Frostkeen

The lands of the north hold many perils of which one should be quite aware should the need or desire to travel there outpace common sense or self-preservation. Among the gravest dangers is what the people of Uran call the Frostkeen, a creature which very few have seen and lived to tell about.
-Wynth Onyxorb, bard of the Singing History Guild

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Frostkeen has a long, thick, snake-like body with four legs that it keeps folded under it as it wends its way through the ground and used only on the infrequent occasions that the Frostkeen rises above the ground. Its head is mostly flat on top, with a slight divet in which are placed three holes that are one to two feet in diameter. Its four top front teeth are longer and sharper than the rest over the bottom jaw. It has no eyes.
The holes on the top of a Frostkeen's head are what gives it its name. The holes can manipulate sound while the creature is aboveground, and it gives off a high-pitched keening sound. It appears to be used for communication between the species, although some of the few who have witnessed this and survived, the keen causes those nearby who can hear it to become paralyzed, making them helpless victims of the creature as it hunts.

Biological Traits

Frostkeens can live for several hundred years, a rare few surviving past a millenium. Since they have no natural predators and rarely encroach upon the territory of others of their kind, most die of natural causes.

Genetics and Reproduction

Frostkeens breed only once every seven to ten years, the female commonly laying a clutch of three to five eggs. It is rare for all the eggs to hatch, only one to three of them doing so on average. After being laid, the eggs are surrounded by a thick layer of ice that the female generates by gently blowing an icy breath over them. The eggs then incubate for ten months before hatching, the mother visiting every week or two to assure that the ice remains in place for the duration of the incubation. When the babies hatch, they break through the ice.

Growth Rate & Stages

Frostkeens mature quickly, able to separate from the mother to hunt on their own after no older than six months of age, although many are capable of separating from their mother and fending for themselves after only a month or two. They grow fairly quickly for the first five years, reaching a length of up to twenty feet long after this time. They never stop growing, although the growth rate slows down greatly. Specimens have been seen that reach up to two hundred or so feet long.

Ecology and Habitats

The Frostkeen lives under the ground in the area of the Raven's Eye Mountains, although some have also been encountered in and around the Frozen Forest in the country of Tryorca. The creature only ventures above ground when it hunts.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Frostkeens are carnivores, mostly subsisting on the plentiful herd animals that are located above the ground in their territory. They will eat any meat, however, and have been known to attack other predators as well as any hapless people that might be traveling in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Biological Cycle

Frostkeens are at their most active during the coldest five to six months of the year. While they do not technically hibernate, the warmer weather dampens their need to eat, and therefore they hunt rarely during this time. Digestion slows for them when the temperature rises above freezing levels.
This creature does shed its scaly skin, although pieces of it are rarely found. It is postulated that they eat their shed skin, much like some lizards, although none have witnessed the event.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The creature is solitary, although during its mating season, two can be found together as they appear to stay together until the eggs are laid, during which time the male returns to its own territory.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

No Frostkeen has been seen outside of the northern reaches of Tryorca, although rumours have been heard of an occasional sighting to the east in northern Uran.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Frostkeen uses tremorsense to sense the movement of prey above it. Since it has no eyes, it must rely on the tremorsense, although when it is above ground, it demonstrates a keen sense of hearing.

Lifespan

500-800 years

Average Length

100-200 feet

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Frostkeens tend to be mostly white with differing patterns of ice blue over their forms. These patterns might well be a form of identification, with those who have studied the creature theorizing that each pattern is a unique and a way of identifying each individual.