Observations on Aquatic Flora & Fauna
Written by Elias Dods.
Introduction
A short summary of a larger collection of observations, depictions, and research on various flora and fauna native to the waters of Haven.
Observations on Aquatic Flora & Fauna
The aquatic flora and fauna of Haven are as vibrant as life on land creating an intermingling ecosystem of their own. From the bounty of the sea fisherman and sailors have learned to adopt the sea as their own and survive even where man was not meant to live. Small summaries are included in this excerpt for more detailed depictions please browse the alchemist’s floor of the Grand Library of Seawatch.
Flora
Bloodpurge
This plant floats on the surface of tidal pools and consists of a bluster of broad, waxy leaves, and a single root that trails down into the water. Their leaves are bright green with red capillaries iconic to this plant and its subspecies. During the warmer months, a bright red flower sprouts from the top of the plant and is used quite beautifully in charms of summer made by coastal peasants to ward off storms.
Drying the plant causes it to turn into a flaky powder, which is often used in a distilled tincture to neutralize minor poisons. A single dose of Bloodpurge powder can cost as much as a month of rations but is invaluable when treating many poisons and venoms common to the waters of Haven.
Tangra Kelp
This dark green, ropy kelp grows in shallow waters directly from the seabed and is both a blessing and a bane to sailors. The kelp often tangles oars, fishing nets and crab traps much to a sailor’s ire. However, more than a few sailors left adrift at the mercy of the winds have survived off of little more than the freshwater contained within the stalks and the school of fish that dwell among their protective fronds. Inexperienced swimmers should be particularly careful around Tangra Kelp, it is not uncommon to find corpses still tangled in the kelp they drowned in.
Mokoro Bushes
This full-body bush grows a plentiful amount of waxy green leaves that turn pink in the fall. During warmer months the bush sprouts flowers of yellow and orange, which turn into sweet little berries. The bush often takes root at the edge of beaches where the tides flood the land and the sand never seems to dry but thrives best in the Graywater River Delta.
The leaves of the bush can be harvested and rendered down to create a lustrous resin that can be used to seal the hulls of seagoing boats, replacing pitch. The practice is far from common as the process that creates the resin is much more expensive than using the traditional methods. Some seamstresses also coat their threads on the resin, which allows for the creation of finer garments.
Air Bulbs
An undersea shrub of deep green that clings to rocks and coral beneath the waves. A long tendril-like stem stretches up from the roots to a balloon of air suspended in the water above the plant. Many divers have been saved by draining this balloon of air by the straw-like growths that dot the air bladder. These air bladders are surprisingly delicate, posing a serious risk to those caught too close when one pops underwater.
Darkroot
Darkroot is a large, black, twisting root that grows to be taller than most men and is found by waterfalls and similar damp areas. It tastes vile, so chewing or swallowing it induces vomiting and is a common sight in a mundane healers kit. It can be made into a strong and fast-setting glue capable of holding up hundreds of pounds. This property makes it a must-have aboard ships in Haven, acting as a fast-acting sealant for repairs on the hull.
Kraken Weed
Kraken weed is a nigh-invisible seaweed native to the Bloodwind Sea that forms patches hundreds of feet in diameter. Entering the clutches of a Kraken Weed is a death sentence for swimmers and is certain to sink most small boats. Each translucent tendril is not covered in wide fronds like most seaweed but is instead covered in razor-like growths. As the weed twists and wraps itself around its prey, it slices its victim to pieces to both feed upon it and attracts more food to its maw. It is believed to be a subspecies of the Entangling root plant that assaults travelers on land but its adaptations in water make it far deadlier than its landlocked variety.
Wither’s Bane
This increasingly rare, violet algae can be found growing on metal that finds its way to the seafloor where sunlight never reaches. Over centuries metal in the Blacksea accumulates more and more of this strange algae on its surface which makes cultivating it a daunting feat. With enough time the algae can be scraped up from the metal and mixed with oil, to create a potion that dissolves rust and brings back the shine in metal. It is one of the many expensive commodities produced by the Tritons of Helmont and is to my knowledge the only place in Haven you can find the trade. Nowhere else would you find someone mad enough to swim that deep into the Blacksea.
