Lunodmangga

"Nobody knows for sure why some of those who drown become Lunodmangga. They speculate that they are angry about their life being cut short, or maybe their bodies have been possessed by some evil spirit. But I believe the truth behind this monster, as with so many others, lies with Rangdayan." - Wira Suryanata, leader of the Tirta Baya

In the Southwestern Region of the Great Ring, it is known that those who are drowned and lost may return as a horrific parody of themselves. Their rotting and bloated bodies will roam the seas near where they died. These creatures are known for their long and terrifying tongues, which can latch onto anyone near the water and drag them beneath the waves.

A Terrible Appendage

The tongue of the Lunodmangga is unlike anything else in the world. It is similar in some ways to the tentacle of a great octopus, but tipped with a round fanged mouth that can sink into the flesh of the Lunodmangga's victims. The creature uses the tongue to pull sailors off their ships, pulling them overboard into the water. Once there, the Lunodmangga will trap their victim in coils of the tongue before forcing the tip down their throat, ripping away flesh, bone, and teeth to do so. It will then vomit seawater directly into the lungs of their prey, drowning them.

All of this happens faster than you might expect, and much more quietly. Another sailor on the same ship might hear only a slight splash before seeing that their comrade is missing. Upon looking over the edge, they will have only a second to register the sinking body before the tongue of the Lunodmangga shoots up and out of the water again to seize a second victim. When ships are found completely empty of crew without reason, the Lunodmangga is often blamed for the disaster.

Lost at Sea

It is said that if the bodies of those slain by the Lunodmangga are not recovered, they are likely to become monsters themselves. Sometimes the bodies will wash ashore with their tongues elongated and protruding from their mouths - these are thought to be partially transformed, and must be immediately cremated to prevent any further changes. But most of the time the recovery falls to those who survived the attack, if there are any. They will dive down into the ocean to try and draw up the corpses, often while their comrades are still attempting to fend off or kill the attacking monster.

Bound to the Waters

Destroying the Lunodmangga is simple, if not easy. The creature must remain in salt water to survive, and if it is out of contact with the sea it will die in less than a minute. But pulling a Lunodmangga out of the water is easier said than done. The surface of its tongue is caustic to the touch, and will corrode anything that it touches, quickly burning through gloves or rope, and searing flesh. Even if the sailors can maintain a grip on the thing's tongue, it is immensely strong and can drag two or three full-grown sailors over the side as they grapple with it. It takes the efforts of at least five strong people to drag the creature into the air and hold it there to die while their skin melts.

One Monster among Many

The goddess Rangdayan is called the 'Mother of Monsters', and many believe that the Lunodmangga is another of her creations. This is especially true in the Kanluranan archipelago, where the Persatuan Phaṇin have waged a centuries long war against Rangdayan and her hordes of monsters. You can read more about Rangdayan here.

A Parastic Takeover

Some scholars believe that the Lunodmangga is not an undead creature at all. Instead, they say that the tongue of the Lunodmangga is the creature itself, and that the body is being puppeted by the monster. When the Lunodmangga fills the lungs of its victims with water, it is actually laying a clutch of eggs in the body that will hatch and infiltrate the corpse, creating the abomination that preys on ships.

While this may be true, nobody likes this explanation any better than the traditional one.

Equal Opportunity

No species is spared from the predation of the Lunodmangga. All the sapient races can be converted into one of these monsters, along with any other creature with lungs. According to all reports the worse form of the Lunodmangga is the rare orca that has been transformed. These behemoths are said to grab whole ships with their massive tongue and shatter them to splinters before picking off anyone who is stranded in the seas.