Cloud serpent

For the mob in Thousand Needles, see Cloud Serpent.

Cloud serpents are Beasts native to the region of Pandaria.

Background

The origin of the cloud serpents are unknown. They are however not related to the Dragon Aspects or their flights. According to Loh-Ki an otherworldly storm was summoned by Lei Shen, the Thunder King, in his final moments, and blanketed the Vale of Eternal Blossoms with rainfall and struck jagged spears of lightning into the hills. With its final breath, the storm struck the center of the lake, igniting the very water itself. The lake burned with a crimson hue for many days. When the blaze subsided, a cloud serpent hatchling could be seen flying around the center of the lake. Its scales sparked with storm and fire, and where it flew, great clouds formed in the sky. The pandaren named it Alani, the Stormborn.

Thousands of years ago, the cloud serpents were feared as monsters and wild animals, both cunning and dangerous. During the Zandalari Troll Wars, just after the founding of the Pandaren Empire, a young girl named Jiang took a small cloud serpent in to her care. The Zandalari numbers were vast, and their bat riders fought in such a way the pandaren had no counter to. Jiang and her cloud serpent friend however swooped in, plucking the Zandalari from the bridge and striking down their bat riders. The war would still take many months to win, but this was the turning point. Soon Ji was training other pandaren how to ride as she did, upon the backs of other serpents. From that day forward, the serpent became a symbol of hope to the pandaren people, and the Order of the Cloud Serpent was founded.

Cloud serpent eggs are rare and look like jewels, and were once worth their weight in solid gold. The serpents are known to lay their eggs in nests at only two places in Pandaria: on the beach of Shan'ze Dao off the coast of Townlong Steppes, where the local wood sprites are known to steal them whenever they can, and on Windward Isle, off the east coast of the Jade Forest.

The wild cloud serpents live in a delicate balance with nature. Their rare eggs are quite vulnerable to enemies. Recently the nests of the Jade Forest have come under attack by the Slitherscale saurok. At first, the Slitherscale were too frightened to approach the wild serpents. Soon however they began snatching the eggs under the cover of night. Now, they are slaughtering adults and hatchlings alike and eating their eggs for dinner. Onyx serpents are born with violet scales covering their body. Over time, these scales darken to the color of onyx.

Azure Cloud Serpents are believed by the Pandaren to be harbingers of good fortune.

Types

•  Azure Serpent
•  Cloudrunner Hatchling
•  Crimsonscale Firestorm
•  Playful Azure Serpent
•  Playful Crimson Serpent
•  Playful Emerald Serpent
•  Playful Gold Serpent
•  Shan'ze Cloudrider
•  Shan'ze Cloudrunner
•  Subjugated Serpent
•  Tamed Serpent
•  War Serpent
•  Wild Cloudrunner
•  Windward Hatchling
•  Windward Matriarch
•  Young Cloud Serpent

Notable

•   Agara the Red
•   Alani <The Stormborn>
•   Arenji
•   Cinder
•   Hei Feng
•   Huolon <The Black Wind>
•   Hyacinth
•   Li Ying
•   Milau
•   Mishi
•   Nalak <The Storm Lord> (world boss)
•  Onyx Stormclaw
•   Steel
•   Sun
•   Tsulong
•   Yu'lon <The Jade Serpent>
•   Zhao-Ren

As a mount

Main article: Cloud serpent mounts

You can raise your own by doing 20 days of daily quests (similar to the Winterspring Frostsaber and the Venomhide Ravasaur).. Consult the Order of the Cloud Serpent for the quest chain and daily quests.

As a companion pet

You need to be exalted with the Order of the Cloud Serpent to be able to start catching Wild Crimson Hatchling, Wild Jade Hatchling and the Wild Golden Hatchling. The  [Thundering Serpent Hatchling] is unlocked by completing  [Challenge Conquerors: Gold - Guild Edition], and may then be bought from the guild vendor.

Notes

• These creatures are also called storm dragons by the quest Quest:The Fall of Shan Bu. It's the only known place they're called that.

Trivia

The Cloud serpent appearance is based on the look of Chinese dragons.

Patch changes

• Template:Patch 5.0.1