Bloodwhale

The Bloodwhale is a Crablack legend of a mythical beast, only rarely sighted. The legend is said to have spawned from orcish whalers, operating in the whale migration routes north of Crablack. It is said that when whales' blood is spilled into the waters, it coagulates on the ocean floor, and when enough pools together to match the weight of a living specimen, the next solstice animates the bloody mass into an undead whale.

Summary

A Bloodwhale is just that: an undead whale formed from the spilled blood of hundreds of other whales. Its appearance is maroon and sickly, each feature an unholy mimicry of its former shape, animated by entropic energy brought about by a solstice moon. Orcish sailors fear the Bloodwhales above many other sea monsters, as they strike against the hardiest sea vessels in a vengeful furry, bringing retribution for the whales killed in the trade.
Bloodwhales are said to possess a limited ability of flight, just enough to glide over the waves and crash down into ships. It attacks indiscriminately, assuming all mortals to be worthy of its retribution. Any attacks made against the Bloodwhales are absorbed into its mass as it sucks in nets and harpoons and cannonballs.
Only the syntropic energy of a holyman's spellcasting is known to have any effect on it. Crablack whalers are known to employ priests to accompany their voyages just after the solstices, in order to defend them against any undead threats should they arise.

Variations & Mutation

Bloodwhales are most often said to be animated by the will of Lalos, Warden of Evil in the Entropic Plane. Some retellings of the story associate it with Uzuli, Angel of Death, and further still some say it is Aar's will, Angel of War, that brings the beings into life. The myth has not been recognized by the World Synod of Craedock, and is not adopted into common canon.
Despite this, the legend has spread into some neighboring territories. The people of Acron who've heard of it tend to give the myth some credence: anything that can bring visible fear to an orc must certainly be true. In Barkgull the story is told as a fairy tale to spook gnomish children, but is not usually believed by adults.

In Literature

It is said that there exists an old necromancer's spellbook, that contains the arcane formulae to exert some level of control over a bloodwhale. Other storytellers say the book details how to summon one by animating the whales' blood found at present on the ocean floor, stating a more powerful one will be summoned depending on how close you are to a solstice. These tellings are few and far between however, and no-one knows where this spellbook could be.

In Art

The bloodwhale is often depicted as a symbol of destruction in Xagoli art. The gladiators' rings of the capital depict many on their tapestries, and a few military units in the past have incorporated them into their ensignia.

Related Species

• Orc

Related Locations

• Crablack
• Xagolae

© Dylan Eugene Wheeler 2018
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