Karkinoi
Overview
While titan-spawned horrors like the hydra and chimera have settled into Ogygian ecology, the beasts that lived there before their arrival have nonetheless endured, and even adapted. This is most obvious in the karkinoi (singular karkinos) that roam the swamps and oceans. These oversized crustaceans have always been the bane of sailors and coastal villages, but they have taken on a more appreciated reputation in recent history as the bane of hydras.Karkinoi are largely carnivores, feeding on fish, whales, cows, and any other creatures they can snap up or impale on their claws. They come in two major varieties: one whose claws have evolved into serrated spears used to impale and carve prey, and one whose claw-arms have developed spikes along the inside to snap up prey like a mantis. The spikes of the spear karkinoi inject a neurotoxin that cramps the muscles of larger victims and fully paralyzes smaller prey, while also completely halting the body's natural regeneration at the injection point for up to a day.
Karkinoi are loners and are fairly aggressive toward intrusions into their territory, though the presence of the opposite type of karkinos is largely tolerated. Since both types have the same territory as hydras, the two are known for their brutal fights. However, the karkinos is often the victor through sheer attrition: the spear karkinos' anti-healing neurotoxin completely disables the hydra's greatest strength, and most hydras lack the crushing jaws and raw power to break through the karkinos' armored shell.
Contents
Details
Average Height
10-15 feet
Average Length
20-25 feet
Geographic Distribution
