Kindori

Kindori, informally space whales, are large mamals native to wildspace.

Basic Information

Dietary Needs and Habits

Born without mouths, kindori feed by absorbing the energy of suns and stars into their bellies where it is processed and stored in its large mass. Because of the need to keep their bellies clean, scraping growths off other kindori is a common social activity for pods.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Kindori normally travel in small pods between 2 and 8 members. Larger pods of 7 or 8 are generally defended by a larger kindori, called a bull.
Roughly annually, kindori pods gather together into larger herds for the purpose of breeding and finding mates. These larger groups often result in the various bulls growing more violent, and spelljamming vessels are advised to stay away in case they get attacked.

Domestication

Because kindori are generally peaceful creatures, many spacefaring societies domesticate kindori and ride on top of them. Called "kindori-riders," these groups are generally made up of a variety of races and live in symbiosis with the space whales. Some riders live atop the kindori permenately, either going wherever the kindori please or guiding them throughout the Astral Sea. Others domesticate them and use them for traveling the short distances between asteroids or planets. Because kindori don't need to breath, it's common for small farms to be grown on the backs of domesticated whales to provide air for the riders.
There have been attempts in the past to attach a spelljamming helm to the back of a kindori, but the use of such devices spooks even domesticated whales, who will begin to move erratically in an attempt to scrape the helm off.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The flesh and blubber of kindori is a high-demand item for many spacefaring communities. The oil that can be extracted from the pieces of dead kindori fuel most of the oil and alchemical fire used by various spacefaring races. This is all the more important when traveling the Phlogiston, as alchemical fire that detonates on contact is a priceless weapon in the extremely flammable Flow.
The skeletons of kindori are also valued by those with necromantic acumen, as they can be turned into Skeleton Ships, a favored ship among those that control undead.

Facial characteristics

Kindori are often represented by their unique glowing eyes, which are particularly distressing to beholders and ilithids, as the glow from the eyes causes discomfort in both species.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Due to their size, Kindori often have moss or molds that grow on their back, which in turn attract smaller species that feed on them. One well known example of symbiosis are the scavvers, a one-eyed astral shark, that feeds on the growths on the kindori, in turn keeping the space whales clean.

by Jessica Nguyen, copyright Wizards of the Coast

Average Length

80 ft.