Ink and watercolour plate of a sand serpent: a huge segmented serpent of jagged sandstone plates with dark spikes along its back, rearing out of the sand with open jaws.

Creature

Sand Serpents

Serpents of animated stone that haunt the ruins of the Shrike, said to be among the sorcerer's golems still guarding the stronghold.

  • The Goblin Invasion

Description

Sand serpents, or serpent golems, are serpents of animated stone that glide through the desert fog as though truly alive. Aurelius found them beautiful and deadly in equal measure.

"A serpent golem! It's gorgeous!" — Aurelius

Historical context

Legend held that no one but the Shrike's thralls and golems ever lived in the sorcerer's castle, and that some still do. The serpents the stranger met at Shrike's Lookout confirmed at least that part of the myth; on the floating islands they appeared in such numbers that Aurelius wondered whether they bred there.