Crocodile
Of the Crocodile, Lord of Swamps
A most fearsome beast of scaly hide and powerful jaws is the Crocodile. Known to the Khemians as Sukh, they are both revered and feared as the children of the Crocodile-God Sukhos. Haunter of fetid marshes, beneath the emerald cloak of waters it doth lurk, with only its eyes and nostrils above the surface, waiting for unwary prey to stray within reach of its dagger-like teeth. These creatures liveth only in the heat of Aerisca and Dhenia. Four-footed though they be, the Crocodile prefereth the wet embrace of river and reed to the parched earth. Sages speaketh of their genesis in Khemia's fabled Asri River, where the miasmic waters birthed them. Ten feet, it is said, is their natural grace, though whispers of monstrosities born of sorcery and shadows, have birthed tales of behemoths, yclept King Crocodiles, exceeding twenty. Howbeit, with kinds, the male groweth in compasse of body much beyond the female.
Forged in the fiery furnace of Aelos' rays, their hide is a coat of viridian scales, impregnable and steely. So strong it is, that Khemian warriors of old clad themselves in its hide before facing the clang of battle. Yet, this hide is thinner and softer on its belly. Creatures of both land and water, they doze on sun-baked banks come the day, but when Esperus unfoldeth his inky wings, they become lords of the rivers, silent assassins patrolling the liquid shadows. No bird dareth dive from the sky, no beast ventureth near the shimmering surface, for the sight of the Crocodile is the harbinger of death. Even the hardiest Aeriscan fishermen, bronzed by sun and tempered by hardship, flee at the first glimpse of its citron eyes breaking the water's skin, for too many hath fallen to this reaper of souls.
Basic Information
Anatomy
In like manner that Ape doth stand to Man, so too doth the Crocodile resembleth its distant kin, the Dragon, albeit lacking the spark of reason granted to Man and Dragon. This reptilian fiend, crawling upon land with four clawed feet, beareth a hide as nigh-impenetrable as knightly mail, wrought from scales the shade of murky waters. Its elongated head, a fearsome visage, boasteth two jaws of bone and flesh, bristling with dagger-like fangs. This beast alone beareth the distinction of a fixed lower jaw, upon which the upper slides shut with a bone-cracking clamp, forever severing the hope of any unfortunate caught within its grip. Twin yellow eyes, beacons of hunger, pierce from either side of its skull, ensuring no creature may elude its predatory gaze. Birthed by Lord Sukhos, its skull allows it to vanish beneath the water's surface, leaving only those watchful eyes and the tip of its snout as harbingers of death below. This leviathan's mighty tail, surpassing the strength of any mortal warrior, propels it through the water with fearsome grace, and serves as a bludgeon to break the bones of its hapless prey.
Growth Rate & Stages
Verily, amongst all the marvels of the Fourth Age, none doth rival the Crocodile in its transformation from humble beginnings to fearsome majesty. This giant of the swamps, though hatched from an egg no larger than that laid by a goose, doth grow to a size that would dwarf the mightiest ox. Yea, from such a seemingly unremarkable egg emergeth a creature already bearing the fearsome visage it shall wear throughout its long life. Unlike Man, who changeth from babe to child to adult, the Crocodile's form remaineth ever the same, save for the growth that cometh with the insatiable hunger that driveth it to consume flesh of both the quick and the dead.
Behold, this wonder of nature, a testament to the divine power that can birth a terror from such an unassuming start. Let us marvel at the wisdom of Lord Ator, who in his grand design, instructed Gerdia to weave tales of both beauty and dread into the fabric of the world.
Ecology and Habitats
Count it a boon to Mankind that this dread reptile findeth its domain in the sweltering climes of the south, for the cold doth sap its ferocity as surely as winter's frost nipeth the rose. Indeed, it craveth Aelos' caress upon its scales, for the heat fueleth its growth and sharpeneth its fangs. These "children of Sukhos," as the Khemian scribes clept them, favor sweetwater, basking on the banks of rivers and lakes, where the verdant embrace of marsh grass whispereth secrets to the reeds. Yet, they may sometimes be glimpsed in brackish waters as well.
So give thanks to Lord Ator, for he hath ruled the distant heat of the south keepeth this monster in its own infernal prison, lest its hungry gaze falleth upon our lands and bringeth the nightmares of the swamps to our hearth.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The Crocodile feasteth only upon the spoils of animal life, be they warm flesh or cold carrion. All denizens of the rivers, from fish to fowl, tremble at its approach, for none find favor in its hunger. While it delighteth in the thrill of the ambush, feasting upon fresh-slain flesh, the Crocodile is humble and also scavengeth the bones of the drowned, turning waste to sustenance.
Its terrible bite is the instrument of its dominion. Once its dagger-like fangs sink in, no creature of water or land can hope to escape the steely grip. To the depths it drageth its prey, there to drown it in the cold embrace of the water. With its victim stilled, the Crocodile bringeth it to its muddy lair, waiting patiently for the sweet caress of decay. For its fearsome teeth, though sharp for piercing, lack the grace to carve flesh from bone. Thus, it waiteth, allowing the hungry waters to soften the carcass, transforming it into a banquet fit for the lord of the swamps, who hungereth for all that breatheth and findeth sustenance only through death.
