Sea dragons

Extensive evidence exists to suggest that one or more species of very large, curiously-formed aquatic reptile once lived in the Sea of Jars. Popularly referred to as Sea Dragons, these monsters appear to be extinct, though it has been suggested that they may still exist in the depths of the ocean.

Form

Sea dragons appear to have been long, muscular animals likened by various commentators to anything from a great fish to a gigantic tadpole. Ranging in length from thirty to fifty feet - and therefore three or more times the size of any other known sea creature - they possessed rib cages, large flippers and long tails which may or may not have possessed fins like that of mundane fish. Their skulls, judging from the small number of existing specimens, were disproportionate to their bodies and possessed brain cases sometimes large enough to house the entire body of a human being, suggesting great intelligence. Their long jaws are studded with frightful triangular teeth the size of a human hand, making it clear that these animals were carnivores, probably with huge appetites.
These inferences are drawn from skeletal remains that are occasionally found on islands or the coasts of the Sea of Jars. Jawbones and teeth very occasionally wash up on beaches to this day, and are invariably sought-after curios which command high prices among collectors and thaumatologists. More perplexingly complete skeletons have been found buried in cliff faces, sometimes in coastal areas - an oddly twisted specimen is said to be visible at low tide at the bottom of Fortune, the eastern part of the famous headlands of Fire and Fortune - but sometimes, even more oddly, some distance from the sea. At least two specimens have been found in the chaotic enscarpments of The Empty Quarter, some dozens of miles from the sea, while another was found buried deep in mud in the upper reaches of the Chondolos River - far too far up the river, it was noted, for anything of that size to have swum there itself. Rumours also circular of another Sea dragon skull found in a mine in the Dyqamay Silverlands. How these clearly aquatic creatures found their way into these locations is a matter of speculation - one possibility which has been mooted is that they could not only swim but also fly.

Cultural significance

It is widely supposed that Sea dragons are the source of pre-Wesmodian legends such as those of the sea monsters Kotqophay and Qotrophay, invariably depicted in mythology as dangerous agents of chaos and powerful foes, usually spawned by the Hundred Former Gods as weapons against the gods in their battle for the cosmos. Heroes, demigods and founders of cities often find themselves facing down such monsters as well; figures such as Morogyad and Chonyos are depicted in such battles. This theme extends to art as well as literary mythopoeia; a grand mural in the Palace of Oluz depicts Morogyad fighting the sea monster Kotqophay with The Blue Trident, a fabled weapon which has been the focus of alchemical attention since the time the battle was taken as hard historical fact. Kotqophay is depicted as a vividly purple-skinned, serpentine monstrosity with enormous jaws, fins like those of a fabulously large sea horse, and a long fluked tail. Researchers have observed that this depiction is broadly consistent with dragon skeletons found around the Sea of Jars and may be based on the study of such remains. 
As such Sea dragons enter the purview of thaumatologists, particularly those who study the mythology and traditions of the sea. Among the most sought-after artefacts among such researchers are examples of the craft of scrimshaw, a maritime tradition of inscribing the teeth or (less commonly) bones of Sea dragons with scenes of shipboard life, practised by Sailors on the Sea of Jars in the years when the raw material for the art form - the remains of these creatures - were easier to find. Scrimshaw is now practically extinct, at least for want of material, and examples of the art form change hands for very high prices. Thaumatologists in particular seek out the remains of the dragons, all the more so if they have been used as a basis for the handicrafts of sailors, a profession whose institutional memory is thought to include intimations of the ancient worship of Zargyod, the god of luck, metals and the sea - and, not coincidentally, a dragonslayer.