Thesaurus Crab

At first, it’s an eerie rustle of pages without any wind. Then comes the scuttling steps. After that? All you see is a swarm of books spilling off a shelf with far too many teeth. It’s a bookworm’s nightmare made real…

- Professor Helia Gramwell, Zoologist for the Royal Institute of Otherworld Studies

In the wake of Crossing’s Fall, countless new creatures appeared around the world. Both large and small, they resembled ancient myths and more than a few nightmares. Then there were a strange few that refugees from Otherworld barely knew anything about. This didn’t make them any less real.

Deadly in their own right, being practically unknown made them far more dangerous. One of these misshapen monsters is the Thesaurus Crab.

Under the Shell

This crab is a bizarre blend of fungus and animal with rumors of a mystic origin. From the outside, they appear to be no different from perhaps a Dungeness crab, save for a circle of white bumps along their back. But this is just a disguise.

Unlike a normal crab, the shell of a Thesaurus Crab is leathery and slightly soft. This gives it some protection, but not the same as an actual shell. So, to combat this, a Thesaurus Crab will use an old book as a shell. They burrow inside a volume, eating away at ink and paper until they carve a space for themselves. After that, the crab uses a mushroom-like root system to attach to the book itself. Literally making itself part of the tome.

These types of crabs have six legs like their distant cousins and are covered with natural armored plate. Here on the legs, this armor is a hard shell, like any other crab. A Thesaurus Crab also has four retractable arms, all with sharp pincher claws. These four claws are serrated, which they use for defense or to catch a quick meal of fish, eel, or bird. All together, it’s a deadly combination packed into a creature no larger than seven inches across, four pounds in weight, living up to ten years.

Last of all, Thesaurus Crabs do have teeth. These aren’t in their stomach like a normal crab, but in their mouth. A Thesaurus Crab’s teeth form in multiple rows, like found in a shark, with each tooth having a noticeable point. If a crab loses one of those teeth, another one folds out fully formed, ready to fill the gap.

Beyond books and unique appendages, Thesaurus Crabs come in both a freshwater and saltwater variety. Freshwater are often a blue-white color, while their saltwater cousins are a mix of orange, red, and white. Besides color, all other parts of these crabs remain the same.

Thesaurus Crab Out of its Book Shell by CB Ash*

Lifespan

10 years

Average Height

2 to 3 inches

Average Weight

7 pounds

Average Length

7 inches

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More Than Just A Toothy Smile

Their bite is painful, as these crabs can break through turtle and other crab shells with some effort. Likewise, their claws are no less deadly. But that isn’t the only weapon in their arsenal. With a single bite, a victim is injected with a venom that carries a rare fungal infection. A mold and mushroom-like growth called Wordbender’s Fever.

The illness is aggressive and can consume a victim in seven to ten days if not treated. Healers have to work fast to counter it while their patient breaks out in patches of angry fire-orange or blue mushrooms. Fungus that are said to be one of the key ingredients for a cure.

Damp, Yet Elegant Home

Unlike their distant cousins, these crabs burrow into old basements, abandoned homes, and forgotten libraries. Anywhere that’s damp, draped in shadow, and thick with stacks of books. Stories from Otherworld tell they’re found in the oldest of libraries, often ones that once belonged to ancient Wavebinders or Alchemists.

Once inside, a Thesaurus Crab will search for the thickest, most durable book to sink its claws or roots into. They aren’t picky but often favor enchanted Wavebinder journals, dictionaries or a stout thesaurus. All the better to provide both camouflage and thick armor while they lie in wait for their next meal.

They redefine ‘voracious reader’. Actually, I think it’s more accurate to say they stopped at ‘voracious’ and might never have reached ‘reader’.

- Professor Helia Gramwell, Zoologist for the Royal Institute of Otherworld Studies

They primarily eat fish, eel, and the pages of a good book, ink and all. But that doesn’t mean other options are off their menu. Thesaurus Crabs are aggressive scavengers that use ambush hunting tactics, always ready to sink their teeth into any unsuspecting victim. But they don’t eat what they catch right away.

Any prey they catch is stashed in a dark recess, cave, or closet, out of sight. This is a ‘food vault’ where they stuff their future meals out of sight for up to a week, letting their catch of the day rot and soften. After that, the entire crab community, called an ‘Edition’, will come down from the shelves to feast. When done, the crabs won’t need to hunt again for at least two weeks. In between that time, the Thesaurus Crabs slowly draw sustenance through their roots from the books they inhabit.

Over time, a Thesaurus Crab will devour all it can from a given book. Which means it will go through a ‘moulting’ to change books. To do this, a Thesaurus Crab slowly withdraws its root system, then itself from the book it’s finished. Once done, it leaves the ruined book behind on the shelf, and sets out in the library to pick up another one.

