Koma

Koma's History

Koma is the Cosmos Serpent of Kaldheim. Koma is the first of the Cosmos Monsters. Created at the birth of the world, dwelling in the void between the realms, his true size is unknown because he can divide himself into multiple smaller segments that move independently around the World Tree. All Elves on Kaldheim share a reverence for Koma, and many elves wear clothing that reflects that reverence—from hair braided to look like scales to woven designs and actual snakeskin. Tyvar Kell's serpentine tattoos are also a reference to the Cosmos Serpent, symbolizing its fangs and the ability to spring forward and strike.

Most of the Cosmos monsters are free to enter any realm. But when the Skoti overthrew the Einir gods, they also prohibited the Cosmos Serpent they revered from entering any of the realms. Perhaps they were afraid that Koma would enter Skemfar and free the imprisoned Einir, or maybe they feared that the immense serpent would eventually grow large enough that no realm could contain him. In any case, the elves, who continue to worship Koma, believe that his banishment harms the World Tree. Restless outside the realms, Koma's agitation is destabilizing the tree, causing a dangerous increase in Doomskars. The elves believe that unless the Cosmos Serpent is free to roam the realms, the World Tree will surely die, and all the realms with it.

In ancient times the Serpent roamed freely and drank deeply from the ancient arcane energy of Skemfar. He left a vast network of tunnels (The Serpent Tunnels) in his wake, and both wood and shadow elves consider these passageways to be sacred spaces. The elves tend the tunnels faithfully, believing that the Cosmos Serpent will one day use them to return to Skemfar.

The Kannah leader Fynn is renowned as the only human who has ever managed to wound Koma. When Fynn stabbed the beast, the great serpent's poisonous blood splashed on him and was absorbed into his body—but rather than killing him, it turned his blood to poison as well.

In Starnheim, the planeswalker Tibalt used the Sword of the Realms and opened an Omenpath for Koma to enter the realm and spread destruction, as part of his plan to spread chaos across the Kaldheim realms. The Serpent was repelled from Starnheim by the Valkyries with the help of the planeswalker Niko Aris. After leaving Starnheim, Koma went to Bretagard, the center of the Doomskar started by Tibalt. Koma was responsible for closing the Omenpath that connected the realms of Bretagard and Karfell, in the process the serpent ended up destroying several Dread Marn draugr.