Laezu
Sacred to the Sēna Amīzuye of Nĩwulā Valley, the family of water-dwelling snakes have spread throughout the eastern world and have been witnessed in the icy northern reaches of the Storm Sea and all the way down in the waters near where Nīwulā River meets the sea.
Both their venom and scales a valuable, the first because of its medicinal and more nefarious uses, while the latter are considered a rare beauty, glimmering blue like the seas themselves. The scales are difficult to harvest, however, as they turn as gray as common rock with the death of the animal itself, and twice as useless.
During the height of Nīwulā Valley civilization and the years of the Wīzoha Empire, Na Yuo Ni-Aebomē was known to keep young, small water snakes in the garden pond. The snakes did not breed in captivity, and so they were captured by sanctioned trappers instead. Later, they would be released once the snakes grew too big for the pond.
Snakes of Rivers and the Sea
There are two kinds of water snakes. Larger, sea-dwelling snakes are born on the shores bordering the deep blue waters, while the smaller river-dwelling snakes seek to lay their eggs upstream and only come downriver as they grow and find themselves in need of larger prey.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
The exact details of water snakes and their reproduction remain shrouded in mystery, mostly because they seem unable to do so in captivity. However, both sea and river snakes tend to lay their eggs during the months of autumn wherever the water meets the land, leaving them largely alone and unattended until hatching.
The eggs are gray, melting into the landscape of rocks and local flora. Their shells feel cold and cool and almost liquid, like the surface of fresh water. That is, unless the life within has dimmed or died entirely.
The hatching itself may happen after months and up to many years after laying, and only during a night of full moon.
Dietary Needs and Habits
All water snakes are predators, hunting down anything around their own size or slightly smaller for sustenance. For the young ones this can mean various species of small fish or, in the case of the youngest of river snakes, even insects, while the largest of sea-dwelling snakes go after sharks, whales and even each other. Though not their first option, cannibalism does happen among water snakes as a rare rule rather than an exception.
Biological Cycle
Sea snakes go through long periods of assumed inactivity throughout the year, contrasted by short periods of active hunting throughout autumn months. That period between summer and winter is also when they lay their eggs, and when they can be witnessed by ships journeying across the waters.
River snakes are more active overall, though even their habits and level of activity change throughout the seasons and depending on how recently they have fed. Due to their general activity during autumn, trappers have made a habit of capturing adults during those months, only taking the ones who have already or are not going to lay eggs.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
All water snakes share a singular trait of having no eyes, instead, presumably, sensing their surroundings through their skin. Sea snakes can also sense the singing of whales and the movement of ships through the waves, both of which they may attack on their hunts. River snakes on the other hand tend to avoid boats moving up and down the flowing waters.
"They were born of Nui's tears, glittering down like stardust as they fell into the waters of the earth. Their venom brings mercy, their scales protection. They are her children and her greatest gift to us, who whorship her above all else."
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