Gela

Idea and Written by Drackzahn

Basic Information

Anatomy

Gelas have no defined body shape. They are a gooey species that lay around their prey or cover a hole to lure them inside. The Gela are not able to form a body or any complex structure. Their bodies are soft, slimy, and slippery. Grabbing them is a near-impossible feat and more comparable to muddy water than to the body of a normal animal. When a Gela has not eaten for a while, their bodies become cold and near transparent like water. This allows them to hunt way easier. After eating, a Gela's body is warm and comfortable to touch. With the energy from eating, they are able to change their color to a certain extends similar to a chameleon.

Genetics and Reproduction

Gelas produce asexually by splitting small pieces of their bodies off the main body. These small blobs of goo become new Gelas if they are split for awhile from the main blob. This results in a very easy way of reproduction, and a very quick spreading of their kind when enough food is available. By consuming food, the Gela grow and when they eat too much too quickly, they split small parts of their body and create new Gelas. Often, this is not planned as it was observed how a Gela eagerly spread over a source of food, consuming it and splitting into many blobs of goo to cover the whole area of food. The slow digestion of the food then leads to a long separation between the different blobs and that results in many new Gelas.

Growth Rate & Stages

A Gela grows with their consumed food. There is no mental growth, no childhood, or any form of progress. As soon as they are born, they are as fit and have all abilities as the older Gelas, just smaller. Many believe that in the end, all Gelas are one singular entity, a hive mind. But this theory was never confirmed and is most likely wrong, as there was never cooperation between Gelas observed. You can split the stages of a Gela by their size.

Small Gela

Small Gelas try to find a potential carrier and act as parasites. In this stage, they are mostly so small that most species will not even notice them, often in the size of small insects. Their small sizes allow them to fit through most holes, even through skin pores into the body of potential prey. They let themselves be carried by their prey while they consume energy and digest parts of the food that the prey eats. Most prey doesn't even realize that they are infected by one or more Gelas, as the Gela is not interested in harming their prey. They just want to grow and reach new areas. As soon as they are big enough to fill a cup, they leave their prey and went to the next stage.

Pit Gela

Gelas in this stage will search for small holes or make their nest in entry areas where potential prey comes along. They hunt mostly smaller animals in this stage and are not dangerous for bigger animals and the most intelligent species. While in search of a good spot, they slowly slither around. After consuming enough food, and reaching the size to fill a bigger bucket of water, they enter the next stage.

Hole Gela

The hole Gela is the dangerous variant of their species. Their pure size of them allows them to interrupt life and block access to whole areas by simply being there. They do not harm other creatures, so the danger is not for their life but only for their comfort. Gelas of this size can produce huge amounts of their aphrodisiac, changing a whole ecosystem by addiction for them. Trade routes can easily be interrupted by such giant hole Gelas and their control of them can cause wars because of the valuable aphrodisiac they can produce.
They are big enough to cover holes and can easily change the color of their goo to hide. As soon as they found a hole, they will just lie into it and stay there for the rest of their lives, or till the supply of food becomes too low. Gelas in this stage vary heavily in size and danger. Older, bigger Gelas can even reach the size of small ponds and lakes, luring even the biggest animals in the area towards them.

Ecology and Habitats

Wet and well-temperated areas are best for Gelas to survive and to find enough water and prey for nutrition. Their gooey nature allows them not to enter dry areas like deserts and makes them weak against coldness. Small winters can be survivable by hibernation and letting their bodies freeze, but if the cold stays too long, they die. Especially swamp areas are the natural habitat for Gelas and the area where you can often find them. Forests and areas that have much potential prey walking around are also liked by them, this also includes villages and cities for bigger Gelas who are able to hunt bigger prey.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Gelas are omnivores and eat whatever they can get. It does not matter if it is a fruit, the bark of a tree, a whole plant, or even a whole tree if they are big enough to cover parts of it wholly. Plant-based food is not preferred by the Gela tho, as they prefer living prey. Differently from most hunters, a Gela does rarely kill its prey but lives off dead cells and other consumable waste products of a prey. You can split their sources of food into several categories.

Slithering around

While a Gela is small or forced to slither around, they will consume whatever they can, no matter if plant-based, a dead animal, or prey who can't escape them. They are very slow while moving, making it very easy to avoid them and as they can't see or smell their potential prey, they cant lure for them to drop on them. Their only way to find food is to feel it by covering it. Plant-based food keeps them alive but does not let them grow if not given in huge amounts.

Infecting Prey

Small Gelas infect prey and enter their bodies through pores or holes. An infected prey will most likely not even realize that they are infected. The Gela lives off the food that the prey consumes and products that the prey's body produces like blood or muscles. They never consume much and avoid causing discomfort for the prey to avoid getting a reaction from the prey's body. Most of the time, they are parasites, but not harmful ones. As soon as they are big enough, they leave the body of the prey.

