Seaguards

Seaguards are a species of intelligent molluscs - the largest on the planet - which live in the deep seas around Inecuria. Though once common in the depths, in modern times they are extremely rare creatures whose numbers continue to dwindle. They bear a close resemblance to Luisas, and many scholars assume them to be the creations of Slaaki the Sea-Angel - however, their behaviour is very different to Luisas, and they are entirely sea-dwelling whereas Luisas are amphibious.

Seaguards are known to be capable of rising to the ocean's surface - there are several recorded instances of them doing this - and it is also known that they were capable of wielding magic. However, they rarely spent long in the shallows, and retreated back down to the depths as soon as they were done with whatever task had forced them to swim up. The magic they wielded, based on descriptions, was probably light magic, the same kind of magic used by the *Lūwynel* of the Theysmarel and the Gold Elves.

Historically, it was only possible to observe Seaguards when they rose to the surface, but modern technology has allowed deep-sea submersiles to observe Seaguards in their natural habitat. They remain poorly understood, but more has been learnt about them in the past 20 years than the rest of human history. These deep-sea expeditions have also revealed the purpose behind the Seaguards and why they were created - which they must have been, since the creatures are too surreal to have evolved naturally. Based on the existence of inexplicable geological anomalies and bizarre fossilised remains across the ocean floor, it is widely agreed by scholars that the deep ocean - especially Caduron's Trench, which was once inhabited by Seaguards but no longer is - was home to many dimensional weak points where rifts between this world and the Dreadlands could be easily torn open, much like the Violet Mountains. It is therefore theorised that the purpose of the Seaguards was to defend the deep ocean against demonic incursions and prevent them from rising to the surface. Based on archaeological evidence, it is widely assumed that the pitiful numbers of modern Seaguards are a result of the unprecedented scale of demonic incursions during the Imperial Civil War.

## Appearance

As mentioned, Seaguards greatly resemble Luisas. They are vaguely humanoid in appearance, possessing a torso, a head and two arms, but that is where the similarities with Humans end. Their flesh is a pale light blue with noticeable veins of colour, which are bright light blue normally but turn cyan or turquoise when under stress. These veins faintly glow in the dark, particularly when they turn cyan/turquoise. Like Luisas, they have two sets of tentacles; a large, long pair used to communicate complex information through a chromatolanguage (the primary tentacles), and a much shorter pair which communicates instinctual emotions and essentially acts as a replacement for facial expressions (the secondary tentacles). Their eyes are coloured bright amber and glow in the dark, more strongly than the veins of colour along their body.

Seaguards have hands with sharp fingers made of some kind of very tough material, effectively acting as claws, whereas Luisas have human-like hands. They have been observed using these claws as deadly weapons when they do not have access to weapons. They also differ from Luisas in their lower body; whereas Luisas have a serpentine lower half that resembles a large tail, Seaguards have a set of finned tentacles combined with a water jet that they use for propulsion, which is covered by a skirt-like mantle. Like Luisas, they have fins on their back that resemble wings, but Seaguards have two sets of wings whereas Luisas have one, and they are proportionally larger.

The other main difference between Seaguards and Luisas is also the most obvious one, which is their size. From head to tail-tip, Luisas are an average of two metres long, whereas Seaguards are significantly larger; most observed specimens have been estimated at ten to twelve metres long, with a "wingspan" of approximately eight metres.

## Physiology

Little is known of the physical characteristics of Seaguards beyond their visual apperance and the fact that they are evidently extremely strong, capable of literally tearing many large and powerful sea creatures apart with their bare hands. The characteristics of their lifespan and reproductive cycle are unknown, though there are identifiable differences between males and females; males have a broader build and shorter but more pointed secondary tentacles, and also have lower-pitched vocalisations. No Seaguard eggs have been seen, but it can be confidently assumed that they lay eggs and do not birth their young.