Deepfiend

## Lore

At the southern pole of the world, there is no ice. Instead, the wayward mariner will find themselves in a place like no other, a place at once wondrous and deadly. Here, the ocean depths are warmed to the temperature of blood by rampant geothermal activity at the ocean's floor.

A profusion of plankton blooms, masses of corals, kelps and schools gigantic sea-life mark the edges of this tumultuous part of the southern seas, thriving in the abundant warmth at the fringe. As one pushes further, however, the ocean floor is broken by the mouths of great geysers so hot that they boil the seas above,heating the atmosphere, and often spawning massive typhoons. Ships that don't mysteriously fall beneath the boiling surface are torn apart by the savagery of the winds these storms generate, but those that withstand those hazards are devoured by something worse. This part of the ocean is known as the Boiling Seas, and it is home to the Deepfiend brood.

Experienced mariners avoid the seas over the southern pole, as the ship-dashing geysers are simply too unpredictable, but worse are the denizens of the deepest waters of that region, the devils of the depths. With eyes huge and pallid, like baleful lamps above wide fishlike mouths crowded with thin needle like teeth, the Deepfiend spends most of its time deep beneath the waves in a midnight world of pressure and heat, feeding on the giant sea-creatures of the region, but it is when it ventures to the surface, or beyond, that is when these dragons become even more fearsome yet.

At the height of the great typhoons that tear the turbulent surface of the region, the Deepfiend rises to the surface to wreak its terror, and though it has no wings, the beasts' innate magic is made evident as they take to the skies and fly through the air as easily as they navigate the depths below. They seem to delight in cavorting amongst the towering blasts of the savage geysers that spring forth from the Boiling Seas.

Even when no storm rages, the Deepfiend still bring woe to the lost mariner, unfortunate enough to intrude upon their domain. Lurking just beneath the darkened seas, this dragon will illuminate the lure at the end of a whip like spine, drifting along to entice foolish sailors deep into their realm before scalding the flesh from their hapless bones with their superheated breath. The Deepfiend do this seemingly for sport, as they don't eat the crews or destroy the ships to hoard their treasure. Instead they leave the skeletal remains, stripped of their flesh, to drift with their ships into the sargasso of reef and kelp at the Boiling Seas' perimeter.

Pirates and looters from the Island Empire, known to strip these derelicts for their booty, have reported seeing pale comets of light swirling in stormier skies. It is believed that these are the Deepfiend, riding the distant storm winds. Still none but the very stupid or the very brave will ever know for sure.

## Tips

Lay a trap - Torrent Breath carries a chance to reduce the target's damage output. Use this while backing off to reduce their threat, then give them a taste of your Sea Geyser!

Stay on the move - The Deepfiend is a sinuous and slippery wyrm! be like water, keep moving and your enemies will have a harder time hitting you. Pair with Doom Shards or Hammer of Sul for a very nice compliment to Torrent Breath and Geyser.

## Skins

Dragons
Arcfury • Autodrake • Bilebite • Bladeforge • Blood Thief • Bogwraith • Briartove • **Deepfiend** • Direbone • Dragokin • Dreadnaught • Frostbane • Gemtalon • Goldenclaw • Gravelurker • Heartstone • Hellfire • Icemaul • Imperial • Lunaveil • Magmascale • Mistfallow • Netherdrake • Nightmare • Novastar • Noxwing • Quetzalcoatl • Rimrock • Ryujin • Seastark • Solreign • Spineback • Spinereaver • Stonepeak • Tanglewing • The dark One • Twinscale • Venomtail • Wardhammer • Wyrm-Mk1