Sleeperjaw

The Sleeperjaw's anatomy and physiology are essentially identical to that of the Marsh Alligator except for one notable difference which will be discussed shortly. The creature is reptilian, with a large set of jaws designed to grab prey and hold it firmly. It has a long, muscular tail whose length is almost half of the total body length. This tail is used mainly to propel the Sleeperjaw through the water when swimming. The Sleeperjaw has four short legs which attach to the sides of its body, extend outward, and bend at a joint toward the ground; each segment of the limb is between 6 and 12 inches long. These limbs end in four thick, stubby appendages with long, sharp talon-like claws. These can be used to tear at prey struggling while being held underwater.

The unique feature of the Sleeperjaw is the presence of an extra, highly specialized "tooth" at the front center of its lower jaw. This tooth is hollow, and is normally retracted back into the mouth and under the creatures tongue. It is hinged, however, and can be flipped forward to extend beyond the edge of the jaw at a slightly upward angle.

This hollow tooth, called by some a "jet tooth", is connected to a special poison gland farther back in the lower jaw of the creature. The Sleeperjaw is capable of delivering a rapid, focused stream of this poison at a target up to at least 10, but not more than 15 feet away. This poison is not fatal in and of itself, but it is capable of sufficiently debilitating a victim so as to render it unable to fight off the Sleeperjaw. (See further information on Sleeperjaw Muddle (or the Ten Minute Bender) for information on the effects of this venom.)

Nothing definitive is known about the reproductive habits of the Sleeperjaw as the expedition specimens have not yet reached breeding age. If the Marsh Alligator is used as a model, they are expected to begin breeding at about 10 years of age.

It is commonly speculated that the many similarities between Sleeperjaw and Marsh Alligator suggest that the former may be a relatively recent mutation of the latter. Whether that mutation is of natural, divine, or arcane cause is unknown and currently beyond reasoned speculation.

Caralos Kronwyn has stated that he intends to experiment with cross-breeding the Sleeperjaw with Marsh Alligators. While it is not yet known if such breeding will produce offspring, Kronwyn states that the results may provide insight into the origin of the Sleeperjaw.

Thanks to the study of Caralos Kronwynn, it is conjectured that the Sleeperjaw exhibits the same growth rates and lifecycle stages as the more common Marsh Alligator. It should be noted that the specimens returned by the expedition were approximately three feet long; a Marsh Alligator of that size would be approximately three years old. In the two years since their acquisition, they have grown another two feet - again a growth rate that parallels that of the Marsh Alligator.

Assuming that the two creatures do in fact have equivalent growth rates, it is estimated that the Sleeperjaw should grow from hatchling to typical "full adult" size of approximately 12 feet in length in about 10 to 12 years.

It is also possible speculated that the creatures do not every stop growing, though their growth rate would slow after reaching full adult stage. Adventurers have reported observing specimens as large as 18 to 20 feet in length, though such reports are generally presumed to be somewhat exaggerated.

The Sleeperjaw has only been known to exist for five years, so study of the creature has been limited. While it is commonly acceptable to say that the creature is exclusive to the Lizard Fens, one expedition that attempted to determine the creature's range more specifically reported that it can only be found in the westernmost regions of the Fens. Given its superiority to the common Marsh Alligator as a hunter, the sage Caralos Kronwyn, who sponsored the study, has speculated that the species has only recently emerged. he predicts that its range will eventually encompass the entire fen, possibly at the cost of local extinction of the Marsh Alligator.

The Sleeperjaw is a pure carnivore. It will eat any animal prey it can take, but it prefers larger specimens whenever possible. Sleeperjaws have been known to take prey that are at least as large as they are, and are capable of consuming a remarkable quantity of such a carcass.

A large Sleeperjaw can easily capture and consume several animals the size of common beavers or bear cubs, or a single creature as large as a forest bear, deer, or even a similarly sized alligator. While they have no qualms about hunting and consuming these latter "cousins", they are not known to be cannibalistic. The creature prefers to hunt and eat until it is fully sated; it will then return to its den and quietly digest its meal for up to a week before feeding again.

The creature has been observed to use two modes of hunting, both of which involve stealth - and of course, its venom. In the first method, the Sleeperjaw's ability to remain submerged for up to two hours at a time allows it to simply lie in wait in a fen pool within a few feet of a point where land animals approach the pool to drink. The venom tooth is then used to spray the prey with venom, allowing the Sleeperjaw to leave the pool at leisure and collect its meal.

The second method is used when hunting common alligators sunning themselves on rocks and pool shorelines during the heat of the day. The Sleeperjaw approaches submerged and silently until close enough to use its venom. Once again, after a successful venom delivery, the prey is easy to collect.

Regardless of the method used to collect its debilitated prey, the Sleeperjaw completes the hunt by holding the creature firmly in its jaws and submerging until the prey drowns. If the prey struggles excessively (rare due to the venom), the Sleeperjaw has been reported to be capable of the "death roll" behavior displayed by common Marsh Alligators. Even the alligators - creatures which also can stay submerged for long periods normally - succumb to this technique because of the venom effects.

While the Lizard Fens in which the Sleeperjaw does not experience a truly tropical climate, winters are not cold enough to force the Sleeperjaw to hibernate as some other freshwater Alligator species do in other parts of Cartyrion. They remain active year-round. They are, however, susceptible to cold, their activity levels seem to drop off during the coolest parts of the year.

Like most reptiles, the Sleeperjaw does need to shed its scaly skin in order to grow, but unlike most snakes, it does not do so all at once. Instead, individual plates of armor-like scales will shed, leaving larger, but initially softer such scales that formed underneath. (The Lizardfolk are known to fashion armor from the places of Marsh Alligators and Sleeperjaws.)

A limited number of juvenile specimens were captured for study by the Kronwyn Expedition, but it is not anticipated that the Sleeperjaw will be capable of being domesticated.

The venom produced by the Sleeperjaw and used in its hunting can be collected for a brief period after the capture and killing of a specimen. This venom, which produces a relatively short-termed clumsiness and stupor in its victims (enough to render them easier to catch and kill), does not have any recognized medicinal purposes at this time.

The venom has been collected by adventurers and used as part of practical jokes on companions and others to induce the Ten Minute Drunk) effect. There are also rumors that alchemists have devised a method of converting the venom to powder form, which certain rogues have used to debilitate guards during criminal activity.