Whale

Whales were the largest mammals in the world.
==Types of Whale==
;Baleen whales
: The baleen whales were the larger, most intelligent variety of whales within the Realms. These fed by straining seawater through long strips of baleen that they had in place of teeth, from which they got their name, in order to eat plankton and krill. The known species of baleen whales in the Realms included humpback whales (also known as the peasant whale), night whales, pilot whales, sapphire whales, and the white-hued snow whales, gray whales, and right whales. Those first five species could all be found in the Sea of Fallen Stars, with the humpback being the largest.
; Toothed whales
: Toothed whales were active hunters that preyed upon such large creatures as giant squids and krakens, though often relied upon smaller more accessible food. The known species of toothed whales in the Realms included killer whales, narwhals, and sperm whales. All could be found in the Sea of Fallen Stars, with the killer whale being the one most often sighted by sailors and scholars due to their hunting grounds coinciding with some of that sea's more prominent surface trade lanes.
; Giant whales
: The second largest variety of whale found on Toril. These creatures resembled sperm whales and devoted themselves to protecting the more common species of whales from sea monsters and whalers.
; Leviathans
: Also known as "Lords of all Whales", these fabled creatures were whales of immeasurable size. They were said to be intermediaries between whales and deities. Only one was said to exist within an ocean on any given world, if at all.
==Ecology==
===Society===
Whales were intelligent enough that they had devised their own calendar system, known as Whaletime.
===Habitats===
Whales inhabited Patzcoatl, the Western Ocean of Maztica. Over height different species of them could be found in the deeper waters of the Sea of Fallen Stars, beyond the northern coasts and the Pirate Isles.
===Languages===
All whales shared a common language. Referred to as Whalesong, it was a pure-sound language that was difficult for the majority of humans, demihumans, and humanoids to emulate or understand.
===Relationships===
Whales were sacred to the elven god Deep Sashelas and the deities Istishia and Valkur.
===Usages===
The bodies of whales were highly valued by surface dwellers for a variety of purposes. Whalebones were used in creation of corsets, particularly the corsets popular among the overly-fanciful noble women of the Blade Kingdoms. Whale oil was used as a type of lamp oil on the western shores of Maztica. And whales were commonly hunted for a waxy substance within their stomachs known as ambergris, that was used for creating various aromatics and perfumes.
In Maztica, whales were hunted by the Metahel tribes that lived along the shores of Patzcoatl.
==History==
In the 14 century DR, many scholars in the Heartlands insisted that very few whales existed within the Sea of Fallen Stars due to its relatively small size. Though those who lived within that body of water attested that many could be found within its deeper waters.
==Notable Whales==
* Leviathan, one of the Children of the Earthmother.
* Naahal, the famed whale bard of Serôs.
==Appendix==
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Creatures found on Karpri
Category:Aquatic creatures