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Headless snakes are a species of warm-blooded reptile, so-called because their lack of facial features makes it difficult to tell the head from the tail. They were brought to Erde as hunting animals by the dwarven and human races of the north. They are most commonly found in the northern mountains and central forests, but their warm-blooded nature allows them to adapt to most climates. The southern cultures popularized the name “headless snakes” because of the horrific legends surrounding the creature; in regions where the snakes are common, they are more often referred to as simply blind snakes.
Headless snakes are similar to large earthworms in appearance, with their width being thin in proportion to their length. They have a round head and a blunt tail, making the two ends difficult to distinguish. Their long, powerful jaw is lined with short teeth, similar to an alligator. They are non-venomous, have no tongues, and cannot hiss. Their thin skin is born a yellowish white which browns in prolonged exposure to the sun. If the snake spends a long time in the sun, its skin will darken into an earthy brown. A snake that is sick or dying will become splotched with gray.
The headless snake’s most distinctive characteristic is its lack of eyes and nostrils. Completely blind and deaf, the headless snake relies on its keen sense of touch and taste. In addition to being highly sensitive to touch, the headless snake’s thin skin is covered in pores similar to taste buds that pick up tastes and smells from its surroundings. The snake is also sensitive to vibrations, allowing it to pick up movement and some sounds.
Because it relies heavily on its sense of taste, the headless snake hunts primarily by tracking. The snake can trace a scent across the ground, much like a dog. The snake slithers slowly while tracking, but the lazy movement is deceiving; the headless snake can strike quickly and move rapidly for short distances. Most snakes track their prey back to its nest, where they eat the entire brood. Some snakes prefer to lie in wait for their prey, lying still until they sense the vibrations of an approaching creature small enough to eat. This is especially true of larger snakes.
Like most snakes, headless snakes are carnivores. The headless snake usually kills its prey by crushing or strangling it in its bony jaws. The snake will bite its prey and hold it in its teeth until the victim dies, then swallow it whole. The headless snake will eat already deceased prey as long as it doesn’t smell rotten, leading to the inflammatory rumor that the northern cultures feed their dead to large snakes. When it is finished eating, the headless snake spits up the indigestible parts of its prey. It excretes the rest of its refuse by sweating.
Headless snakes have a unique metabolism that regulates their growth based on the amount of food they eat. The more food they eat, the faster they grow. When food is scarce, the snake stops growing to conserve its energy. It will digest its prey very slowly, allowing it to go long periods of time between catches. When food is plenteous, the snake will usually eat as much as it can find, causing it to grow rapidly. There is no known limit to how large a snake can grow if it has enough food. Snakes several yards long are not uncommon, and legend warns of monstrous snakes as wide as a man is tall, lurking in the caves and feeding off of unwary travelers. Average lifespan of the headless snake is unknown, but rumor has it that the snakes can live for centuries if they have sufficient food.
Despite the rumors, headless snakes are not the terror legend makes them out to be. Headless snakes pick on prey their own size; chomping on prey too large for them often results in injury to the snake. In the wild, most snakes do not find enough food to grow large enough to pose a threat to humans. As such, most headless snakes will not attack humans; if a human threatens it, the snake is more likely to flee than bite. Headless snakes can be handled if they are taught to know the smell of familiar humans. If raised from a young age, the snakes can easily be trained to recognize the smell of humans and livestock, allowing them to live in populated areas without feeling threatened. Many cultures allow the snakes to live in their homes and barns, ridding the area of pests; when the snake becomes too large, it is killed and eaten.
The headless snake’s fearsome reputation comes from legends involving snakes that have grown large enough to eat a man. The rumors are not completely unfounded; although they are rare, an extremely large headless snake would be a formidable foe because it would be difficult to fatally wound it. The snake’s head and throat are protected by extra bone, so the best attacks target the snake’s belly, where all of its vital organs and nerves lie. Other methods involve irritating the snake’s sensitive skin to deter it or feeding it poisoned prey. On the more fanciful end, legend speaks of brave warriors who were eaten alive and fought the snake from the inside.
Headless snakes are quiet and slightly lazy creatures; when they are not hunting, they will find a secluded spot and rest for extended periods of time while digesting. They generally will not stir from their bed unless directly threatened. They are often found in bushes, empty burrows, or other sheltered spots. They are perfectly comfortable in the rocks and will lurk in caves if they can find food. In dry weather the snake will soak in shallow pools, damp leaves, snow, mud, and even wet laundry to rehydrate its skin.
Headless snakes are warm-blooded creatures that regulate their body temperatures primarily by metabolizing. The colder the climate, the more the snake needs to eat to stay warm. If food is scarce, a snake will often move to warmer climates to sustain itself. Snakes also incubate by coiling around themselves or hiding in cozy spots to trap their own body heat. Many a snake has innocently taken refuge under a rug or pile of laundry to keep warm.
Headless snakes are solitary creatures and avoid others of their kind. Eggs begin growing in the female’s body once she reaches about two inches in diameter, provided she has ample food; the healthier and larger a female snake is, the more eggs she may be carrying. The female stores eggs in an intestine-like sack connected to her stomach. A male snake will only seek out a female when he is well-fed and in good health. If a healthy male comes across the scent of a female, he will track her. If the female is feeling well, she will allow him to bite her just behind the throat. A successful conception will fertilize the foremost egg in the female’s sack, which will incubate for about another two weeks before it is forced into the female’s stomach. The snake then spits the egg up in a secluded spot and leaves it to hatch. A female can be incubating multiple fertilized eggs at a time and can produce young her entire life as long as she has ample food.
The eggs are about the size of a chicken egg and are a muddy shade of brown, allowing them to blend into the dirt. They are soft and squishy like a wet sack, which means they can often survive being stepped on. The baby snake will eat its way out of the sack in two-three weeks, hatching out at eight-twelve inches in length. Twins are possible, although extremely rare, and are considered a sign of good fortune. Baby snakes’ senses are fully formed and they begin hunting immediately after hatching, starting with insects and other tiny prey.
Humans will breed headless snakes in captivity or hunt for the eggs in the wild. Since it is easiest to train a snake if raised from birth, unhatched eggs are a prized find and have a good market. The eggs can be eaten, although the chewy texture of the shell is not highly appealing. Even unborn baby snakes have tiny bones, making them difficult to eat and a choking hazard for unsuspecting animals that prey on the eggs.
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