Deadly Water Creatures!

Hello there fellow forumites! Seeing as a lot of the writing I do takes place in and around the Jewel River, I've noticed that there seems to be a real shortage of aquatic creatures in the wiki, most notably, ones that are dangerous to a giant-sized predator. There's the Kraken Caelias, Crystal Dragons maybe... and probably a couple others I'm missing, but considering all the deadly creatures of the land, mermaids seem to have it easy. So in the interest of making Mina's life a little more difficult, I'm calling upon the creative minds of this forum to help come up with some interesting, deadly creatures of the water. I'm not all that good at creature creation, but I'll start off with a couple of random ideas anyway, just to get the ball rolling.

If there's another topic like this one buried somewhere on the forum, sorry, but I'm just to lazy to dig it up and resurrect it. Plus, we all know necromancy doesn't work in Felarya anyway.

Note:
I'm generally thinking of non-tauric creatures here, (which is were the real shortage seems to be) but anything is welcome I suppose.


Titan Anemone
Sometimes referred to as the 'Hydra Tree of the ocean', the Titan Anemone is a gargantuan creature the size of a small mountain, their exceptionally long, translucent tendrils stretching out for nearly a mile in some cases, blindly searching for prey. These tendrils are both sticky, and coated in a mild paralytic venom, powerful enough to immobile a larger creature long enough to pull them in and devour them. Ironically, due to the extreme length of these tentacles, there are numerous cases where a Mermaid or Chlaena actually recovered from the venom and pulled herself loose before she reached the creature's mouth!

While human-sized prey are generally ignored by Titan Anemones, their venom can be lethal to small creature who brush against its tendrils, and they have been know to sink small ships on occasion, when their tendrils wander near the surface. While the vessel is ultimately spit out as inedible, this is little consolation to the stranded sailors.


Lacolith
One of the larger known aquatic creatures, the Lacolith appears as some kind of bizarre hybrid of fish and invertebrate, with a head vaguely resembling that of an angler fish, and the rest of the body looking somewhere between a slug and a centipede. Their elongated bodies are estimated to reach over 600 feet long in some cases, and their mouth is fully capable of swallowing a 100-foot mermaid whole. They usually lurk in riverbeds and sometimes exceptionally huge lakes.

Lacoliths are pure ambush predators, their skin gradually changes to blend in with the environment through a method that is not well understood. (for example, a Lacolith residing in the Jewel River will begin to actually grow superficial crystals on it's skin!) When prospective prey gets too close to its head, the Lacolith will open its mouth suddenly, producing a brief, but almost irresistible current, sucking the unlucky creature right into its mouth.

Lacoliths do not swim, and in fact possess very slow metabolisms, their usual movements consisting of creeping along the riverbed at a pace of only a few feet an hour. They can, though rarely do, travel across land, amazingly able to hold their breath for several months if necessary.

Some rumors speculate that Lacoliths are actually the larval state of a creature not native to Felarya. Lacking some vital trigger to initiate the change to an adult form in this new environment, they continue to eat and grow in preparation for a metamorphosis that never comes.

While there are good ideas (if you have made them a bit big), I would like to see some non-predatory ideas.

These are a creature I made not too long ago. The full description is here. Riesenzwei

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Riesenzwei

Size: Male 50 Feet, Females 30 Feet

Threat: Very Low

Riesenzwei are gigantic crocodiles that hunt in the waters of Felarya. Little is known about the Riesenzwei other than their appearance and hunting habits. The have two mouths, one on top of the other. The top is used to produce sounds whereas the bottom is used to eat. When fully matured, Riesenzwei will only attack larger predators and will not look twice at Humans. With a low metabolism, they don't have to eat for close to 3 months making them a very low threat. The only thing peculiar about them, is that only one male exists in all of Felarya. The biggest threat to the Riesenzwei are the beings who kill them for their durable and magic resistant skin.

Alright, here's my first creature for this.

Aquatic Super Ooze

Threat Level: Critical
The Aquatic Super Ooze is an aquatic ameoba that consists of a thick slime like membrane that is non water soluable (meaning it doesn't mix with the water) and a powerful acid beyond that. As the name may imply, they are incredibly large, occupying amounts of space large enough to house three one hundred foot mermaids. Due to their aquatic habitats, they are completely invisible and often times a mermaid will swim straight into one (ultimately swimming to her doom). Getting out of one is out of the question for most as the Aquatic Super Ooze is absolutely gigantic and the acid is strong enough to kill a one hundred foot mermaid within mere minutes of exposure. Even if one was to get to the edge of the membrane, the Super Ooze would shift it's ameoba like body around, putting it's prey at the center again. Fortunately for mermaids and waterfaring humans and the like, they are very few and far, but live in almost every aquatic habitat.

