Baggage Crab
They're too damn stupid to fight and their meat tastes like a bad banana dipped in fart.
The Baggage Crab is one of many native species Far Harbor region. They're also perhaps the most iconic as well. The Baggage Crab can be found all over the city of Far Harbor itself as well as in Stepping Stone Bay.
The species is exceptionally prolific in numbers and can be found on virtually every island in the region where they will comb the beaches picking about the sand for tiny bits of food or interesting treasures to collect. In more civilized areas they are often used in place of carts or carriages due to their incredible carrying capacity and overall docile nature.
A large gathering of Baggage Crabs happens once every year on Stepping Stone Island and is known as the Baggage Jubilee. Thousands upon thousands of the creatures gather to mate and to trade treasures. They take over miles of beach and clog the waters along the northern and western sides of the island. It often creates a frustrating situation for sailors navigating those regions but little can be done. This can last for upwards of two weeks before the crabs depart; the beaches they leave behind are often covered in discarded trinkets, husks cast off during molting, dozens of rotting crab corpses (Even a Baggage Crab can't stand the taste of their own kind and this species is known to eat almost anything). The inhabitants of Stepping Stone do not look forward to this time. Shipments of supplies are delayed and break-away groups of Baggage Crabs will wander from the beaches to tear up gardens, trample through the streets, and steal things like common looters. They seem to have a special affinity for anchors, storefront signs, barrels, large pieces of cloth like blankets or dresses, and anything blue.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Baggage Crabs mate once a year in large gatherings all across the Far Harbor region. The largest is known as the Baggage Jubilee and occurs on Stepping Stone Island. These meet ups general last for about two weeks and are dedicated to two things: mating and trading trinkets
Growth Rate & Stages
Baggage Crabs grow quickly if they are able to find enough food to support themselves. Many believe there is no upward limit on the size a baggage crab can grow to. The only barriers they face are finding food to power such growth and needing room to accommodate their size. Owners of "domesticated" Baggage Crabs are generally aware of this and limit the amount of food they feed their beasts.
Ecology and Habitats
Beaches and coastal waters. Baggage Crabs generally are not found in the deep waters of the ocean unless they are crossing to some other habitat. They do not compete well for food with other species found there. The only exception is large carcasses such as whales and sea monsters. Baggage Crabs will seek these feasts out and generally dominate the corpse so thoroughly that other scavengers cannot stake a claim.
Dietary Needs and Habits
They are scavengers and will eat just about anything. They seem to have a strong affection for tiny bits of rotting meat and ripe Minga Melons that have fallen from their trees. The only things Baggage Crabs seem to refuse to eat are each other
Biological Cycle
Baggage Crabs will shed their shed their shells generally once a year and usually around or during mating season.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Baggage Crabs seem to form complex social groups consisting of "friends" they like to traipse about with and look for treasure. The term "friend" is used only because there is no real rhyme or reason to why certain crabs will travel with each other. Family ties seeming meaningless to the crabs. Scholars speculate that it has to do with commonalities between what the crabs value as treasure.
Domestication
While not particularly suited for true domestication the Baggage Crab can be coaxed into performing tasks if rewarded with food, especially Minga Melon. The crabs are very skilled at following routes and learn to associate certain sounds with destinations; meaning that a crab can through repetition learn the names of certain places. However; crabs need constant high-value food rewards. Many merchants have lost their entire cargo to Baggage Crabs that have lost interest and wandered off.
It should be noted that Baggage Crabs do not want treasures from humanoids. It is not yet known why universally reject treasures and trades with people but some guess that the actual act of "finding" treasure exceptionally rewarding to them. Food is all that a Baggage Crab will accept from a humanoid.
A "domesticated" Baggage Crab will generally cost about 120GP from a reputable seller. Such a crab will know the major streets and locations in a city already and be eager to learn new ones. It will be able to carry about 1.5x its own wait and still move at a pace comparable to a brisk walk of a humanoid. Higher weights are certainly possible but slow the creature more and make it more demanding of treats. When not overworked a Baggage Crab will generally require about 2GP worth of feed and snacks per day. The majority of that cost coming from the need to buy unusual treats and Minga Melons to make sure it's not only being fed but that its attention is being held
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Very little. Their meat is rancid to taste and very hard on the stomach of all humanoids. It is very likely to induce vomiting or lead to bacterial infection due to the amount of filth they eat. Their shells become very brittle within days of their death and offer no meaningful utility. Their only use is as labor hands and only so long as they are fed. It is nearly impossible to keep a Baggage Crab against its will due to their size, strength, and determination to find something rewarding to do.
Average Intelligence
The people of Far Harbor often insult each other's intelligence by comparing them to a Baggage Crab. They believe the creatures are incredibly dumb due to their docile natures, inability to be trained in the simplest of tasks, and their penchant for just trampling about. However; some careful studies by local scholars have observed a great deal of intelligence in Baggage Crabs, especially social intelligence. They form bonds with each other. They seem to have a very sophisticated system of value around bizarre treasures they collect and trade. They remember and follow migratory routes with precision as well as city street directions when used as laborers. It seems to them, in laymen terms, that Baggage Crabs understand commands and instructions but they just don't care.
More specifically, Baggage Crabs seem to only want to engage in the activities they find rewarding. Those being finding food, eating food, following routes, looking for treasures, trading treasures, and loitering about on beaches.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The crabs have a very keen sense of smell that allows them to not only find anything remotely edible but analyse the scents they're picking up for additional information such as threats. The crabs also frequently clack their claws together in quick succession to create sound waves that bounce and ricochet off solid objects before returning to them. In this sense the crabs have a form of Echolocation they can use to analyze their environment. What is particularly impressive is that they are able to do so even in areas clogged with other noises that might otherwise interfere with such an effort. This likely means the Baggage Crab possesses a very acute sense of hearing as well. It is also likely some kind of communication happens between crabs using these click clacking noises too.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Baggage Crabs generally do not suffer from external parasites as they are not above preening each other's shells for loose bits of garbage to eat.
Lifespan
60 to 70 years
Conservation Status
None. There's a common saying heard during the Baggage Jubilee that says "There's not enough swords in Tairos to cut a path a clear path through that party".
Average Height
9 to 10 feet
Average Weight
8,000 to 10,000 lbs
Average Length
12 to 15 feet
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Most Baggage Crabs are a mixture of reddish colors toward their top with a sandy underside.
Geographic Distribution
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