sky leviathans

The crew of the ship stared forward in disbelief. All action had ceased and silence had mingled with the thunderous noise of the waves. They all had their eyes fixed on what had broken through the cloud cover in front of them. The mighty body swung down towards them in serpentine lines with seemingly infinite calm and patience. What they saw before them could at best be described as a whale descending from the clouds towards them. Its body was elongated and more linear compared to the huge animals they usually hunted. Clouds seemed to obey its commands along its upright hind fin, which was more reminiscent of a shark's, as if it were keeping itself connected to the sky above.

Another wave hit the flank of their vessel with a crash, tilting the old whaling steamer and tearing apart another piece of the outer hull. Below deck, their captain could hear wild screams, panicked cries. The attempt to save the ship from the floods and their rescue would fail. If the sea had not yet sealed their fate, the creature that now loomed directly in front of them, seeming to scrutinize the crew with black eyes, certainly had.

"Please don't," the first mate next to the captain finally moaned. The seasoned man, who had already weathered 100 storms like this one and who was revered by the crew for his fearlessness, fell to his knees and held up both hands in supplication. His roar drowned out another wave that tossed the ship back to the other side like a cue ball: "I beg you. Forgive us! Never again will we hunt your kind! Do you hear me? I promise, on the life of my unborn daughter. Spare us and never again will this ship leave port!"

The creature's gaze remained fixed on him, looking him up and down for an eternally long second before the creature bridged the last few metres between itself and the ship and came to a halt directly in front of the bow. A shrill sound escaped the creature's throat as it opened its mouth wider. Wild panic broke out. Screams and begging, prayers and pleas roared past the captain, who was unable to break free from his stupor. The mouth dropped.

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Sky leviathans are massive creatures that inhabit the skies above Terria. They resemble enormous whales and are generally considered peaceful.

table of contents

1. general
2. anatomy
3. abilities
4. reproduction and behavior
5. variations

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Taming the Sky

Brave adventurers, proud warriors. Do you dream of exploring the heavens and their most powerful inhabitants? Do you also hope to find a way to overcome the titans in the east of the ocean? Do you also wish to call those creatures your partners who can control clouds, winds and rain? Then join my expedition. I offer 10,000 kaliats for every confirmed sighting of a sky leviathan outside the Cloud Oasis. I offer 10,000 kaliats for every kilo of a leviathan's body that is in an acceptable condition and has been removed without violence. I offer 20,000 kaliat for each day a brave adventurer commits life and limb to my mission to tame the mighty creatures of the sky and uncover their secrets. I offer 50,000 kaliat for the head of any poacher who dares to bend a scale on the marvelous sky leviathans.
- Petition of a peak striker

General

Not a great deal is known about sky leviathans, aside from those things that could be gleaned from observing them from afar. They give birth to their young on the Cloud Oasis before leaving the area with them and returning to their so far undiscovered home. Sky leviathans grow to between 45 and 55 meters, weighing between 470 and 520 tons. The largest specimen, a female, reached a size of 61 meters and weighed 590 tons. Theoretically, they can be found anywhere on Terria, but as they can still fly even when asleep, they can usually only be encountered on the outboard of an Airship.

Anatomy

by CSor96 using Midjourney

The celestial leviathans reach an average size of 45 to 55 meters, with their males being about 8% smaller and lighter than their female counterparts. Their weight is between 470 and 520 tons. They have a pointed, backward-facing head that resembles that of a dragon. The top of its body, from the head down to the base of its tail, has a crest of massive bony plates. Its streamlined body ends in its tail, which again ends in a T-fin reminiscent of that of a shark.

Along their flanks, sky leviathans each have a fin between 9 and 11 meters long. On the upper side of their body, leviathans have bony plates under their taut skin that protect them from physical attack. Their undersides, on the other hand, have lamellar layers of skin that are explicitly designed to defend against energy-based forces. Their fins, massive and fleshy at the base, taper outwards into thin, finger-like limbs reminiscent of the wing membranes of bats.

Abilities

Sky Leviathans possess a number of extraordinary abilities, most of which are for their own protection. Although they have the capacity to use them offensively, they prefer to take a defensive stance and flee in the event of an attack. The first thing to mention is their skin. If it is hit by an energetic attack, it runs along the grooves between the lamellar structures and the impact can be spread over a larger area. Even the attacks of powerful Empowered bounce off sky leviathans, usually without effect.

Their backs are protected by heavy bone plates, making them resistant to physical attacks, but their skin is not divided into individual grooves in this area, making them more susceptible to energetic attacks. In addition, Leviathans are able to manipulate both water by manipulating Nature energy. More interesting, however, is their rare ability for the manipulation of aether clouds. Their ability to fly also seems to be an extension of this power.

Unfortunately, the inner mechanics of sky leviathans are a comprehensive mystery. No living specimen has yet been captured, nor has a corpse been found, neither by natural death nor by a predator. It is also unclear how exactly their ability to manipulate aether clouds works, but they constantly trail fine strips of clouds behind them in flight, on which they appear to glide.

Reproduction and behavior

Not much is known about the reproduction and general behavior of sky leviathans. They are born on Uras, but after hatching from their eggs on the Cloud Oasis, they only spend a few weeks there before leaving the continent with their parents. They also do not use the flying island for breeding, but return here with their eggs already in their wombs. Even during this breeding season and in the weeks that follow, the leviathans are considered to be extremely peaceful and curious.

Not only do they meet and play with visitors approaching on airships, but they also allow their young to freely explore their surroundings. Their language is based on high-frequency sounds that cannot be perceived by human hearing, but reach several kilometers, allowing them to communicate over long distances. Sky leviathans are highly intelligent and warm-hearted, which means that since their first appearance there has not been a single attack by such a creature on a human that was not previously provoked.

Mercy on those who dare to anger a creature of such gentle disposition. I watched the savages attacking the mother as she lingered near the hillside, letting her cubs sample the green trees. While not wounded, it recoiled long enough for the group, six in number, to grab one of the cubs and slide down the slope by manipulating the earth. The fools could hardly have fled as quickly as the sky itself turned against them. They must have barely made it a hundred meters before the first cloud caught up with them, turning red from the body it pressed inside them to little more than a hazy mist.

Variations

A total of three variations of sky leviathans are known, which seem to be decided by the season that follows the summer of the cloud oasis where they hatch.

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The sky leviathans whose birth is followed by spring are called spring leviathans. They have a greenish coloration throughout their skin and their heads are less pointed than those of their relatives. In return for their thinner skin and generally thinner and more linear body, they have greater control over the aether clouds, allowing them to move at a much faster pace. Spring leviathans double the cruising speed of their conspecifics, reaching speeds of up to 90 km/h. After their breeding season, they fly eastwards.

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If the birth of a sky leviathan is followed by autumn, it is called an autumn leviathan. They have a bronze coloration to their skin. Although their skin is thicker than that of their spring relatives, they also have hardened bone plates, which make their bodies more difficult, but also make them extremely resistant to physical attacks. They also have bone plates along their abdomen, which run as thin strands under their skin and are reminiscent of chain mail. After the breeding season, they fly north and cross the Sky Mountains.

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If summer is immediately followed by winter, winter leviathans are born. They have a white belly and a black-colored back. Their neck is adorned with dark gray fur and both their tail and fins are considerably longer. In general, the winter leviathans are considered the largest and heaviest representatives and are characterized in particular by their control over the water. Even from a height of hundreds of meters, winter leviathans can draw thousands of liters of water from lakes and let it rain over the land during periods of drought. After their breeding season, they fly south.