Ludai

Ludai are a common species of freshwater gastropods native to the Trench Oasis on the western island. They lack shells and have a highly active cell replication system, which has led to the development of a unique trait: negligible senescence through symbiosis. During the past eras, ludai have evolved enough to allow for survival in seawater, in which they mostly reside at beaches and waterbanks to increase the likelihood of connecting with a potential host.

## Appearance

Ludai can range between mere inches to one or two feet tall. Their body structures are often hulking, though smaller ludai may instead spread out to form a flat shape. Their unique regenerative cells allow for many different forms and quick recovery from injury. They have two stalks, each with a receptive sensor to navigate around. Once again due to their cells, these stalks may vary heavily from ludai to ludai, and can often be extended up to great lengths and contracted at will.

Ludai differ greatly in body patterns, able to be born with a gray overcoat and yellow spots to even striped purple and blue. The parental patterns seem to have no effect on the resulting offspring, meaning selective breeding is impossible. Ludai patterns are dictated by their chromatophores and in very rare cases, a ludai may have full control over its chromatophores, allowing for colour changing at will. Due to the limited cognitive capacity of the species though, these powers are often untouched.

## Behaviour

### Lifestyle

Ludai live in clusters in shallow waters, or in crevices in the stone when deeper underwater to avoid predators. They can communicate with one another through their sensor stalks, exerting minute differences in density and pressure of a touching stalk to convey simple messages on instinct.

Ludai naturally survive for 10 to 20 years, reaching adulthood at 3 months. However, when a ludai comes into contact with an organism that is yet to fully mature, it can latch onto them and enter their bodies undetected. At this point the ludai begins spreading throughout the entire body, affecting bone and muscle structure to incorporate unique enzyme generators to keep the organs maintained. This allowed both the ludai as the infected organism to live without fearing of dying of old age. Small cuts and wounds are also easily healed by the ludai if its host ever got damaged by such.

### Diet

Standalone ludai mostly live off micro-organisms, filtered out from the sand using their advanced filtration mouths. Once they merge with a host however, they redirect part of the host's consumption to feed itself, absorbing certain nutrients after the host's digestion system separated the components. As a consequence, the host must consume noticeably more than their normal daily nutrional food items.

### Reproduction

Ludai only reproduce shortly after growing fully, simply by picking the closest mate they can find. Ludai possess both the ability to bear and lay eggs, as well as being able to inseminate a mate. This allows ludai to mate with any of its kin, as they are both sexes.

### Predation

Many marine animals hunt ludai, though not many can catch them due to their habitat. The ones that do however, are often intelligent enough to always eat only half of the creature, allowing the other half to grow back to its original size. Some of the most erudite can sustain themselves and future generations off of just one, large ludai.

## Origin

Ludai were originally formed by Terrys to experiment on regenerative cell structures and its application to symbiotes, with the intention of using ludai as a dominant species using hosts of different other species to unite the lands in name of progress. This however failed when Terrys found out ludai were unable to progress effectively in terms of intelligence. Any attempt at stimulating the brain beyond its instinctive limits led to the regenerative cells system overriding the stimuli and resetting the neurons.

Terrys however did not remove the ludai from their new home world, as their symbiotic traits could be of use to whatever their biological successors will be.