Whawerak

During the summer months upon Kahursa, the local gillian youth enjoy the prospect of swimming in the lake and bay. They should be wise not to disturb one of its more disgruntled inhabitants lest they wish to earn a set of fresh boils- or worse. The Whawerak is often nicknamed spitefully by youth as the ‘fun-ender’ for its reputation of abruptly ending summer festivities. To some it has a far more amicable reputation as a responsible warden and defender of the maiden island against threats invading from her shores. Indeed, the Whawerak is respected by local lizardmen tribes for their deterring nature and ability to dissuade the chaos-and perhaps fun- of the encroaching modernity.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

A species of Kahursan-endemic herbivorous Rhynchocephalian, the Whawerak is a member of the sphenodontia family. They are much alike their close cousins, sharing much of their physiology and ancestry with lizards. Their sprawled body makes them stable albeit slow creatures. Unlike their smaller cousins, they make for poor climbers, but their flat claws make them efficient diggers. They find their favorite foods to unearth with their enormous nasal chambers- each taking up the majority of the Whawerak’s skull space. Their sense of smell is acute enough to detect the slightest fungal spore in the air, making them the best fungal finders in all of Ludwag. Their teeth are designed to shear fungal and fern material though a bite could easily take a finger clean off.

Along the shoulders and tail of the Whawerak are a series of fleshy tendrils. Their purple coloration warns of a toxin procured with collected enzymes from *Arcane Mushrooms*. Whawerak’s toxin is injected via prongs along the tendrils dermis not unlike that of a jellyfish. These barbs can go through conventional clothes and gambeson but leather armor is enough to stop them. Whawerak toxins cause painful blemishes to form on the dermis of the host. These blemishes will swell an ugly red and will pop if disturbed. Not only is this exceptionally painful but may also cause bleeding around the area of contact. Whawerak can partially manipulate the movement of their tendrils; whether it be swinging them at their aggressor with their tail or by folding them over their head.

Like their close cousins, Whawerak lay their eggs during the summer months. They do not partake in childcare but instead deposit their eggs in underground nests nearby a supply of Arcane Mushrooms. When the juveniles hatch, they will have direct access to the mushrooms they’ll need to build a defense. The tendrils of the Whawerak grow far faster than any other part of the animal. A juvenile is able to totally encompass themselves in a ball of tendrils if aggressed. Juvenile Whawerak may also use their tendrils as a form of rudimentary shelter so as to not compete with the adults who make their nests of the debris they cannot yet challenge.

#### Psychology

While solitary, Whawerak don’t mind others of their kind in close proximity to themselves. They’re relatively docile around other organisms unless provoked or disturbed, neither appreciating or tolerating having their food stolen or their lives assaulted. A Whawerak will pick out a spot along the waterway or near a grove of mushrooms to call their own and ensure that it accommodates their needs. They may prove violent if their needs are in any way impeded by anything, including other Whawerak. Bouts of violence between Whawerak often involve lashing and raking of tendrils against each other. Though they’re naturally immune to their own toxin, the whip-like impressions they can make often prove just as painful.