Whale Crab
| Whale Crab | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fauna | |
| Official Name | Whale Crab |
| Common Nicknames | Deep Sea Crustacean, Titan Lobster |
| Classification | Fish |
| Habitat | Various oceans |
| Domesticated | No |
| Current Status | Rare |
The Whale Crab, which is better classified as a lobster, is a deep-sea dwelling monstrosity many times the size of any person in Aloria. Long considered more of a folktale than real, modern encounters with the creature have proved their existence and their threat to unprepared ships. While they do not actively hunt, their large size makes them hazardous when they approach the surface of the water, and will defend themselves from hunting attempts by Mages and other exotic game seekers.
History
The Whale Crab dates back to the dawn of the Elven peoples, when the Fin’ullen spoke of many beasts of the sea, including descriptions that could only match this crustacean. Reports of encounters and hunts of the great creatures appeared infrequently over the millennia of the Allorn Empire’s reign over Aloria, but it was only after the Cataclysm that the Ailor truly encountered these creatures. In 39 AC, a trading fleet between Westwynd and Corontium was devastated when a pod of Whale Crabs suddenly surfaced among their number, destroying half of the ships. A decade later, Ithanian vessels encountered a beached juvenile Whale Crab which had been mauled by some undersea creature, who shortly thereafter expired on the Westwynd coastline. Reports have continued to steadily trickle in, once every decade or so, in the many years since the Cataclysm, with the expansion of the Regalian Empire’s trading routes seeing a high number of possible sightings, and the gleam of what might be armored backsides in the water, also taking place. Even so, the Whale Crab is often disbelieved by non-naval people, or if a landlubber does believe, they consider the tales told to them to be exaggerations. Still, the animal swims in through the oceans of the Aloria, and will remain a threat to unaware ships even in the safest waters.
Physical Appearance
Whale Crabs have rarely been observed in their physical entirety, nor at a fully mature age, for more than a few moments if not minutes. As a result, there is little concrete information on Whale Crabs. The species is thought to vary from between twenty and forty feet long, with a head featuring two recessed eye stalks holding gleaming black eyes, in addition to four antennas, each around three feet long. This head points downward, and emerges from a large, circular, central body plate, from which the animal’s two massive claws, and three to five pairs of segmented, pointed legs emerge. Emerging from the back of the creature though, is a heavily armored, segmented tail with a broad end, similar to that of non-crab crustaceans. However, this tail appears fairly immovable, if not fused in place when compared with motions capable by smaller species. Whale Crab carapaces have generally displayed an absence of notable colorations, with shades of gray seeming most common alongside black and extremely dark red. However, the species’ underside possesses what is known as the Splatter Pattern, a multi-colored and varied in appearance shape that appears to be bioluminescent, though why it only appears on their underside is unclear.
Diversity
Whale Crab diversity is incredibly difficult to study due to the only handful of detailed encounters Aloria’s many peoples have had with them. However, there are several theories. It is believed that juvenile Whale Crabs have less limbs than adults but this may also be due to injuries sustained in the ocean’s depths, and do not reflect a metamorphosis with age. Female Whale Crabs are also believed to be larger than males, but further knowledge is stymied by the incredible depths these creatures live at.
Life Span and Development
Whale Crabs have an uncertain lifespan or development cycle deep within the seas. It is known they mature with age, as juveniles have been seen with less limbs, smaller claws, and more flexible tails (at least compared with those of adults). How they spawn is unclear, but some have noted uneven blobs or bulges on the large bodies of what are likely adults, suggesting that some juveniles perhaps attach themselves to an adult Whale Crab for a period of time, likely feeding on their meals and gaining protection at some critical stage of their development. The only Whale Crab seen twice, able to be identified by their Splatter Pattern by Fin’ullen divers, as a specimen they called The Armorer. Its two sights were in 103 AC and 310 AC, and it appeared the same size in both instances, suggesting that Whale Crabs can at least live to be over 200 years old.
Mental Overview
Why Whale Crabs suddenly surface in their so-called “pods” is unclear, nor are any of their other activities deep under the sea. It is theorized however, that when a pod surfaces, it is an emergency, last-ditch escape effort engaged in by the creatures fleeing some undersea disturbance, be it a significant predator, or an event like the shifting of Aloria’s subterranean plates. Others believe it is a compulsion of the species’ biology, like a sneeze, but often more damaging since they crash up and among ships. Some theorize that Whale Crabs purposefully target these ships, incorrectly assuming them to be islands or some form of landmass, but others think the creatures actively do it on purpose. There are many conspiratorial beliefs about the deepest depths of the oceans, and the role Whale Crabs might fulfill in such a chain of life, but none of this is confirmed. What is certain is that once they have surfaces, they do not remain in shallow water for very long, often diving back down deep within minutes of first breaking the ocean’s surface. They will not actively seek to attack any nearby vessels or people, but will react violently if approached or knocked into. For these reasons, many swimmers, divers and ships will immediately retreat should a Whale Crab surface, leaving any destroyed ships behind to sink, and their sailors to drown or fall prey to the ocean’s dangers.
Territory and Groupings
Whale Crabs live in the depths of Aloria’s oceans, far out of any natural light of the surface. They appear to cluster in pods, perhaps made up of family units, numbering anywhere from ten to twenty individuals, often of all different sizes. They have been seen in seas near and far to Corontium, and are believed to be ubiquitous with the world’s oceans as a result.
Trivia
- A great prize for a Fin’ullen mercenary captain in 212 AC was the successful slicing off of a Whale Crab’s claw, the creature retreating into the depths shortly after. Preserved, and decorated, it remains a cherished symbol of his family’s power to this day.
- Some have suggested that Whale Crab activities “increasing” after the Cataclysm corresponds to the extinction of the Deep Sea Serpent in waters outside of Hadar, perhaps lightening the load such a formidable predator might have once imparted.
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