SuperPieGuy9 wrote:

Alright, here's my first creature for this.

Aquatic Super Slimoid

Threat Level: Critical
The Aquatic Super Slimoid is an aquatic ameoba that consists of a thick slime like membrane that is non water soluable (meaning it doesn't mix with the water) and a powerful acid beyond that. As the name may imply, they are incredibly large, occupying amounts of space large enough to house three one hundred foot mermaids. Due to their aquatic habitats, they are completely invisible and often times a mermaid will swim straight into one (ultimately swimming to her doom). Getting out of one is out of the question for most as the Aquatic Super Slimoid is absolutely gigantic and the acid is strong enough to kill within mere minutes of exposure. Even if one was to get to the edge of the membrane, the Super Slimoid would shift it's ameoba like body around, putting it's prey at the center again. Fortunately for mermaids, they are very few and far, but live in almost every aquatic habitat.

I think you oughta change the name bro, Slimoids are a sentient race and it seems you have an aquatic Eisner of sorts.

/Fish/ wrote:

SuperPieGuy9 wrote:

Alright, here's my first creature for this.

Aquatic Super Slimoid

Threat Level: Critical
The Aquatic Super Slimoid is an aquatic ameoba that consists of a thick slime like membrane that is non water soluable (meaning it doesn't mix with the water) and a powerful acid beyond that. As the name may imply, they are incredibly large, occupying amounts of space large enough to house three one hundred foot mermaids. Due to their aquatic habitats, they are completely invisible and often times a mermaid will swim straight into one (ultimately swimming to her doom). Getting out of one is out of the question for most as the Aquatic Super Slimoid is absolutely gigantic and the acid is strong enough to kill within mere minutes of exposure. Even if one was to get to the edge of the membrane, the Super Slimoid would shift it's ameoba like body around, putting it's prey at the center again. Fortunately for mermaids, they are very few and far, but live in almost every aquatic habitat.

I think you oughta change the name bro, Slimoids are a sentient race and it seems you have an aquatic Eisner of sorts.

Ah. I could've sworn we had Slimoids somewhere in Felarya, but I couldn't find them in the fauna sections.

Sea Drakes

Size: 60 - 80 Feet

Threat: High

Sea drakes are a recent newcomer to Felarya, supposedly appearing less than fifty years ago in the waters of the Topazial Sea. Reptilian creatures, they slightly resemble massive monitor lizards, like those on the islands of Topazial Sea, save for having flippers instead of arms. They possess maws filled with dagger-sharp teeth capable of crushing steel, and scales tough enough to deflect all but the toughest of attacks and minor magical attacks. They are a major threat as they swim in packs of about seven members, and in these numbers they will attack creatures as large as giant mermaids.

While considered highly ferocious, they are also considered highly protective parents who fiercely guard their young. Luckily, their are only a few packs known in the waters of Felarya, much to the delight of other sea life. There are rumors that chlaenas have actually domesticated some of these beasts, though this is purely speculation.

Interestingly, accounts say that the first ones to appear were smaller and less aggressive than they are now. Also, according to one ex-marine biologist, these creatures remarkably resemble something known as a mosasaur, specifically one of the big ones. Many are unsure of what he meant by this.

A great htread ! I'm loving the ideas there
And I agree that it's fair game to put a bit more hear on predators.
I would especially like to add the Titan anemones and the lacoliths, if you agree with the disclaimer
I loved the larva trait idea, and they are really well described ^^

Thanks for interesting the ideas everyone. I believe this is the first thread I've started here, besides the one relating to my stories, so I'm glad it didn't die a swift death as I feared it might.

AnimeJunkie wrote:

While there are good ideas (if you have made them a bit big), I would like to see some non-predatory ideas.

Well, *deadly* water creatures was my goal here, actually, rather than vegetarian water creatures. Hence the thread title.

...Although, I suppose there's nothing preventing a deadly water herbivore from existing. Hmmm, that could be interesting.

Karbo wrote:

A great htread ! I'm loving the ideas there
And I agree that it's fair game to put a bit more hear on predators.
I would especially like to add the Titan anemones and the lacoliths, if you agree with the disclaimer
I loved the larva trait idea, and they are really well described ^^

Thanks! I forgot all about the disclaimer, heh. Of course. I totally and completely agree.

