Sea Serpents
| Sea Serpents | |
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 Sea Serpent, from Ultima VII manual | |
| Variants: | Frost Serpents |
| First appearance: | Ultima III |
| Last appearance: | Ultima IX |
Sea Serpents are aquatic relatives of dragons which have roamed the waters of the Britannian seas since the realm's last days as Sosaria.
Description[edit]
The sea serpents are distinct from the Ness Creatures of old, in that they are imbued with the same fiery breath as their draconic cousins. Often attacking from a distance, a sea serpent can quickly overwhelm an unprepared traveler before they can approach it. Many sources nevertheless recommend that the best course of action when meeting such a beast is to advance upon it quickly and face it in as close quarters rather than fleeing and risking death in the flames of its breath - although those fighting one with cannon-armed ships may stand a chance at besting it in long distant combat.
Frost Serpents[edit]
Main Article: Frost Serpents
On the cold world of Serpent Isle, a variation of the Britannian sea serpent appears to have evolved in response to the freezing climes of the Northlands. These blue-hued "Frost Serpents" share many of the same characteristics as the classic sea-serpents, but notably produce an icy "blue fire" with their breath.
Lore[edit]
| “ | Small cousins of the Great Earth Snake, these creatures can destroy an entire ship. In conflict mode, they can hurl magic across water, making it hard to fight them. – from The Book of Play (Ultima III)
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| “ | The Sea Serpent is an aquatic relative of the Dragon. The fireball cast by the Serpent can sink a ship long before it has a chance to close with the beast. The best defense against a Sea Serpent is to engage it in close combat as quickly as possible. It is thy only chance, albeit as slim one, to survive the encounter. – from The History of Britannia (Ultima IV)
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| “ | The water in front of us erupted upward. Out of the ocean burst the sea serpent. For an eternity it thundered upward, sending torrents of water over the ship's deck. The water drenched us, making the deck slippery. We lost our footing and started to slide toward the creature's gaping maw. Its taped head was crowned by a ridge of spiny fins. Black beady eyes on either side of its head riveted me and a flickering red tongue darted out of its wide mouth. Its iridescent red scales, tipped in ebony, glistened in the sunlight. – from Ultima: The Avatar Adventures (Ultima IV)
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| “ | These serpents can appear from nowhere to rock a ship. Capable of launching great fireballs from a considerable distance - even across an entire island - they are among the most formidable of opponents. Since they are not intelligent and are easily outwitted, the best strategy is often to evade them and flee. However, if forced into battle, closing in to engage the serpent directly in combat will improve a ship's odds of surviving. – from Book of Lore (Ultima V)
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| “ | Like its land-based cousin, the dragon, a sea serpent will attack the seagoing traveler with magical fireballs and violent physical swipes of its long tail. The wise sailor avoids this nasty beast. – from Compendium (Ultima VI)
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| “ | This creature is a sea-going dragon. It is capable of spitting out fireballs, much the same as dragons breathe fire. A sea serpent can severely damage a ship with a single lash of its powerful tail. – from The Book of Fellowship (Ultima VII)
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| “ | In the deepest waters resides a scaled serpent nearly half the length of a capital ship. Of this creature, little is known, as in death, its water-bourne corpse defies capture and transport. Although the sea serpent prefers to feed on creatures from the sea, attacks against even the largest ships have been reported. In one reporting, the creature was driven off by a fire aboard the ship. It is believed that many ships lost at sea have succumbed to the serpent's whim. |
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See Also[edit]