Abandoned Library by CB Ash*

Malignant Mushroom Crabs With Attitude

That isn’t to say these scuttling terrors are dormant during that time. On any day, an Edition of Thesaurus Crabs has a handful of their community to stand watch. These sentries, called ‘Indexes’, watch for potential food, or any hostile threat to the Edition. Which, for these crabs, any hostile threat would be anything entering their territory.

True to their nature, Indexes don’t warn the other crabs right away. Instead, they scuttle quietly along to ambush the interloper. Then, in a flurry of frantic tapping, they call out a warning to the community before they attack in a whirlwind of teeth and claws.

These communities, or Editions, can range from small to large depending on the mansion, library, or other location they’ve taken over. Typically, the average Edition is 15 to 30 Thesaurus Crabs at any time. Though there are stories of old communities three times that size.

Lethal Predator and Prey

As dangerous as they are, these mysterious monsters are also prey. In particular, they’re hunted by sirens, who consider the Thesaurus Crab a delicacy. But for anyone outside a siren, these crabs are a dangerous food option. Residue of the crab’s venom permeates all parts of its body. Sirens, though, have a unique immunity to that venom and so never suffer Wordbender Fever.

As a result, it’s common knowledge that if an Edition of Thesaurus Crabs is found, a siren pod or pods are not far away. But sirens aren’t the only ones to eat a Thesaurus Crab. Some communities in the Caribbean will, on certain occasions, feast on these animals.

The rumor is that there is a certain way to cook a Thesaurus Crab to remove its venom. Preparation takes several careful hours with a blend of acids, herbs, and a specific cooking temperature. If the recipe isn’t followed to the letter, the person eating the crab will be infected with a severe case of Wordbender Fever. But if the cook is experienced, and follows the instructions, it’s been said that Thesaurus Crabs have a mild, almost nutty taste that goes well with asparagus.

Eating a meal of well cooked Thesaurus Crab is often compared to a well-prepared blowfish meal. The danger is no less real, or lethal, but when prepared correctly, the results are rumored to be worth it. At least, to those who enjoy the taste and the risk.

A Certain Kind of Trade

Despite the danger and great personal risk, there are some enterprising souls that see opportunity with a Thesaurus Crab. Select members of the Bonewright Order, Marquee Brotherhood, and the Trade Guild Syndicate hunt the crabs down to milk their venom. A potent poison in its own right, even a small vial fetches a large sum of coin. This lure of profit isn’t lost on the trade-minded of those guilds. Also, Thesaurus Crab venom is a rare and valuable tool for any Alchemist or Assassin at work.

Dire Origins

Many zoologists often wonder at the origin of Thesaurus Crabs. A bizarre creature that’s both part plant and animal isn’t unknown, but is certainly rare. While these venomous crabs are deadly, they by far aren’t the most lethal or nightmarish thing that has tumbled out of Otherworld’s destruction. An explanation lies in the last surviving records that reside in the morasu noble house, Tomia Kurenji.

According to their oldest legends, the origin of the Thesaurus Crab can be traced back to a Wavebinder named Vangar Rasho. The legend recounts how Vangar was intensely curious about the deepest secrets of the Etherwave Arcana itself. He would spend many long hours into the night, studying the secrets of the mysterious energy and the bizarre creatures said to live inside.

But one night, Vangar delved too deep into the Etherwave. Records suggest he found something dire, possibly a cousin of a Tumble Mist, and attempted to channel a spell to defend himself. The spell backfired and turned Vangar into an equal volume of crabs. It’s said the descendants of those crabs are still devouring books to this very day, in search of a technique to undo the magical accident.

Perilous Precautions

Since the first discovery of Thesaurus Crabs after Crossing’s Fall, they have quickly become labeled as a lethal pest and curiosity. There are scholars and librarians who study the crabs to learn best how to protect valuable book collections. Advice from ancient Otherworld records has proven the most effective at keeping these insidious terrors at bay. Regular cleaning of shelves and basements is required to prevent the spread of the crab spores. Otherwise, these new spores will quickly sprout into new Thesaurus Crabs.

All we saw in the dark was a rolling wave of books, scuttling after us with so many pointed teeth. At least, until our lantern blew out.

Then we couldn’t see at all…

- Morgan Reedweather, Survivor of the Umbral Library Incident

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Game Notes

Threat: 2
Suggested Complications
- Venomous. A painful bite from a crab’s sharp teeth in inject venom thick with Wordbender Fever, leaving the victim immediately dizzy and flushed.
- Tougher Than It Looks. Their book “shells” are still durable even after all the punishment they’ve taken. Normal melee weapons are less effective than high quality weapons.
- They Come in More! These creatures are rarely alone. Where there’s one, there is ten. Attacks are coming from all directions as the character is swarmed.