Great Behemoth

The Quaking Great Beast

The Great Behemoth is a legendary creature assumed to be from the Age of Creations. It is one of the Four Great Beasts referenced throughout Azimuth's history. The Great Behemoth is a force of nature and is often calamitous, destructive, and incredibly dangerous. Its nature, origin, and motivations are unknown.
The Great Behemoth is considered a demigod or lesser idol, and there are some cultures that worship the Great Behemoth as a deity, such as the desert peoples of the Flat Peaks Desert.

Description

Appearance

The Great Behemoth is described as a hulking, armored reptile of colossal size and scale. Its back carries an impervious, dome-like shell, giving it an appearance similar to a massive tortoise. Each limb is large enough to crush buildings and its mass shakes the ground with earthquakes.

Abilities

The Great Behemoth is seemingly uncaring of its surroundings and often does not react to stimuli. It has been known to cause massive, incidental damage as its massive frame moves. While its attacks appear almost accidental, there does not seem to be any observable pattern of action or goal from the Behemoth, and its motivations are unknown. Survivors of these events have relayed that some areas appear targeted directly by the Behemoth's movements, while others are left entirely alone, only suffering damage from being near to the Behemoth's movements.
Its size gives the Great Behemoth massive strength and physical ability. Despite appearing to be a phyical creature, it does not seem to require food or sustenance. Unique to the Behemoth, it is seemingly the only one of the Four Great Beasts with the ability to sleep. Stories speak of the Behemoth slumbering or hybernating for great spans of time.
It is able to both manifest and control earth elemental energies, and it has been seen spewing boulders, rock, and, scree from its maw and causing earthquakes and fissures with little effort. It can tunnel beneath the ground, seemingly at will, while leaving the ground either fully intact or destroyed by its passing. It is unknown if this elemental energy is what fuels the Great Behemoth or if some other force powers it.
While it doesn't appear to have a limited roving region, it has been seen most commonly in the deserts of Azimuth, such as the Flat Peaks Desert, the Fire Spire Sands, and the Dry River Desert.
Like all the Four Great Beasts, it is unclear if the Great Behemoth is a natural, phyiscal entity and can be found somewhere in the world at any time, or if it is a manifestation of some other force and exists in Azimuth only rarely.

Legacy

• The shanty, The Four Great Beasts, seems to describe the potential origin of the Great Leviathan and the other Great Beasts.

• The Unsigned Paintings of the Great Beasts are a set of four rare, masterwork paintings that depict each of the Great Beasts. The artist of these paintings is unknown.

• The Santeemite novel, The Star Colossus, depicts a stylized creature some say was based on the Great Behemoth as a central figure in the narrative.

History

The First Age: The Age of Creations

The origin of the Great Behemoth is unknown. However, the oldest stories of the Great Beasts claim they were created by old and forgotten gods from the Age of Creations and made to do battle with the Primordial Elementals.

So the gods made protectors, four powerful beasts
And unleashed them to Azimuth, on elements (to) feast

They made them with thunder, and fire, and swell
The oceans rose up, and the mountains fell

- The Four Great Beasts Shanty

Scripture found in The Decayed Tomes from before the Third Age states, "Great Beasts forged to quell the elements shall now be the guardians of the Severance." These writings claim the Great Beasts became the holders of the Severance Keys.

The Fourth Age: The Age of Shadow

A section of the Parched Mountains suffered an earthquake and rockslides, believed to have been caused by the Great Behemoth. These rockslides displaced a Fire Giant that caused damage and destruction to the Salt Hills before it was slain by the Greenscales.

The Fifth Age: The Age of Beginnings

At some point between 5A 010 and 5A 060, and unknown artist painted "The Great Behemoth, the Slayer of Quakes". This depiction of the Great Behemoth is part of the Unsigned Paintings of the Great Beasts.

Divine Classification

Demigod / Lesser Idol

Current Status

Unknown

Member of
Four Great Beasts