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Hydra

Name: Hydra

Category: Monsters, Useful

Type: Amphibians, Reptilians

Size: Huge

Region: Coastal, Jungle, Forest

Rarity: Uncommon (baby); Rare (adult)

Lifespan: 20-30 years

Appearance

Infant or "baby" hydra are about the size of an elephant and have two heads. Adults double in size and grow eight more heads, totalling ten, each with hundreds of tiny, jagged fangs in their mouths.

Behaviour

The most common form of hydra are the infants that populate the forests and jungles of Elysia. Not many survive to adulthood. Fast but clumsy, they shelter in the trees building giant nests that may look like small hillocks or mounds of dead leaves at first glance. Their trunk-like necks and tails give balance and also act as heavy weapons, dealing plenty of damage in a single blow that can send attackers sailing more than ten feet away and can break ribs.

At the age of five, infant hydra migrate south en masse into the open sea where they evolve into their adult form before returning to the Ao Coast to live in limestone caves or in shallow waters.

Diet: Fish, small mammals, birds. They won't waste meat so if they're forced to defend themselves or their nest, they'll eat the kill even if it's larger than the animals they normally snack on.

Habitat: Adult hydra can be found in limestone caves along the coast or in shallow waters but rarely venture inland past the coastal bluffs. Infant hydra leave the rivers where they hatched to live in the forest or jungle where they can hide among the trees.

Breeding: Adult hydra make their way north from the Ao Coast to lay their eggs inland after mating in the open sea. The eggs hatch some months later and the infants stay alone in the forests and jungles where they born until they're of an age to migrate south.

Special Information

Strengths/Abilities:

• Hydra can inject venom into their prey which will kill small mammals almost instantly and that will kill humanoids within a day if not treated.
• The venom of adult hydra is twice as strong as that of infants.

Weaknesses:

• Their large size takes a lot of energy to lift from the ground as well as to maneuver in the air, so they can be cumbersome and need to eat frequently.
• They have voracious appetites, making them fairly expensive to keep though most merchants find the expense worthwhile, if not the danger.

Uses:

• Hydra venom can be used by weaponsmiths or in weapons-grade potions.

Creator: Emma