Lore
Now, when you think of the Water Flight, you think of the ocean, right? Or a river, or a lake, or some crashing waterfall? But an aquatic ecosystem is not just confined to those simple things! No, it is far greater and larger than you could ever imagine. Let's sit down for a quick lesson. When it rains, the water slides down something called a watershed, all the way into the sea. Sometimes it'll hit rivers or just travel in sheets, but most of the time, it'll hit bogs along the way, where the water and nutrients are filtered before they reach the open ocean.
These swamps, as gross and murky as they seem, are entirely necessary for life as we know it. Though, as fascinating as they are, you're here for the stories, aren't you? The creepy-crawly denizens of the deep peat and mud-- the Swamp Things? Ah, we'll get into that in just a moment. They tend to be a little shy around new people at first. So, come, enjoy the mangroves and the turbid waters while I tell you about them.
Biology
Let's face it: they're gross. With skin that excretes protective slime and clear bellies full of purple bile, they're not the most charming dragons to exist-- but it all serves a purpose for survival. See, that slime they excrete is much like the mucus that a frog wears over its skin to keep it from drying out and to make it slippery for predators. As a bonus, it also keeps them nice and dry, even after a long swim. Their skin bears a python-like pattern for the sake of camouflage.
Their purple bile also has an interesting story. Like glass-belly tree frogs of tropical rain forests, the translucent skin over their stomachs and throat reveal their innards, particularly their digestive tract. See, they have a symbiotic relationship with a particular bacteria that inhabits that specific area of their bodies. It breaks down and processes the filthy, disease-ridden food of the swamp and filters the equally dangerous water. It just so happens that large concentrations of the bacterium species turns their bile purple, much like how algae turns water green. Important to note, though, is that this bile is also venomous to non-Things, and can be spit up upon command.
Behavior
Swamp Things are a sneaky bunch, choosing to blend in with the swamp or hide underwater until their prey come by. They aren't really a type that like to fly-- not that they can, being a Bogsneak subspecies, though they hardly ever glide, either. Instead, they choose to use their wings to pivot below the surface of the swamp water or mesmerize prey with the patterns on them. Normally, they live in mated pairs and families, though it's not uncommon to see groups of adolescents living together once they have left the nest, but are still too young to find their own mates.
Once those adolescents mature, the most capable Things will attempt to court their choice of mate with some display of prowess: hunting, wit, or creativity. If successful, they and their mate will find a spot to nest. If eggs are hatched, the hatchlings are allowed to stay until they can hunt for themselves. These adolescents then form their own groups and the cycle continues. As for orphaned Things, they are often adopted by same-sex mated pairs, so a child is rarely without family.
Variants
There are two broad categories of Swamp Things:
Camouflage and
Warning. Within these are subcategories, detailed like so.
Camouflage variants tend to do what they must to blend in. Whether they are the color of healthy foliage or the murky mud does not matter to them. They lay in wait like what is famous for Things, then strike when the time is right!
Subcategories of Camouflage Swamp Things include:
-Shadowscale (Midnight-Plum Python/Midnight-Plum Morph/Purple-range Capsule)
-Leafguard (Green-range Python/Green-range Morph/Purple-range Capsule)
-Mudbottom (Stone-Copper Python/Stone-Copper Morph/Purple-range Capsule)
