Scagrywr

Artwork by Chipo-H0P3

*The night is cold and long, your ship creaks from the soft movement of the sea’s waves. You have been out on the water for weeks now; both you and your crew exhausted. The wind blows softly, carrying that oh-so familiar salty scent across your nostrils. The unpleasant sound of snoring can be heard from your first mate, as you irritably look over the edge of the ship, a sigh escaping your lungs. Everyone is asleep, but who can blame them? You are the only one who has been cursed with the tossing and turning and a difficult night sleep, despite you being just as tired (or, arguably, more tired) as the rest of the crew on your ship.*

*'But you’re uneasy. Fog has settled in over the cold waters, the air has gone eerily still. You swear you can hear a sound, almost like a whale call, resonate from the depths below. No, it is only your imagination. You scold yourself for being spooked by your overactive, sleep-deprived mind.'*

*'You turn to leave, but a movement catches the corner of your eye. Quickly, you shoot yourself back to the edge of the ship, leaning over to peer down into the once-calm water. Now, it seems to be boiling. Black sludge rises to the surface as the water bubbles and churns. Your heart starts to race as you call for your first mate, hearing him fall from his hamock out of shear surprise of your yelling. He comes running, leaning over the edge of the ship to get a good look too. You start hearing him mutter, “dear Cascade no” over and over. What has gotten into him?'*

*'The same sound from earlier calls, but this time it is much louder. Much closer. Your first mate starts to scream at the rest of the crew to wake up, banging on the ship’s bell and stomping on the ground. You’re confused. Why? You havent heard the story of the Scagrywr…'*

## Anatomy and Appearance

* **COLOR:** Dark browns, blues, and sometimes even greens

* **MOUTH:** The Scagrywr’s mouth it the most terrifying part of this creature. It is huge, filled with rows and rows of thousands of sharp, jagged teeth. It

is able to open wide, much like a snake’s, and swallow ships whole in one bite. It does not chew its food, but instead has heavy stomach acid for quick digestion.

* **EYES:** This beast sports no eyes, so it gets around using echolocation and basically bashing through anything that’s in its way
* **BODY:** Thick, armored scales cover the body. They are thicker along the head

and chest. Free-floating tentacles grow from it's side. They will move and bend with the current, which helps the beast determine if something is moving around it.

* FLIPPERS: This creature sports two flippers on each side of its body, used for propelling itself and crawling along the bottom of the ocean. It has “toes” on each flipper, which are actually sharp claws to help dig into its prey.
* SLUDGE PITS: Large holes can be seen running up the beast’s sides, covered by a thick layer of skin. When a prey is in target, the skin will fold back and thick, black sludge will propel out (similar to an octopus’ ink). This sludge will blind and slow the prey, making it easy for the Scagyrwr to catch it

## Ecology and Behavior

### Diet

The Scagrywr's diet mostly consists of large fish and mammals. Whales, sharks, giant squid, and other large sea creatures are plentiful in Hireath's oceans, making it easy for the massive creature to find food. That said, due to the nature of the prey it hunts, unsuspecting ships do get attacked from time to time, leaving the Scagrywr with a mouthful of disappointment and slivers.

### Mating Rituals and Reproduction

There is little known about the creatures mating and reproduction. Legend says there can only ever be one Scagrywr in the seas at a time, leaving the creature to reproduce asexually. It's said that once it gives birth, it dies, leaving it's offspring to feast upon it's corpse. Whether this is true or not is yet to be seen

### Migration and Distribution

While the migration habits of this creature are unknown, there have been recorded sightings all throughout Hireath's southern oceans. The Southern Gulf has the most recorded sightings of the creature with 15, though many areas around Aquore have come close to that number.

## Legends and Relationship with Equines

### Sightings and Signs

The first sign of the Scagrywr is the water will start to seem disturbed, almost vibrating. Just little ripples here and there at first, barely noticable. As time goes on, the waves will start to overlap each other. This is the Scagrywr positioning himself beneath
your boat- probably still a couple miles down. Black sludge will then start to boil around your ship, and you will suddenly find that you are going slower than before. Every now and then, you may hear its
whale-like calls, which is simply the beast trying to keep your ship
within its echolocation. It doesnt care if you hear, as youre obviously not going anywhere. Everything will go still, nerves rising. And then it
 happens. Like a crash, you can hear it’s teeth sinking into wood. If
you look down soon enough, you may be able to see its tongue glide
easily through your deck. In less than a minute, the ship and everything with it, including yourself, is settling in the beasts stomach.

### Legend from the Isles of the Dead

The legend of the Scagrywr started with pirates. A tale of a massive beast that could swallow a ship and its crew whole was always one that would get muttered between crewmates. How it came to be is not entirely known, but one tale is dated back to the year 653, when trade was beginning to flourish in Talori. When sailing, captains would often come across parts of a ship floating in the water, surrounded by a black
sludge of sorts. Every now and then, they would hear what sounded like a whale call. Many, startled, would take off running as fast as they could, however some would stick around. They swore they saw the beast,
but were spared because his belly was already full.

Whether or not this beast exists is truly depending on the individual. However, most pirates will swear from Cascade and back that it does. However, when asked how they know, you will only recieve a blank stare, as anyone who meets this creature is sure to not survive.

There are a few rogues out there who have become obsessed with the creature. Some, mostly those who are not religious, will often think that the twice yearly sacrifices are meant for the Scagrywr, not Cascade. Some will even take themselves out to sea to give themselves up for the creature, hoping that their sacrifice will placate the creature for a while. More often than not, the impromptu "sacrifice" is a crewmember of a ship about to set sail. Some pirates believe in this theory so much that they will not take a pegasus on board, believing that the Scagrywr is attracted to the taste of the winged-folk. They think it is a bad omen, and will give them a higher chance of being attacked.

Some rogues will admit that the creature does exist, but it is not as large as others say. They think it is more of a deformed crocodile or alligator. Others believe the creature is just as magnificent as the stories say, and are convinced that they can go out and hunt the beast, spending many years trying to find it.

### Legend from the Mainland

Those on the mainland have taken the story of the Scagrywr and twisted it, using it as a way to keep their children from wandering into the ocean at night. After several drownings of foals who slipped out to play by the water, mothers started telling a tale of a giant sea creature that
lurked within the shallows, waiting to gobble up naughty children who tried to slip out. However, this creature is only around at night, and will go back to the depths during the day. This is normally an effective
 tool until the children start to learn better, knowing that a creature that size would not be able to even fit in the shallows. It has saved a lot of lives, however, so logic is not really in question.