Behaviour
Amongst the myriad creatures that crawl and slither upon Tel, one alone dareth to stalk the dread Crocodile: Man, that self-proclaimed master of all he surveys. Yet, within the murky depths of the swamp, where gnarled branches claw at the sun and fetid mists cling to the air, the Crocodile reigneth supreme. As Lord of Swamps, he basketh in the sweltering heat, his scales glinting like polished jade, his gaze as cold and unyielding as the stones that line the riverbed. In this primeval domain, fear is a stranger to his kind.
This beast of the marsh doth spend his days in languorous ease, his vast bulk sprawled upon the sun-baked mud. The life-giving rays fuel his growth, each bask adding another inch to his fearsome length. When hunger pangs gnaw at his belly, he stireth not from his sun-drenched throne, but waiteth with patient cunning. For the Crocodile is a master of ambush, content to strike from the shadows and drag his hapless prey into the murky depths, where his iron jaws and crushing coils know no rival.
Yet, for all his fearsome might, the Crocodile beareth not the mark of a solitary beast. Day or night, they gather in congress. Upon the mudflats, their eyes, like molten gold, they watch the moonslit dance of fireflies, their jaws agape in a chorus of guttural growls. During these gatherings, the Crocodile layeth aside his predatory guise, revealing a facet of his nature oft unseen - a kinship, a sense of belonging amidst his scaled brethren.
Even more curious, though the Crocodile be deemed a demon of the swamps, a predator without mercy, a truth most curious doth linger in the shadows of its dread reputation. For this leviathan, this embodiment of primeval hunger, displayeth a level of parental devotion that would shame many a mortal man.
Both the male and female of this fearsome brood, in a most unbestial act, take turns standing vigil over their leathery eggs, shielding them from predators and the harsh sunlight. When the young hatchlings emerge, blinking at the unfamiliar world, their parents transform into a living ferry, offering their mighty backs as a safe passage through the perilous shallows.
This tenderness, this unexpected understanding of the need to nurture and protect, may seem at odds with the Crocodile's reputation for bestial sloth and indiscriminate hunger. Yet, it serveth as a reminder of their charge to multiply their seed and grow mighty to honor their master Sukhos, the Crocodile-Lord. Lo, for nature is a tapestry woven by Gerdia with both beauty and horror, with threads of compassion and cruelty often intertwined.
Indeed, within the heart of this ancient predator lieth a spark of that same primal instinct that driveth all parents to defend their offspring, a flicker of that light that transcendeth the darkness of nature and illuminateth the shared bond between all living things.
So let us marvel at the unexpected depths of its parental devotion. For in this paradox, we glimpse a truth often obscured by fear: that even the most fearsome beasts may harbor within them a capacity for love and tenderness, a testament to the enduring power of Maya to instill love and mercy, even in the darkest of hearts.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Though dread of the Crocodile gripeth most Men's hearts, certain bold tribes tread upon its domain and turn its fearsome form to their gain. Those who can claim victory over this leviathan may fashion from its scaled hide a cuirass of unmatched strength, impervious to both biting blade and whistling arrow. Aye, even its flesh can find its way onto the Dhenian plate, though Khemians recoil from such a feast, considering the beast sacred and its butchering a sin most grievous.
In Aerisca, whispers abound of a most curious Khemian elixir, a poultice of the Crocodile's foul droppings mixed with certain herbs. Ladies of refined stature, it is said, covet this poultice, for when smeared upon the face, it doth for a time restore youthful beauty, erasing the harsh etchings of age. Yea, the whispers grow bolder, claiming this same unguent, when applied to parts more private, prevents the unwelcome embrace of childbed altogether.
Thus, the Crocodile, though a terror cloaked in shadow, findeth itself twisted by Man into tools of war, sustenance, and even vanity. Yet, let those who court death in pursuit of such boons remember: the swamps hold their secrets close, and the beast's wrath is a storm no mortal may hope to weather unscathed. So tread carefully, ye adventurers who seek to exploit the Crocodile, for the line between profit and perdition lies ever thin in the shadows of its domain.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Khemian scribes writ, that the Crocodile was endowed by Sukhos with senses fit for his dread office as Lord of Swamps. Though Aelos may dip and Esperus' shadows deepen, the Crocodile's vision groweth ever sharper, piercing the night with eyes keener than any owl. Land or water, naught may hide from its gaze; the very reeds whisper of its approach. Nor doth scent be a shield, for its nostrils, keen as any hound's, track the spoor of prey across leagues of marsh and river. As Khemia's learned scribes hath written, though ears it lacketh, the Crocodile heareth with a secret sense, a tremor felt through water and mud, a language whispered on the wind. Thus armed, with sight and scent and occult hearing, the Crocodile stalketh its realm, a silent hunter in a domain of shadows.
