Egil's Vipers

A huge, poisonous, predatory serpent. Ëgil's Viper is one of the strangest hazards of the plain of Talath Harroch, south of Mirkwood. It is said that these remarkable snakes were driven out of other areas of Rhovanion into the Talath Harroch, but this seems unlikely at best. In any case, the serpents are there, preying upon eggs, rodents, young animals, and (in the case of the largest Vipers) Men and Kine. Of a yellowish-brown color that blends well with the soil of the area, and with the grasses of the plain in dry seasons and in the autumn, Ëgil's Viper hunts in the late afternoon or early evening. It may spit its venom into a victim's eyes from a distance up to thirty feet, or it may bite and inject the venom in the normal manner of most snakes. The Viper's fangs reach up to three inches in length and can penetrate leather and, in some cases, even chain armor.