Ice serpents, also known as polar serpents,[1] were a variety of air elemental encountered in cold and snowy climates.[2]
Description[]
They were large but ephemeral creatures of cold.[1] Ice serpents had no bodies, and were instead comprised of constantly moving, ice-cold air and mist. They were naturally invisible, but they could usually be seen thanks to snow, ice particles, and small stones that were picked-up by their windy forms as they moved.[2]
Unlike most air elementals, not all ice serpents could not fly, and instead moved forward by propelling themselves along the ground, giving the appearance of writhing and slithering.[2] However, others were able to fly and could pass through spaces as narrow as 1 inch (2.5 centimeters).[1]
Behavior[]
They were stealthy and perceptive, although not particularly intelligent. Even so, they could understand the Primordial language (although they could not communicate with it).[1]
Combat[]
Ice serpents attacked by wrapping themselves around a target, but instead of constricting as a physical snake would, they instead drained the heat from their prey.[1][3] Their victims would begin to go numb from the cold, and ultimately fall unconscious as the serpent proceeded to drain the last of their vital heat.[3] They could instantly constrict any victim smaller than themselves within 10 feet (3 meters), and their powerful jaws were also bitingly cold.[1]
As creatures of pure cold air, they were difficult to injure with mundane weapons[2] and were fully immune to any magical or mundane ice or cold, although they were highly susceptible to fire.[1][3]
Ecology[]
Ice serpents fed upon the body heat of living, warm-blooded creatures.[1][3] They hunted in snowy regions under the cover of fog or snowstorms.[1][2]
Homelands[]
They dwelt in cold places, mostly snowy arctic environs but also underground such as in the Underdark.[1]
They could be found in Icewind Dale[4] and were known to inhabit the Sea of Moving Ice as well as other parts of the North as far south and east as the Trollmoors. They would range further south during the cold winter months.[3]
History[]
These elementals first appeared in Faerûn in the mid-to-late 14th century DR, and were thought to have been summoned by an evil cleric of Akadi who dwelt near the Ice Lakes in the Frozenfar.[3]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
- Glacier snake, a white-furred venomous snake.
- Snow serpent, a white-furred constrictor snake.
- Snow snake, a spell that conjured a snake of snow and ice.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Jason Tondro et al. (2025-11-11). Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 269. ISBN 0786969954.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 James Wyatt, Rob Heinsoo (February 2001). Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn. Edited by Duane Maxwell. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 62. ISBN 0-7869-1832-2.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 James Wyatt, Rob Heinsoo (February 2001). Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn. Edited by Duane Maxwell. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 63. ISBN 0-7869-1832-2.
- ↑ Jason Tondro et al. (2025-11-11). Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 249. ISBN 0786969954.