Orevine
This grapevine looking plant is a miraculous and closely guarded blessing native to the coral reefs of the Triton people. The vine leaches metal from the ground and forms metallic spheres as if they were berries along its twisting vines. This remarkable plant is the only source of raw metal for the Triton people and though they do not work it themselves it's purity is sought after by the greatest blacksmiths in the land. Attempts to steal either the plants or their bounty from the Tritons in Helmont is akin to a death sentence.
Sand Vine
Relatively rare rope-like seaweed found along the coast of the Parched Expanse. It grows both above and below water, commonly rooting to a small rock. Sailors long ago dried the seaweed and used it as rope before more modern rope weaving practices were invented. A skilled alchemist can even turn its juices into Vine Oil, which is a topical anesthetic that allows a creature to fight through their mortal wounds but will also their ability to heal those wounds. Regular use of Vibe Oil leaves a signature aroma of wet earth and makes the blood a deep purple.
Water Orb
Bulbous, aquatic fungi that grow in boulder-like patches in detritus areas. The fungi feed on filth and saltwater to create clear, freshwater which it stores in the bulbous cap. This bulb is around a foot around and if prepared properly can serve as a convenient water jug to long as it doesn't get too dry else it crack and spill its precious contents. The water this plant holds is the source of freshwater for many small fishing villages and the odd traveler or two. It is not horribly uncommon to create filth pools to feed a crop of Water Orbs to act as an emergency water supply for a village.
Fauna
Sea Urchin
A spiny, globular creature with a hard outer shell, and spines as sharp as needles. It is easily recognizable by its odd shape and vibrant colors. The barbs of this creature are often venomous and deliver and agonizing and crippling sting in such a tiny package. This venom can be harvested by skilled alchemists in a proper laboratory and is sought after in many underground dog fight rings, used in small doses it can make a killer from the even the most docile pups.
Maneater Clam
Monstrously large clams found in the Triton cultivation fields and wildly in deep crevices in the rock. These clams survive solely on carrion and the fish unfortunate enough to swim between its jaws. Those powerful jaws can break bones and even sever limbs with little concern for what laid there. Sun pearls are created by triton in a strange ritualized disposal of their dead, wherein their dead are fed to the clams after being properly prepared by Zephyr priests. Several months or even years later the Maneater Clam can be pried open and a magical pearl may be extracted from within. This is all that remains of the dead fed to the creature and can be used as a trusty arcane focus connected with the powers of the sea. Superstition has it that the older the Triton or the more triton fed to one clam leads to a more powerful focus.
Titanshell
The Titanshell is a gigantic deep-sea crab that regularly terrorizes the coastline of the Blacksea. Each of these formidable foes grows to the size of most warhorses, with thick plating covering its body like armor. This chitinous plating is vibrantly colored in reds, blues, greens, purples, and oranges and is as strong as steel. Fishermen must be careful not to draw these beasts ashore when they come in with the day’s catch. The creature has been known to stalk a fishing vessel for miles, just beneath the water, in anticipation of the feast aboard whether that be man or fish. Each of its large pincers is the size of tower shields and is easily capable of snapping one between them. In rare instances, the Triton have managed a semblance of domestication with these creatures but for the majority of Haven, they serve as nothing more than an environmental hazard of the sea like so much else.
Manta Ray
The majestic Manta Ray is a treasured steed among the aquatic Triton. The animal is revered as one of the noblest among the creatures of the sea. The rearing of riding Manta is among the most honorable trades of the Triton people. The Zephyr temples often care for several of these noble creatures to serve as transport for members of their order to check on the seaside shrines that dot Haven.
Voltic Eel
The shifty predator commonly referred to as the Voltic eel is more a danger to local wildlife than to the people of Haven. Though some swimmers may find themselves attacked by this underwater monster its primary prey consists of fish. Few would be threatened by a Voltic Eel on its own and it is even considered a delicacy in both Shardholm and Shorewall often served during festivals and holidays.
Sev Spawn
The spawn of Sev are the last remnants of an ancient Godbeast of the Sea. The Triton believe this creature is the remains of their creator that fell back into the sea when Shadiym first dominated Haven's coasts. These amorphous masses of writhing tentacles are legendary for their telepathic abilities and their hideous appearance. This otherworldly connection with the minds of others is considered a sacred gift among Triton and those bonded with Sev Spawn are given great reverence.
