Storm Snake

Storm snakes are reclusive creatures only seen in the wild during intense storms. The metallic scales that cover their bodies attract and absorb nearby lightning strikes, suffusing the creatures with a halo of blue or white light. Because storm snakes are most often sighted in solitude and disappear without a trace as soon as a storm recedes, a lot of folklore across Golarion considers them to be the emissaries of storm deities and harbingers of disaster.

Before live clutches of storm snake young were first discovered, it was hypothesized that the creatures were made of mist and vapor; many assumed them to be illusory shapes within the clouds themselves or fleeting dragon sightings. New zoological research has found, however, that storm snakes are actually a distant cousin of dragons. Raised on mountaintops in small broods, storm snakes have underdeveloped limbs and lack any form of wing. Instead, they expand and contract their metallic scales to capture the static electricity in wind currents, which keeps them aloft during high winds and storms.

Research has also shed light on the diet of these naturally shy creatures. Rather than consuming electricity, as many who'd observed them in storms believed, storm snakes are herbivorous, enjoying most varieties of grasses, plants, or tree leaves. This diet, considered alongside their flight patterns during thunderstorms, has been theorized to be a form of symbiosis; after all, any lightning strikes absorbed by a storm snake during a storm can't damage the plant growth below. Additionally, safely discharged electricity from a storm snake has been observed to stimulate growth in a wide variety of flora, all while having no adverse affects on the plants' palatability or nutritional benefits. Many farmers have tried in vain to capture, tame, or otherwise attract storm snakes to their fields to invigorate their crops during tough times, though few have succeeded.