Appearance

It’s impossible not to notice the soul serpent’s two heads. Splitting along the neck and branching off into two separate heads and necks. Their heads are distinctly viper-like, with prominent heat pits along their upper lip. Their eyes are vibrant and come in all shades--sometimes the heads will even have different eye colors. Their necks can flare out into hoods, much like a cobra, and this is used to display and intimidate. Their flesh is black, even the inside of their mouth. Both heads possess a set of large fangs.

The scales of a soul serpent are a beautiful deep purple that shine with several different colors of iridescence. They shed their skin as they grow, and they can grow up to lengths of nine feet, though they tend to remain on the slender side.

Abilities

Soul serpents don’t possess any venom, and instead rely on constriction to kill their prey before swallowing it whole. Their heads share a mind, and only one eats at a time. Like other snakes they hear through vibrations on the ground, taste scent with their tongues, and are able to sense body heat from their prey and other warm bodies (or objects).

These snakes are very agile, and are surprisingly good climbers and swimmers.

The true danger of the soul serpent comes from its fangs, which contain no venom, but possess something far more sinister: the ability to remove the soul from its body. Each head can store a soul, which is indicated by the appearance of a gem on their forehead. One bite removes a soul, another bite returns it. The magic behind how this works is a hotly debated topic among magical scholars, some believe the serpent uses vikta, others believe that the soul is sucked from the body. Regardless, sustaining the bite of the soul serpent will leave you a hollow husk, appearing dead to onlookers.

A soul cannot be placed into a body that already contains a soul. An empty husk of a body is the only vessel capable of taking, and keeping, the soul. So far there are no means to extract a soul from a soul serpent other than through a second bite.

Culture

Soul serpents hatch fully formed hunting machines, though it takes them five years to reach sexual maturity, and then another three years to reach their full size (provided there’s enough food available). They tend to make their territories in open areas with lots of places to hide, and they’re well suited to many different environments.

They hibernate over winter, burrowing deep underground in wait for spring. When the temperature rises they wake from their slumber, and many seek a mate at this time.

Owning a soul serpent is illegal unless the proper permits are obtained. These creatures have a high potential for misuse, so obtaining these permits is a lengthy process. Extreme care must be taken when handling these serpents, as their fangs can pierce everything except for dragon hide--and dragon hide garments are extremely expensive.

Research into their soul transferring ability is ongoing, and captive breeding has proved to be very successful.