PrinnyDood wrote:

...Although, I suppose there's nothing preventing a deadly water herbivore from existing.

True.
You can also have some more passive carnivorous creatures. I mean ones that don't actively hunt, like the Titan Anemone

Titan Conch
Size: 70 to 90 feet
Threat: Low

These massive sea snails are the both the biggest and heaviest gastropods native to Felarya's waters. Slowly sliding along the sea floor on their muscular foot, they are protected by their extremely large shells that are rumored to be as tough as diamond. These shells can be very colorful, with patterns and pigments differing between individuals. When threatened, they will retreat into this shell until the danger passes. Females are slightly larger than males.

Titan conches are considered a threat to anything they consider big enough to be food. They are fully capable of devouring creatures twice their size, and are thus a major threat to sea nagas and mermaids. When they find a suitable meal, they will get within range of it and fire a "harpoon" that can be nearly three times the length of their body. Once it pierces its prey, it releases a high dose of an extremely potent neurotoxin that quickly causes paralysis. The prey is then dragged back into the maw and swallowed whole

Most of the smarter predators will avoid titan conches should they find them, though younger typically fail to realize how great a range these creatures have with their harpoons. Chlaenas are known to use the shells of smaller titan conchs in their constructs and occasionally jewelry. They are also known to harvest the venom of these creatures and use them in their weapons when fighting or hunting.

Only very young individuals will consider divers to be a potential food source.


Halcegong
Size: 50 to 70 feet
Threat: Low

The halcegong is a massive species of shark similar to the wobbegong. Instead of possessing a camouflage of weed and carpet-like patterns, these creatures actually appear to be covered in a massive amount of jewels and other riches. Hiding along the treasure-laden bottom of Jewel River, they wait for prey, such as a mermaid, to come to them. When they are within reach, these predators swing open their jaws, creating a minor vacuum that sucks in their prey.

Their large size typically causes them to ignore humans, though young ones will view them as a suitable snack. They are lone predators whose greatest mystery is how they achieve their camouflage. No mage has gotten close enough to study these great beasts and figure out whether or not the jewels and such on its back are merely very realistic fleshy growths or actual riches somehow attached to it.

mhh I loved the conch idea but I find it a bit too similar to the earthen version ^^;

How could it be improved?

I'm not totally sure, tryin to think about something ^^

Geez, I've really left this thread alone for too long. Sure, I have a good excuse, but still, it's time it got some new stuff in it.

Anyway, I'm not super satisfied with these, but I'm putting them up anyway, just because I can't figure out how to fix/improve them, and I don't want em' to go to waste. If even one person gets inspired by these, they were a success in my mind.

And yes, I'm aware that most of my entries thus far have a 'speculation' section, but honestly, I kinda picture a Fox Mulder-type biologist somewhere in Negav, coming up with ever weirder explanations and theories for things, often to the dismay of his peers.


Amalgia Fish
Not a true fish, Amalgia most resemble a cephalopod, with a reflective silver, slightly flattened body about a foot in length, slender tendrils running all along the sides, and no visible head. Harmless alone, or even in small numbers, this creature becomes exponentially more dangerous in larger swarms, due to their unusual behavior.

Amalgia Fish live in hive-like schools, strikingly akin to some insects, wandering through oceans and rivers in search of food. In the way some ants can link their bodes to create a bridge over water, Amalgia possess a similar, albeit far more sophisticated trick. When prey is identified, the fish will swarm over it, sticking together and linking their bodies around it, in effect forming a kind of strangely-shaped, temporary pseudo-creature composed of their collective bodies, with the unfortunate target already inside its 'stomach'! After the prey is digested, the Amalgia will separate, leaving no trace behind.

A few hundred are capable of capturing human-size prey, while tens of thousands would be required to consume something the size of a giant predator.

There is some speculation that there exists a monstrously huge, living hive-like structure in some dark corner of the Dark Claw Reef, a 'queen' of sorts, which is the single source of all Amalgia Fish (in Felarya, at least). This rather improbable theory is somewhat supported by the fact that individual Amalgia, when dissected, show no reproductive organs, and their means of reproducing remain a hotly-debated mystery.


Mandragoro
Often mistaken for a more 'traditional' sea serpent, due to it's long, sinewy neck, and snake-like head(s), the Mandragoro is a far larger creature than it first appears. It's main body remains buried under the ocean floor for its entire lifespan, while one or more retractable head-like appendages are used to capture prey, striking like lightning when an unlucky creature wanders too close.

