Chaegbosa
Herds of chaegbosa have crawled across the southern wetlands of Miras for centuries. The sweet sugh they produce is very popular as a topping or filling for sugary pastries and is known for its minor healing properties. Shepherded in groups of 12 to 20, these giant slugs can be loving animals to their caretakers and scare easily.
Domesticated long ago in the forgotten age, chaegbosa farms are a cultural mainstay in the Mirisian areas bordering the Sea of Howza. The various food products utilizing chaegbosa are generally made from the sweet sugh cultivated by farmers, but also consist of savory steaks of chaegbosa meat or bitter caviar made from chaegbosa eggs.
Basic Information
Anatomy
These giant slugs average a length of 3.5 meters long and a height of 0.5 to 1.2 meters tall depending on the fullness of their sacs. Because they are invertebrates, chaegbosa locomotion is reliant on the hundreds of pallial tentacles around their mantle, or 'foot', that push them forward.
A chaegbosa's back is covered in soft sacs that can expand to fill with a sweet, viscous fluid called sugh. These sacs form in random patterns and can grow to immense sizes. The membrane of the fluid sacs thins as the sac grows and can easily rupture if left to grow too large. Chaegbosa farmers manually drain these sacs in order to prevent the waste of valuable sugh. A healthy chaegbosa can heal a tear in their sac within three to five days
Genetics and Reproduction
Like other slugs, chaegbosa are hermaphroditic and are capable of mating with any other individual of their species. Wild chaegbosa will mate only a few times a year during the spring. After a successful mating, the 'female' of the coupling will begin to dig a shallow hole to deposit its eggs. A typical clutch consists of six to eight eggs. Chaegbosa eggs vary in size of 20 to 22 centimeters and are deep black in coloring. The chaegbosa 'mother' will cover its eggs with a layer of soil and debris such as leaves, peat, or logs.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Chaegbosa diets consist of whatever foliage and debris they can find, and are more than capable of breaking and digesting rocks, metal, and other materials harmful to humans with their hard, rounded teeth. The quality of their diet determines the quantity and flavor of the sugh they produce; as such, chaegbosa farmers will carefully manage what their herd eats in order to maintain a constant production of sweet sugh.
Not only does a chaegbosa's meal influence the quality of their sugh, but also the viability of the chaegbosa's meat. The production of sugh occurs when the chaegbosa's stomach separates the nutrients into three groups: those necessary for bodily functions, sugars sent to sugh producing organs, and the remaining toxic material. Chaegbosa have evolved processes to take and distribute the toxic material from their diet throughout their muscular system. These toxins make the consumption of chaegbosa meat potentially deadly.
Additional Information
Domestication
Due to centuries of selective breeding, domesticated chaegbosa have numerous more desirable traits compared to their wild cousins. Sugh from a domesticated chaegbosa have noticeably sweeter flavors and their eggs have a more consistent texture and milder palate.
While still timid, wild chaegbosa do not scare as easily as the those found on farms. When a chaegbosa experiences intense fear or stress, they will excrete their bodily toxins into their sugh sacs, causing them to sour immediately. Shepherds must maintain a calm environment to keep their herds happy and ensure a productive harvest of sugh.
Whereas wild chaegbosa only mate during the spring, domesticated breeds are capable of mating at any time of year when provided an adequate environment by their shepherds. This ensures a yearlong supply of eggs for consumers around Miras.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Sugh
The sweet nectar can be harvested weekly from healthy, fully grown chaegbosa. The sugh can be cooked to produce many sugary products, such as jelly, glaze, or pastry fillings. Meat
Standard diets cause chaegbosa meat to be toxic. A sufficiently skilled butcher can harvest quality meat, but the scarcity causes the value of the meat to be quite expensive. As a result, chaegbosa steaks are most popular with the aristocratic class, especially around Roue D'or. It is possible to maintain a special diet for chaegbosa herds that minimize the toxins in their muscles, but these herds will produce minimal sugh as a result and thus keeps the price of the meat high. Eggs
Chaegbosa eggs are bitter and have a mild palate. While some consumers enjoy chaegbosa eggs as caviar spread on toast, a more common use for the eggs is as a black pigment for paint. Wild chaegbosa eggs are more desired by enthusiasts for eating because of their more intense flavors. Many egg hunters will employ the assistance of Bosa Hounds, a dog breed specialized in smelling chaegbosa eggs, to locate and dig up the wild eggs.
The sweet nectar can be harvested weekly from healthy, fully grown chaegbosa. The sugh can be cooked to produce many sugary products, such as jelly, glaze, or pastry fillings. Meat
Standard diets cause chaegbosa meat to be toxic. A sufficiently skilled butcher can harvest quality meat, but the scarcity causes the value of the meat to be quite expensive. As a result, chaegbosa steaks are most popular with the aristocratic class, especially around Roue D'or. It is possible to maintain a special diet for chaegbosa herds that minimize the toxins in their muscles, but these herds will produce minimal sugh as a result and thus keeps the price of the meat high. Eggs
Chaegbosa eggs are bitter and have a mild palate. While some consumers enjoy chaegbosa eggs as caviar spread on toast, a more common use for the eggs is as a black pigment for paint. Wild chaegbosa eggs are more desired by enthusiasts for eating because of their more intense flavors. Many egg hunters will employ the assistance of Bosa Hounds, a dog breed specialized in smelling chaegbosa eggs, to locate and dig up the wild eggs.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Indigenous to the wetlands of the northern coast of the Sea of Howza. Chaegbosa farms are most common around the Veraine Quagmire and Landis Moors, but are possible around any sufficiently damp land.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
On the head and sides of a chaegbosa's body are several tentacles. The typical chaegbosa will have two tentacles on their rear, three on the left and right sides, and four on their head. These tentacles are too weak for locomotion or grasping, rather they are utilized as vibration receptors. These tentacles are capable of rapid oscillations which gently vibrate whatever they touch. A chaegbosa is able to interpret the size and shape of an object using these vibrations and can even use them to distinguish between people they know.
Scientific Name
Melliculus Limacus
Lifespan
6-12 years
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Average Height
0.5 to 1.2 meters
Average Weight
800 - 900 kg
Average Length
3.0 - 3.6 m
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Grey to yellow tints, with large orange sacs.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
Comments
Author's Notes
Monster of the Week, Jan 29, 2021. Discord Discussion.