Yuais

The Yuais (pronounced Yoo-aye) is a unique, serpentine monster living in the Kiedra region of the Moga Continent. The monster is renowned for its method of movement and its two huge hornlike projections in the front of its mouth. Its monster type is Snake Wyvern in some places, and Leviathan in others; it is taxonomically confusing.

Habitat
It lives in the Kiedra region in the north of the Moga Continent, where it thrives in the winter months. Due to Kiedra's climate habits -- a hugely long winter with a two-month-long summer and one-month-long spring -- this creature can thrive in the winter, where it collects food, mates, and prepares a territorial den, and hibernate in the summer, when it will wait until late summer to begin raising its hatchlings and sleeps most of the rest of the season.

Life Cycle
The life cycle of a Yuais begins when it is hatched in late summer, in a den located in either a dug hole or a relatively large cave. It will eat what its mother brings it for one year, and as soon as its siblings are hatched in the next year, it will leave its mother's side. The cycle will then repeat.

Mating season occurs in the dead of winter, when most predators are gone and the Yuais have had time to gather massive amounts of blubbery fat upon their bodies, allowing them to survive for weeks at a time without eating very large meals.

Males will fight one another by charging and swinging their huge tusks at their enemy. The first Yuais to get stuck in a boulder or otherwise disabled is the loser, and if still living, must find a different mate or a completely new territory.

Niche
The Yuais is not an apex predator, and primarily feeds on Popo, Antika, and Giggi in the winter, with bigger prey occasionally including Great Baggi, Gigginox, and Barioth. It will typically, however, only pursue larger prey during the beginning of the active season, and then only when convenient.

It is preyed upon by Great Baggi, Gigginox, Barioth, Deviljho, Brachydios, Silver Rathalos, Rathalos, Gold Rathian, Rathian, and many other large monsters when it is young, but by very few of these when it's an adult. This is due to the difficulty in catching the beast, and difficulty in finding a way to actually kill it. However, its body design is quite bulky and not agile, so it is difficult for the Yuais to fight back against flying or agile monsters.

In-depth
The Yuais is well-known for its unique method of transportation; when traversing sizable distances or attempting to very quickly escape, it will coil like a snake or an inchworm and shoot forwards, sliding for massive distances very quickly. It can propel itself continually using its hind and front legs, and will do so in order to quickly get away from enemies or cross frozen lakes or rivers. To turn, it rotates its head and body so that it will ride the ice like a railway towards that destination.

It eats sizable Popo whenever it can find them, and other prey when efficient; to capture these enemies, it will employ a unique hiding strategy. It will dig itself into the snow, leaving only its eyes visible, and let snow and ice cover it. When it detects prey nearby its mouth, it will watch its quarry carefully until it is within killing distance, at which point it will launch forwards to decapitate its prey with its horns. The Yuais then eats and repeats the process until entirely satisfied.

Guild Notability
The Guild recognizes the Yuais as a huntable monster. Its guild description is as follows:

Yuais ☆☆☆☆☆ Snake Wyvern A strange, long creature with elongated, forward-pointing teeth. Eats small herbivores and occasionally large carnivores when given the chance. Incredibly aggressive.

Behavior Patterns
The Yuais is incredibly aggressive to other Yuais outside of the mating season, and other beings in general. It takes a special hatred to Hunters, due to the color of hunters' armor and weapons. This can make it grow very upset and enter rage mode early.

The Yuais can and will lodge itself in boulders during huge tirades, and when this happen, it can accidentally break a tusk or even cause its own accidental death.

Dolgo Rezilo
Attack:450 Elem: 300 ICE Sharpness: Blue A long blade resembling a sharp ice skid. Used in Kiedra as both a weapon and a tool.

Tezka Rezilo
Attack:920 Elem: 400 ICE Sharpness: White Affinity: 30% Heavy, hard to wield, and cumbersome, but it'll slice anything from glaciers to monsters in half.

Twin Glaciers
Attack: 354 Elem: 300 ICE Sharpness: White Affinity: 50% Though these ice and mining picks were not popular with the workers, hunters have adapted these heavy shaping tools into weaponry.

Hladno Iglo
Attack: 500 Elem: 340 ICE Sharpness: Blue Affinity: 45% A traditional weapon of the Kiedra Guard, this lance is adapted to be stabbed and then swung.

Ogenj Iglo
Attack: 520 Elem: 300 ICE Sharpness: Blue Affinity: -1% A supposed improvement over the traditional guard's weapon, this lance possesses a flamethrower and metallic cannon.

Tetiva Lok
Attack: 300 Elem: 160 ICE Ark Shot: Wide Affinity: 10% Granted only to trained, dedicated professional Kie soldiers, this bow possesses a might seldom seen in bows.

Pozar Vodi
Attack: 300 Rapid Fire Shield Light Bowgun A gun granted to all new Kie recruits and oft exported to developing nations. It features rapid fire and is excellent for city and settlement alike.

Kiedran Hunter Defense System (KHDS)
Attack: 500 Elem: 200 ICE Sharpness: White Affinity: 25% A unique Kiedran import, designed specifically for hunter use. It's the default weapon given to new hunters in the Kiedra region.

Kie's Uniform
The Kie's Uniform is distinctive for its military-style look when fully equipped. As usual, it features all five parts.

The helmet is a war helmet, with a fur face and neck protector underneath. This conceals the user's facial features and warms their neck and head area, while providing protection from many elemental and biological attacks.

The chestpiece is a leather jerkin with an overcoat of metal and Yuais shell, and a layered Yuais skin cover. Adorining it is five grenade holders, a weapon holster on the back, three pockets, a zipper, and a shoulder strap for carrying various items.

The arms are two long sleeves, each one rolled up slightly and braced with a metal wrist. Yuais shell covers the outsides of the arms, the most commonly contacted area, while a set of tight-fitting Yuais-leather gloves allows the wielder to carefully hold and aim their weapon.

The belt is a utility belt with the hunter's pouch and storage for several items for the average Kie soldier on it. It also possesses a cape in the back and several strips of Yuais leather-shell mixes protect the front of the user's legs.

The legs are almost entirely made of Yuais shell, with the back and inside of the legs made with carefully tanned Yuais leather. This ensures warmth and freedom of movement.

Defense: 200 Elements: Ice 10 Water 5 Thunder 5 Fire 0 Dragon 4 Skills: -Attack Up+ -Endurance -Agility -Negate Poison

Freezer Gear
This is what explorers in the Kiedra region use. It's made entirely out of Yuais leather and Barioth shell, and camouflages the wearer against both the Kiedra winter landscape and summer trees.

The headpiece is a facial mask and soft helmet with a vizor.

The chestpiece is made of layered Barioth shell with an inner material mesh of woven Yuais leather.

The arms are composed of the same basic ingredients, but also includes a pair of long gloves made from sinew.

The belt is an advancement of the Kie Gear belt, with less storage but giving a much better long-term warmth preservation advantage.

Finally, the legs are formed from single pieces of Barioth shell that are held together by woven Yuais leather.

Defense: 150 Elements: Ice 10 Water 8 Thunder 6 Fire -6 Dragon -8 Skills: -FreeElem -Outdoorsman -Never Cold -Negate Snowman

Snow Ranger's Garb
Given to Kie archers and gunners, this garb possesses a certain snowy flair that isn't typically found in other Kie equipment.

Defense: 120 Elements: Ice 10 Water 10 Thunder 10 Fire 5 Dragon 5 Skills: -Ammo Up+ -Bombardier -Never Cold -Sharpshooter