Cynic]

PLAGUE SERPENT

Name: Plague Serpent
Aliases: Bone Horror, Bringer of Disease, Serpentine Nightmare

Sphere: Blightscape
Tier: Regular

Picture:

Spoiler:

The Blightscape is infamous for its dark and deadly beasts. The vast majority of the landscape is empty save for a few zombie-like creatures that wander about with gas masks permanently attached to their faces. This is because of a monstrous plague that wiped out almost all of the demonic life in the Blightscape, leaving it empty of all except for deadly pathogens still potentially lethal to demonkind.

There are a few species, however, that thrive in this environment. Plague Serpents are among them.

Most range in size between six to eight feet long, though there are a few reported to grow about 30 feet. They are massive beasts appearing like a monstrous spinal cord covered in the decayed ligaments and sinews of a long-dead creature. Attached to the end is a skull, stil covered in hair. Dead, glowing eyes peer through the empty sockets as the creature seeks fresh prey in the form of the essence of others. They don't do this right away though; these aren't like savage piranhas stripping flesh from bone. They instead attack their prey through poison; unleashing deadly disease upon their foes before quickly backing away and hiding; stalking their victims. Only once their prey is sufficiently weakened do they strike. Plague Serpents only grow bigger the more they've fed; the biggest can potentially make a meal out of Hellguard Demons.

Abilities: Plague Serpents attack using deadly disease that can affect both demons and mortals. This ranges from the flu to AIDS, from whooping cough to bubonic plague. The strength of the disease varies upon the size of the Plague Serpent or the number of bites delivered; the largest among them can deliver deadly bouts of vomiting, shaking, puss, and other things that can most definitely kill if left untreated. Fortunately the largest of these are very rare and the more common ones found are no bigger than a common Bull Snake, and as such they tend to be easy to deal with.

Miscellaneous Notes:

- Plague Serpents aren't confirmed to have sentience, though it's believed the biggest among them could have potentially grown sentient capabilities
- There is a Plague Serpent for every disease in existence, both viral and bacterial
- Viral Plague Serpents are said to have a reddish hue while bacterial Plague Serpents are covered in a slimy substance, believed to be bacterial colonies
- Swine Flu Plague Serpents actually have pig skulls
- Picture above by Paladin-Ciel on deviantArt