Matasynda

==Appearance==
Matasynda has a similar body structure as its relative Chameleos but shorter and more stout as well as altogether bigger. The Elder Dragon has a big head with two feelers at the end of its nose as well as on its lower jaw. Matasynda only possesses rudimentary teeth that fused together in form of a half ring. The neck is flexible and quite flabby with skin hanging down on the sides. While the monster has a white plastron that is part of its skeleton, its back is uncovered revealing the saphire hide if not hidden by its wings. The short legs and feet are quite muscular, broad and stable. The wings have evolved into fins with light grey webbings. While doing this the dragon retracts its feet and partly its tail to reduce water resistance. Glands on its hide can secrete a substance that hardens when mixing with water. With help of this mucus Matasynda can create a strong carapace by donning its wings and filling the spaces in between and on the wings with the secrete. This is the normal form this Elder Dragon is encountered. The tail resembles the tails of some lobsters or shrimp and has many appandages. The skin color is variable except the saphire back and the white plastron. Depending on the ground, Matasynda can appear in different colorations.
==Habitat and Ecology==
Matasynda inhabits oceans normally not accessible for any humans on the ocean floor but also passes hunting grounds and shallow seas. The Elder Dragon is known to appear in the the Southern Reef and other ocean areas. In the Frantic Bay it seems to regularly lay eggs into the beach sands.
On the ocean ground Matasynda walks slowly and searches a good place it can bury itself and wait until prey comes too close. The feet are adapted for burrowing into the ground in a short time keeping nothing visible of the monster but the back and the feelers on the head. The carapace gets perceived as big rock and prey doesn't feel alarmed by it while the feelers look like worms and baits fish and other sea creatures fitting into its mouth to come closer. Then Matasynda opens its mouth creating a strong vortex that sucks them in. The semi-annular jaw plates crush everything flat making it easier to swallow.
To dissolve the carapace to change forms Matasynda releases enzymes from its back. With use of the fins the Elder Dragon can accelerate fast and reach high speeds but it only uses that to roam to other places or when it's attacked and defends itself. Matasynda have great lungs so they can stay underwater for hours but rarely one gets seen coming to the surface to breathe and disappearing in the depths again.
When or how mating season takes place is one of the mysteries of this monster; it gets assumed that they mate deep in the ocean. All Matasynda coming close to land were confirmed to be females, until now, not a single male has been found. The females seem to come back to the Frantic Bay where they were born to seemingly lay their eggs into the sand of some isolated area not yet found but youngs were regularly encountered on the beach trying to reach the ocean. Even then no male was among them so scientists assume a case of parthenogenesis occurs.
Matasyndas are often accused to sink ships in a vortex but it's unknown if this is true. They also have superstitious significance because when they appear close to the land fish and other sea creatures avoid those areas making the Elder Dragon a sign of misfortune.
==Abilities==
Matasynda is known for causing vortexes underwater by opening its mouth and sucking water in. It can get opponents to get closer to it for a claw slash or other attack. The secrete gets used for sealing wounds besides creating a shell with its wings and the Elder Dragon can also spit it at opponents making them helpless by inflicting the gooey status but also decreases the attack. One of Matasynda's most dangerous attacks is the pin attack. It burrows or swims beneath its target and starts to suck in water to create a vortex that keeps the opponent trapped if it connects. Matasynda can also retreat completely into its shell. It can still bite fast and retreat again and aligns by dragging one feet on the floor changing the head opening's direction.
While swimming the situation changes completely. Matasynda can attack with high speed bites and claw slashes and uses the three dimensional space to attack from every direction. In return it is more vulnerable as its most sensitive spot, the saphire back is exposed. Matasynda changes to this form when it gets enraged.
==Attacks==
===In defense mode (on ocean floor)===
#Vortex: The Elder Dragon opens its mouth and starts sucking in water. Hunters too close get dragged further to the monster that attacks with a bite or claw slash when the target is close enough. If the attack doesn't hit it uses the water swallowed to release a short-lived water beam.
#Water beam: Only used after the vortex. Matasynda releases in direction of a target a relatively broad water beam that only remains for a second.
#Mucus spit: Matasynda spits mucus chunks in the direction of opponents. When hit the target gets the gooey status, waterblight and the attack gets decreased (these two effects stay even if the hunter hit wears an armor immune to gooey). It can spit them three times in a row at one target or three times at one target and to both its right and left side.
#Bite: Two bites in fast progression in direction of an opponent in front of it. Matasynda can bend its neck in a sector of about 140° so the target doesn't need to be directly in front of it.
#Claw slash: Identical to Chameleos' claw slash.
#Charge: Matasynda charges forward and bites when it reaches a target. Before the charge it lifts the head and then stretches its neck forward.
#Tail attack: Similar to Chameleos' tail attack but the dragon can also swing it sidewards.
#Retreating into shell: Matasynda retreats completely into its shell. In this form most weapons bounce off. It can use in this state bites and its tail attacks.
#Water cage pin attack: Matasynda burrows into the ground and unearths beneath the target creating a vortex. If it connects the opponent is trapped inside the vortex. First it drains the stamina, then the oxygen and finally the health what makes this attack even dangerous if successfully escaped as the hunter needs to swim to the surface first or take an oxygen potion. The target gets drawn nearer and nearer to the dragon's mouth and gets crushed between its jaws if not avoided in time.
===In agility mode (swimming, also Rage Mode)===
#Vortex: See defense form.
#Water beam: Same as defense mode version but Matasynda can also increase the time the vortex is used to create a stronger water beam with less width that sways from beneath on the left side to up on the right side.
#Mucus spit: Same as above but additionally Matasynda can swim over the opponents and spits the mucus chunks from above.
#Charge: Similar to defense mode version but faster and can be repeated with a U-turn in any direction. Matasynda can also swim past its target sticking out a foot attacking it with its claws sidewards.
#Bite: Same as above but the Elder Dragon can attack more freely and increase its usable sector for this attack in the three-dimensional space. Can also make a third bite.
#Cutting way off and bite: Matasynda swims over the target and swims down on the other side to block the way and bites the opponent.
#Tail attack: Additionally to the defense mode version Matasynda can swing its tail forward similar to many Leviathans.
#Fin attack: Matasynda flaps its fins seperately to hit a target.
#Water cage pin attack: Same as defense mode version but initiated by swimming beneath target.
==Notes==
*The weakness is dragon and earth.
*In Rage Mode it huffs water like underwater wyverns.
*When Matasynda is inside its shell, a sonic bomb causes it to startle, come out again and drop a shiny.
*When the dragon changes back from agility mode to ground mode Matasynda needs a minute to renew its carapace. 
**This time can be prolonged by stunning the monster with impact damage or letting it fall over by attacking the legs. This leaves the sapphire back open what is the dragon's weakpoint.
*The feelers and the fins (only in swimming form) can be wounded, the carapace (only in gound form, gets renewed when making a new carapace) broken, and the tail end can be cut.
*The name comes from: Mata-Mata (species of turtle this monster is based on) --> Mata, synda (Icelandish) for swim --> syn and शिल्ड/Śilḍa (Marathi) for shield --> da.
==Materials==
Matasynda Shell, Matasynda Hide, Matasynda Bollwerk (when carapace broken at least once), Matasynda Feeler (only when broken), Matasynda Tail (carved from tail), Matasynda Fin (when broken), Matasynda Lung, Matasynda Claw, Matasynda Plate
Category:Monster Creation
Category:Elder Dragon