Cloud serpent

For the mob in Thousand Needles, see Cloud Serpent.

Cloud serpents are dragons native to 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.

File:Chronicle2.jpg

A pandaren on a cloud serpent battling a Zandalari troll on a devilsaur.

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.

Types

•  Azure Serpent
•  Azure Hatchling
•  Cloudrunner Hatchling
•  Crimsonscale Firestorm
•  Golden Hatchling
•  Jade Hatchling
•  Misguided Serpent
•  Onyx Stormclaw
•  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
•  Wild Onyx Serpent
•  Windward Hatchling
•  Windward Matriarch
•  Windward Viper
•  Young Cloud Serpent

Notable

•   Agara the Red
•   Alani <The Stormborn>
•   Arenji
•   Cinder
•   Hei Feng
•   Huolon <The Black Wind>
•   Hyacinth
•   Knowledge
•   Li Ying
•   Megaera <Terror of the Deeps>
•   Milau
•   Mishi
•   Nalak <The Storm Lord>
•   Rel'ara <The Sudden Shadow>
•   Steel
•   Stormlash
•   Sun
•   Tsulong
•   Yu'la, Broodling of Yu'lon
•   Yu'lon <The Jade Serpent>
•   Zhao-Ren

Breeds

• Crimson Cloud Serpents are given to flights of fancy, striking out on a whim for seemingly random journeys, sometimes for days at a time.
• Jade Cloud Serpents are light and agile; quick and deadly.
• Azure Cloud Serpents are believed by the Pandaren to be harbingers of good fortune.
• Golden Cloud Serpents are a treasure to be enjoyed by all who visit the continent of Pandaria.
• Onyx Cloud serpents are known to be more aggressive and daring than their cousins, the Heavenly Onyx Cloud Serpents.

Thundering

• From their infancy, Thundering Cloud Serpents are drawn to storms. They have been known to chase lightning through the blackened, roiling clouds, and to bathe in the pouring rain.
• The thundering onyx serpent is a lightning-wreathed vision of such rarity as to have driven many mortals to madness.
• The thundering cobalt serpent is a descendant of the irascible Nalak. Lightning erupts from its scales and arcs over the saddle.

Heavenly

• Heavenly Onyx Cloud Serpents are born with violet scales covering the entirety of their body. Over time, these scales darken to the color of onyx.
• Heavenly Crimson Cloud Serpents are considered to be among the noblest of dragons.
• Warmth and hope emanate from the heavenly golden serpent, which glows like a sunrise over the mountains.

Arena mounts

• The brilliantly colored Grievous Gladiator's Cloud Serpents have scales that are a mixture of ruby, gold, and nearly violet.
• The Malevolent Gladiator's Cloud Serpents have scales that... are the color of clouds, actually.
• The Tyrannical Gladiator's Cloud Serpents always look elegant and slim in classic black.
• The brilliantly colored Prideful Gladiator's Cloud Serpents have scales that range from gold to pink. Or we could call it coral.

Unobtainable cloud serpents

• Warmth and serenity emanate from the Heavenly Azure Cloud Serpent, which glows like the cloudless sky of a summer afternoon.
• Warmth and wisdom emanate from the Heavenly Jade Cloud Serpent, which glows like moonlight passing through the finest jade.

As a mount

Main article: Cloud serpent mounts

In Mists of Pandaria, a large amount of different cloud serpent mounts are available through a variety of different methods. Originally all of these mounts required [Cloud Serpent Riding], obtained by reaching Exalted and completing the questchain for the Order of the Cloud Serpent; this requirement was eventually removed in Patch 6.0.1.

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, all found in the area around the Arboretum.
• The  [Thundering Serpent Hatchling] is unlocked by completing  [Challenge Conquerors: Gold - Guild Edition], and may then be bought from the guild vendor. With the release of Patch 6.0.1, this pet is no longer obtainable in the game.
• The  [Mechanical Pandaren Dragonling] can be crafted by Engineers.
• Yu'la, Broodling of Yu'lon is available from the Celestial Tournament.

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.
• While during most of Mists of Pandaria these creatures were labeled as dragonkin, many were later changed to beasts for an unknown reason. The baby versions of these creatures used as battle pets are still labeled as dragonkin.

Trivia

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

Gallery

• 

  Concept art.

• 

  Cloud serpents above the pandaren empire.

• 

  Cloud serpents in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

Patch changes

• Template:Patch 5.0.1