Greelu

==Overview==
The Greelu are flat shelled, thick hided, ocean dwelling behemoths. They have the appearance of sea turtles of old earth, but they have longer necks and tails, which are retracted by curling underneath the eaves of the shell. The face and tail are like an eel’s, their frontal flippers are clawed and large as Water aershaa’s wings—in comparison to their body—and their shells are almond shaped. The sizes vary, the breeds to the far south being small as an Ice aershaa while the far northern breed dwarfs the Ices, being the length of three, more commonly five, but even up to eight Ices in a row nose to tail to nose... The size increases and decreases accordingly to region. As you can see, they can survive in most climates, except for the sweltering heat of south Sundast.
==Diet==
Greelu eat mostly fish and aquatic birds, although some have acquired a taste for land animals, including aershaa, man and furr. Thankfully, they come to land to feed rarely, and they will not attack when not hungry or threatened.
==Habitat==
These “turtles” have both land lungs and gills, but more often prefer surfacing for air, which is most efficient. They nest on land, since always, so they’ve been at the root of many stories involving monsters from the deep, kept shrouded in mystery mostly because of the lack of seashore dwelling people. Now, with the sea calm enough to sail, their old nesting grounds have become endangered. The northern breeds incubate their eggs, laying them in shallow ice nests and use the heat generated by their high metabolism.
==Lore & Culture==
In the south, where greelu are often trained and kept as sea mounts, their meat is rarely consumed, as they are considered important in this new world; their eggs, however, are considered a delicacy. In the north, they become an important source of meat. More often than not, the people will harvest meat from an already dead specimen. A sufficiently large pack of Ice aershaa, or Darks with strong influence can bring down a fresh greelu. The northerners are rich in fats and their meat is quite tasty. The leathery skin makes good clothing if treated right, and their shells, especially the hard plated underbelly, make good armor.
Category:animals