(Artwork and description by player Regina Carey)
 

Death's Head Snake

The Death's head snake, so named because its head is completely white like a skull's, and for it's deadly bite, is a dangerous creature. Preferring warmer climates, it can be found in the foothills of any mountains. Detesting the coolness of the higher altitudes, they prefer to remain in the foothills near any crevices they can use for them homes. Solitary creatures, they glide silently through the grass of the forests looking for prey to feed on.

Having poor sight, and deaf, Death's heads, feel vibrations through the ground, sense heat, and can smell through their forked tongues. And they are not known for their gentle natures. Indeed, they are extremely easy to anger. And are even quicker to strike.

The Death's Head snake's head is bone white. The rest of it's body are bands of yellow and black and it has rattles at the end of it's tail which is shakes when feeling angry or threatened. If the rattle is ignored, and the creature it's warning off continues to approach, the snake will try to bite it.

The Death's Head snake starts growing from the time it hatches until it reaches a frightening length of 7'. And it has a life expectancy of about 30 years. The snake eats anything it can fit its mouth around and swallow and it can fit its mouth around quite a lot. The snake hunts by smell, heat signatures, and vibrations in the ground, silently coming up open its prey, it quickly strikes, biting its victim. Keeping a hold of its prey, the snake continues to pump its venom into the body as it coils itself around its victim. Once firmly caught in it's coils, and paralyzed by the poison, the creature is slowly suffocated as the snake squeezes it to death in its coils. Unable to move thanks to the poison, to try and defend itself. While a Death's Head won't kill a grown human, its venom is powerful enough to paralyze a man for a few hours also. Enough venom in a person's system could even make the heart stop. And while an adult human is safe from the Death's Head snake, infants are small enough for these snakes to swallow and they do not hesitate to strike if a baby somehow comes within it's reach.

In fall, the snakes leave their territory and all begin to migrate to a deep underground cavern. There, any creature caught inside has two choices only. Escape or die from numerous poisoned bites. There the snakes spend winter coiled around each other sleeping away the cold.

After winter, the males are the first to wake and leave the cave, soon followed by the females who then have to get past the males before they can return to their territories. Running the gallant of males, the females are often caught up in different male's coils and are mated each time they're caught.

A month later, the female lays 10 to 12 eggs in a small crevice and stays near the eggs until they hatch three weeks later. Staying only long enough to watch the last newly hatched snake slither off before she too leaves.