Sea Serpent

Attributes	BRG 20 (+7)	NIM 13 (+3)*	PER 16 (+5)	STR 24 (+8)*	VIT 15 (+4)	WIT 18 (+6)
Reactions	STAM +9*	SWIFT +7	WILL +7	WIS +8

Defence	13	Size	Gigantic	Courage	3
Health	26	Move	18 (land), 24 (water)	Renown	15

Edges	none
Flaws	none
Special Abilities	Armour (12), Bane of Ships, Eyes of the Deep, Multiple Attacks (Claws, Maw, Tail), Natural Weapons (claws, 4d6; maw, 6d6; tail, 5d6), Slow Healing, Sweep of Tail, Terror
Skills	Armed Combat: Natural Weapons (Claws, Maw, Tail) +14, Inquire (Interrogate) +8, Insight +9, Intimidate (Fear) +21, Language: Adûnaic +5, Sindarin +10, Language: Westron +10, Observe (Hear, Spot) +15, Stealth (Sneak, Hide) +8, Swim +12, Weather-sense +8

Sea serpents are a variant of the Cold-drake that took to water by the hand of Morgoth. With scales of green, turquoise, and blue, they are very hard to see while underwater. Their feet are webbed, a long fin running along the top and bottom of their tails and their bodies are taller yet narrower to facilitate their swimming. Sea Serpents are quite carnal in nature owing to their Cold-drake lineage.

Bane of Ships: Upon a successful bite attack by the Sea Serpent, it may begin to tear the ship apart. Its bite and claws deal half damage to the body of the ship. For every successful bite or claw attack upon a section of the ship, roll 1d6 to determine the number of crewmen lost, minus 1 for every point of Courage spent by the ship's commander.

Eyes of the Deep: The eyes of the Sea Serpent allow it to see in the murkiest and darkest of waters. However, they may be attacked (-5 penalty to hit), having 1/2 Wound Level for each eye. If struck, the Sea Serpent suffers damage and has a -2 penalty (not cumulative) to all tests for the next 1d6 rounds. Upon losing an eye, it has a -10 penalty to Observe (Spot) tests and has a -5 penalty to all tests (-10 if both eyes are lost).

While the Vala Morgoth brooded in Thangorodrim far in the north, he saw that many of his enemies remained far to the south, holding much of the coastal lands without challenge. So he set to work to twist his abominations to his will and set forth upon the Elves and Men his serpents of the sea. Their use was in harrying the coastal cities and ships of Beleriand and lands farther east and south. Those that did his bidding near the lands of Beleriand were almost all but lost due to the expert seamanship and skill of the Sinda mariner and foremost among them was Círdan the Shipwright. After the capture of Morgoth and sinking of Beleriand, there were few sea serpents left in the world and most remained in the seas unknown in the East. The serpent, Earcaraxe, is the only one known to remain in the waters of the western Middle-earth.

Sea serpents live in the shoals, caves, and grottos of rocky coastlines of the oceans, but none are known to reside in any of the inland seas. They typically hunt kraken, fish, or large sea mammals for their food, but when they come upon or are come upon by Men or Elves, they make for tasty meals as well.

Their social habits remain the same as all other dragon-kind: solitary and hostile.

Sea serpents are excellent adversaries for those who adventure out to sea, exploring the unknowns of the South and East. They could be used as either a one-time hazard encounter or have an entire plot revolve around a vicious legendary beast that roams the sea destroying ships and cities in its wake.