Smaller Prey

Smaller prey, in comparison to the size of the Gela, is simply covered by the Gela. The prey is then freed of any dead cells on their bodies, any fur that is not connected to their skin, and other waste products that the Gela can reach and get. Depending on the prey, the Gela will also suck off a little bit of Soul energy from their prey, but never in a noticeable amount. After the Gela has consumed all it can, it will let the prey go. During the procedure, the prey will receive emotions of joy and rushes of warmth, as the Gela produces a weak aphrodisiac while it eats.

Bigger Prey

Bigger preys that can't be covered completely by the Gela are at least covered partly and then the Gela slowly moves over the body, consuming all it can from their prey. Again, they will focus on waste products and not harm their prey. The covered area will feel warm and spread a comfortable feeling through the prey's body due to the weak aphrodisiac that the Gela produces as an off-product while eating. This often leads to prey allowing the Gela to move over them without trying to get them off. There are even symbiotic relationships documented, where animals voluntarily let a Gela touch them and eat from them to get access to the weak aphrodisiac. As bigger preys have much more Soul energy as well often, the Gela will consume a bit of the soul energy as well. Bigger prey often offers enough food for a Gela to split and create offspring. These small offsprings often infect the prey as parasites to be carried to new places.

Biological Cycle

Gelas have no circles. They eat whenever they can and they rest whenever no prey is available. As long as there is enough food in an area, they do not move from their hole. The only callable circle they have is when temperatures drop below zero. The Gela will search for a small cave or a tunnel in the ground where it can hide from the cold. If their temperature drops below zero, they will freeze similar to water, and go into hibernation. As long as this stage is not too long and they have enough energy left from former prey, they can survive this and melt as soon as temperatures rise again.

Behaviour

Gelas are dumb animals with no advanced psychology. They are only interested in eating and in reproducing after consuming enough food. There are typically seen behavior patterns tho that can be described. In general, a Gela is not interested in killing its prey. Prey who were once the source of food for a Gela may become food again in the future. Only if the prey is already dead, a Gela will consume them as they see them similar to dead cells of living prey, just a waste product that can be absorbed to produce energy. As long as the Gela receives enough food, they have no interest in moving much and will just lay in their hole, awaiting new prey. If they lack energy or the conditions changes in a negative way for them, they may get out of their hole and slither around to find a new nest for themselves. Gelas have no interest in other Gelas, no matter if they are their offspring or not. They do not help each other, nor do they attack each other. There is no territorial behavior documented either, as it is believed that their nature is just too simple for it. All they are interested in is food.

Additional Information

Domestication

Gelas are easy to domesticate, by all more complex animals or species. Their weak aphrodisiac and their habit of eating dead cells and other waste products of their prey make them rather popular as cleaners and to relax while they feed on you. Many tribes in the Sylvan Lands hold them as pets. In more civilized areas, the Gelas are more seen as pests, due to their habit of infecting their prey. The idea of having Gelas living in you is not liked by many city inhabitants. The quick spreading of Gelas make it easy to find them, especially in swamps.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Clever farmers will feed Gelas and collect the aphrodisiac produced by them to sell to high society as cremes or drinks. There are many animals who voluntarily let Gelas feed on them to get access to the aphrodisiac that a Gela produces while eating as a byproduct. The habit of them only eating dead cells is also exploited by many tribes and animals alike as a way to clean themselves.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Gelas are spread over many areas of the Sylvan Lands, especially in all areas that are wet enough. The most common areas are swamps and river flood areas.

Average Intelligence

Gelas are not intelligent creatures. They are incapable of complex thoughts and mostly are concerned with just satisfying the most basic of needs and little else.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The perception of a Gela is elementary and more comparable to a giant cell than a living animal. They react only to touch and have no sense of smell or vision. When moving, a Gela moves very slowly and feels the ground under them to get forward. This makes it very easy to lure them into traps as they can't see what is ahead of them. Their feel for touch is strong and they can easily differentiate between different animals, ground types, and plants to decide what their next action is.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Gelas are a heavily parasitic species. They depend on their prey to move long distances, as they are too slow with their slithering to do it themselves. Small Gelas will enter the body of their prey and let themselves be carried to new areas. This happens especially often when a Gela feed off bigger prey, as they produce small offsprings which then infest the prey. Galas have no interest in harming their prey, making them rather peaceful parasites that do no harm.
Outside their parasitic properties, they live in harmony with their prey. As an off-product, while eating, Gelas produce a weak aphrodisiac that spread comfort and rushes of warmth for the prey. It is observed that many animals voluntarily let Gelas feed off their dead body cells to get access to the weak aphrodisiac.

Scientific Name

Nen Nu Dath (Elvish for Watery trap pit)

Lifespan

Infinite, a Gela does not age, only grow

Average Height

Between small enough to enter through skin pores till big enough to form whole lakes

Average Weight

Varies heavily, but in general similar to water

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Gelas are rather translucent. This is particularly true when they are starving. At this point, they lose their coloring and have an appearance similar to water. They are able to change their goo color depending on the ground or the hole they fill out. If observed well-fed and without a special ground pattern, they appear in watery blue color. It is believed that this is their natural body tint.

Geographic Distribution

• Sylvan Lands