ixitxachitl

Ixitxachitl are carnivorous skate-like creatures that attack with venomous barbed tails and feed by exsanguinating their prey in open water. Often attacking in small groups of up to a dozen or more, ixitxachitl are more intelligent and coordinated than they appear, as the most intelligent of their colonies (often also the oldest) can continue to grow in size and power by swearing themselves to darker entities. Worship of the demon lords Zura, for her bloodlust, and Dagon, believed to be the progenitor of the species, is common. The special chosen of a colony blessed with increased size and ferocity are often granted spells by their patron, granting them control over the dead and blood itself.