The heads themselves have considerable reach (over 100 feet in some cases) and are highly elastic, capable of stretching to swallow creatures nearly double the width of the neck. Instead of teeth, the heads posses octopus-like suckers lining their lips, allowing them to securely grip larger prey and drag them down, where several heads can work in concert to subdue them.

Mandragoro can very in size dramatically, with some individuals consuming human-size or slightly larger prey, while the largest specimens are reported to successfully attack even greater predators such as Mermaids and Chlaenas. Nearly nothing is known about the main body of Mandragoras, other than that they can move about, presumably by burrowing through the sand, and there is much speculation as to their form and true size. Some even claim all Mandragoro are part of a single organism centered somewhere beneath the floor of the Topazial Sea, comparable in size to the Giant Tree, extending its hungry feelers across the Felaryan ocean...

PrinnyDood wrote:

And yes, I'm aware that most of my entries thus far have a 'speculation' section, but honestly, I kinda picture a Fox Mulder-type biologist somewhere in Negav, coming up with ever weirder explanations and theories for things, often to the dismay of his peers.

I never even met the guy and I already love him...

that said, Prinny, have you thought about using some real world animals? They need a lot more love, and there's plenty to work with. We need more 20+ foot sharks and somewhat larger orcas! How about a nice platypus? Personally, I've worked with bears and panthers (Doing the Worf Barrage, though), and I'm thinking about using crocodiles and hippopotami too. Why not some giant vermin? I haven't seen a scorpion in ages!
And since there's giant versions of everything, why not giant scorpions too, that way we can stop using tonorions as the guys who make you look good by comparison? Or giant bears! I've got plans for a giant bear myself. Boars are awesome, too. Do you like piranhas? Well, turn them up to eleven a little. You know fish are THIS easy to kill with poison, don't you? You can fish simply by chucking lime in the water, and you can make it by burning seashells. It's not so farfetched some creature can fish by using poison, is it?

Just throwing ideas out there, Prinny.

Quote :

And since there's giant versions of everything

Personally I dislike it that way.

Stabs wrote:

How about a nice platypus?

You know, the platypus is emblematic of Felaryan lifeforms; half-duck, half mammal, it is a tauric lifeform, and it does have "poison" spurs and fur-oil.

...

It must be added to the wiki at once! But we'll have to give some horrifying but incorrect explanation of how it came to be... something involving the phrase "and the duck was half-way back into the vanishing land when it vanished" or "Notys' idea of a funny joke."

"Theory of the creation of the giant naga: My current most likely hypothesis is that once, long ago, there was a giantess being attacked by a giant snake, and as it attempted to consume her legs, both combatants fell through a dimentional rift, just as they were struck by lightning! The lightning was magical, also.
Hey, it's more likely than what happened to that Anna girl!"

Anyhow, I'm not really a huge fan of just making giant versions of things (Titan Anemone notwithstanding) just because the really weird things, with no real-world or mythological counterparts are the ones that usually stand out in my mind. Except for the platypus, which was practically made for Felarya.

And on that note, please enjoy this YouTube Video of the weirdest thing I found while searching for inspiration for new sea creatures. Warning: it may keep you up at night that this thing really exists on earth.

Siphonophore

Wow ! it's rather scary if you imagine it to be massive, and yet fascinating in a way

I must know more about that thing.

I'm not a fan of making giant EVERYTHING either- just as I'm not a fan of making tauric EVERYTHING either. But still, a giant panda attack once in a while can't hurt, right?

And the best thing? That isn't a single creature. It's an entire colony of specialized little invertebrates that go around in the form of a conglomerate being. There are swimming individuals, breeding individuals, those that catch food, those that digest it and share to the rest...

Portuguese Man-O-Wars are just like these, and not giant jellyfish as you may think

Funny thought...
...if those siphonophore things are independant cellular colonies fused together...
...what would the cute monster girl version look like?
Hmm...

This looks like a job for Gamera1985!
...


If that wasn't funny last year, it probably still isn't funny this year. But seriously, he's at least on K's weight cathegory where art is concerned.

Stabs wrote:

Funny thought...
...if those siphonophore things are independant cellular colonies fused together...
...what would the cute monster girl version look like?
Hmm...

This looks like a job for Gamera1985!
...


If that wasn't funny last year, it probably still isn't funny this year. But seriously, he's at least on K's weight cathegory where art is concerned.

Um what o3o

And i'd imagine they would be like dozens and dozens and dozens of little jellyfish people clustered together in some shape under an enormous gas bladder, and trailing extremely long stinging tentacles under them