Plated Python

Gorgons are a broad group of animals that share a few peculiar traits. All gorgons are covered in armored plates and breathe petrifying gases. Other than these features, gorgons can resemble almost any animal. While some gorgons may seem like less physically imposing creatures, they should never be underestimated. Gorgons are canny hunters, and even a small puff of their breath can immobilize almost any prey.

One of the most fearsome gorgons is the gigantic plated python, covered from nose to tail in large metallic scales. Rather than the venom used by many other snakes, its breath turns both creatures and objects into stone. While this poses the most danger to the prey caught in its jaws, it can also transform large areas to brittle and lifeless stone that the snakes can easily tunnel through.

Plated pythons typically live in pairs or trios and are extremely territorial. The fights between plated pythons over territory are vicious and tend to leave long-lasting effects on the landscape. They defend their territory aggressively against other creatures they see as a threat, including people and large animals. Their habitats can be identified by the stone tunnels left behind by their burrowing, and wary travelers use these as a sign to change course. Particularly bold adventurers might try to use the tunnels for passage, protected as they are from elements and other wildlife, but they do risk coming face to face with a plated python.