Nixie
The Nixie are trickster spirits entwined with the strange waters of Haven. Most Nixie only torment vessels and sailors who stray too far from shore. Though there is a particular breed of Nixie only found in the Glass Sea that exclusively survives by luring travelers into the water. Most Nixie tricks tend to be harmless, aimed more in causing anguish than true harm but the recklessness of a Nixie’s antics could leave you with a cup of poisoned wine or even a broken leg. Nixie feed off the anguish they cause, withering away into nothing if they do not maintain their malicious spirit.
Nixie are often described as incorporeal, shapeless creatures composed of vapor and light. Their form is malleable, twisting and shifting with the mood and desires of the Nixie. Most often, these spirits appear as humanoid children no larger than a loaf of bread and comprised of mist suspended in the air. Legend speaks of a witch who once captured a Nixie and wove her hair into a cloak that hid her from all sight. Corroborated by the works of Magi Advicus Mond but with little success on the hardest part: capturing one of the damnable eels.
Primordial Drop
A Primordial Drop, as it is called by the monks of the Unseen Temple, is believed to be remnants of the first water brought to Haven. The unseen monks believe these ancient shards of creation are the servants of Oceanus and offer great power to those who can strike an accord with one. These are perhaps the most elusive creature I have ever attempted to study with no sightings of one in the last century. In fact, no reliable historical or scholarly archive seems to have an accurate description of this creature and I never think there will be.
Giant Leech
The giant leech is a native of the Glass Sea and one of the many demons beneath the still surface. Each of these beasts is a mass of muscle and teeth the size of small hounds, dozens of these comprise the swarms that hunt the waters for blood. Each of these swarms is capable of draining the life from their victims in just a few short moments and is the primary threat to divers in the water. Lizardfolk hunters have been known to swim with large salt rocks taken from the Parched Expanse lashed to them to ward off the leech swarms. Without them most divers find themselves beset by swarms of leeches not long after sinking beneath the surface.
Glowfish
The Glowfish is a small, bioluminescent fish native to the shallower waters of the Glass Sea. It is a common catch for shore fishermen or in traps laid out along the tributary rivers. The fish is best described as a small catfish, traced by veins of luminescent blood in shades of green, yellow, and blue. The meat of this fish is vile and poisonous but its blood serves as a reliable and steady light source, the commodity of which has become a sought after treasure around the Verdant. Glowfish blood, when properly prepared, preserved, and stored can last for days or even weeks before rotting into brown sludge.
Black Leviathans
This entry unlike every other entry in this collection does not correspond to a specific creature but rather all those under this monstrous category. Black Leviathans are apex predators that dominate their territory by sheer might. They have been known to attack swimmers, ships, and fish alike that stray too close to their dens. Even the corpse of a leviathan is as dangerous as a living specimen and If allowed to fester and pupate their corpses are capable of bringing forth horrors, just as terrible as themselves. These creatures also fall under the category of leviathan though they may lack many of their other characteristics, including their gargantuan size.
Tide Basilisk
The most common Black Leviathan is the perilous Tide Basilisk. A sea serpent large enough to bite a man in two and sporting a freezing breath it uses to immobilize victims in the water. Tide Basilisks, though common, are only seen after the monsoons have risen water levels considerably to allow it deeper inland access. These creatures are opportunists and will move into territory while others are distracted or weakened, often hunting prey where they least expect such a massive creature.
Eye of the Deep
This otherworldly monstrosity births itself from the rotting corpses of leviathans on the seafloor. This particular creature has never been observed by any respectable sources and is instead known for the hypnotic patterns it creates in the water, all featuring a large depiction of an eye. This creature is capable of hypnotizing its victims to swim out into the deep and drown themselves in the dark water. Dragging its prey’s corpse beneath the surface with black tentacles from the deep.
The Broodshell
The Broodshell is an enormous Titanshell that guards the coastal waters southwest of the Parched Expanse. This massive creature is often mistaken for a small island until the brood of Titanshells that nest upon its back launch to the defense of their great shelled queen. The territorial leviathan is one of the many reasons boats do not commonly make the journey around the Parched Expanse to the Bloodwind Sea.
