Saurento

The Saurento are a species of large water serpent often mistaken for dragons. As Mystical Creatures, they are sentient and often talkative, but have little in common with humans. They live primarily in the oceans but can traverse freshwater without issue. While they can survive on land and do not require their skin to be wet, their movement is severely limited, so they remain in the water as much as possible. Saurento are not considered amphibious.

Physical Description

Saurento have large, dragon-like heads, and long, serpentine bodies. They are covered in scales that resemble snake skin, and their hides are usually very smooth and silky. They do not remotely resemble sea horses, being very snake-like in both form and mannerism, and completely lacking in any sort of limbs or bodily protrusions. They are also quite enormous, averaging between one hundred and three hundred feet in length when fully-grown. They do not shapeshift, but much like dragons cannot make the 'hew' sound with their mouths. They are not "spirit" beings of any form, though they do posses strong magical abilities.

They are extremely fast, able to reach and maintain speeds of over one hundred miles per hour while submerged. They will often breach out of the water at high speeds, and can easily extend large portions of their bodies above the surface. Their method of locomotion is considered to be largely based on magic.

Background

Saurento are often believed to be the mythical "water dragons", but their similarities to dragon-kind are entirely superficial. They are natural in origin, and are known to have existed throughout greater Antiquity. While Saurento can be vengeful, they are most often playful and good-tempered, and have been known to rescue lost sailors. They tend to avoid human population centers, but will often approach loan sailors or small boats to attempt conversation.

Habitat

During the Mage Wars, Saurento were commonly found in the Brutish Sea; however by the Alliance era had left that region entirely. There is a large population of them in the Dragon Sea, and they can be found throughout most of the oceans surrounding the Greater Continent. They dislike the sounds made by motor-driven vessels and avoid shipping lanes. They prefer warm, shallow water, but can supposedly dive to any depth.

Saurento get on well with dragons, but like humans their contact is largely limited due to lack of similar interests. While Saurento are very intelligent, they do not build or make homes, do not save trinkets, and it is unknown if they even eat. Nothing is known about their life cycle, lifespan, or how they reproduce.

Magical Abilities

Saurento posses extremely powerful elemental magic, particularly water-magic. They can summon storms and control tidal movements, conjure enormous waves, and rapidly freeze or evaporate water. While they are often believed to have fire magic, what they are actually able to do is chemically separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, then burn it in a controlled manner, thus creating mundane fire.

Hunting

During the Mage Wars, Saurento were hunted for their pelts(mistakenly believed to be magical), and also in multiple attempts to enslave them. At the beginning of the Golden Age, they were formally recognized as sentient, and all hunting or deliberate harm of them forbidden by law.