Fire Fish

Bah. Ya don't even know where to begin. Had to take a dip in the gel, and still burning up, ain't ya? Hmmph.

But ye're here, I'll give ya that. Not many of the little people are willing to approach one of us to parley, too worried about being roasted on a spit. And even fewer willing to brave the Shoals to get the fishies, eh? Ye're a right brave little one, I s'pose.

And since I'm here for the fish, looks like ya won't have to find out about the spits, eh? Heh.

The first problem ya got there is the lack of proper equipment. The little fishies aren't picky 'bout what ya give 'em, but ya got to get it to 'em in the first place. Didya even think to test that out before draggin' yerself all the way out here? A campfire could have proved those out, and ye'd still be back where ya came from, looking for appropriate gear. Which ya wouldn't have found, cause none of the little people know how to get the little fishies.

There's three ways to get the fishies, depending on how sporting ya choose to be. A real fisher is sporting about it, but ya ain't ever gonna be a real fisher, wading in the flows and spearing the fishies as they brush by ya. That's a game for the real, not the pretenders, and especially not the little people. Ye'd be gone quicker than a Hill ya try that one.

Then there's the way the pretenders do it sporting like, and that's the way ya failed to prepare. That little stick ya got is worthless - if ya could hold on and not be dragged in, that thing'd snap at the lightest tug. Course that ain't an issue, since the line won't even make it to the fire before burnin' up.

See there - didn't even make a pretty fire. Worthless. The pretenders use a rod and lines made from steel. The heft of it's beyond ya, I think, as it outweighs ya without the line taken to account. And even then, ya couldn't use it here. Here's the domain of the real folk, and the fire burns hotter. Steel will melt as quick as ice here, but it does provide a bit of a treat for the fishies. What ya need here is core metal. Core metal's hard to find and harder to work - ya got to find it when it bubbles up from the depths and work it before it cools, cause ya ain't never gonna melt it again, not without the help of Alasharak the Great and Terrible, and he hasn't been seen in an age.

So ye're not getting core metal to forge yer own rod and line. Which means ye'll need to take the least sporting method, but if one of the little people lands a fishy, it will be a feat beyond belief, method be damned. Ya still need the core metal, rather than a long line, ye're looking for a net. What ye'll be doing is laying the net across the flow, and taking it down with some spikes. Yeah, like those driven in there - observant little cuss, too, eh? Well observe the rest of it, then. The net takes a while to sink, so ya need to have something to do to pass the time. Something to take yer mind off the boredom, like prepping for the next meal, perhaps. Once it's sank, then it's just a matter o' time - the fishies are pretty dumb, and seeing their fellows trapped doesn't give 'em a pause.

So ya wait, and when ye've waited long enough, ya uproot the stakes like this...

...and ye drag the whole thing ashore. Might want to stand back a bit, hate to see ya get caught in the runoff. Ah, a good catch today - ye're a lucky one. These four'll be enough for the feast tonight. Good luck with the net, and leave it when ye're done. I'd hate to have to track it down later.

— Logi Kyssar, Chieftain
Vorax's Wall, Unumra 12, 763 Af.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Fire Fish are quite similar in appearance to the marlin, and were believed to be an offshoot of the common fish.

An adult Fire Fish is approximately 20' long and weighs approximately 3000 pounds - male and female are similar in size. Their bodies are roughly cylindrical from the anal fin forward. The upper jaw forms a large bill that can stretch several feet and comes to a sharp point. They have two dorsal fins, the first starting just behind the bill with a high crest that slopes down sharply and runs for most of the back, and a second almost negligible fin near the tail. The forked tail fins help provide sufficient power to move through the thick lava they make home. The caudal peduncle has keels to help assist in power as well as strengthening the joint. Its scales are tightly locked and resistant to heat. Their slender pelvic fins have large grooves that reduce resistance in the lava.

Genetics and Reproduction

Spawning is known to happen near the eastern end of Vorax's wall, close to the traditional spawning grounds for Marlin in Blackrock Bay. Egg hatching depends on temperature, and generally happens within a week. In elevated temperatures, farther from shore, the eggs are unlikely to hatch, with the larvae killed by heat for which they have not yet grown protective scales. In lower temperatures, the fish take significantly longer to hatch, and survivors generally cannot take the heat of the hottest flows. Arguments exist among scholars as to whether this indicates a different species or not. Fire Fish eggs are less than 2 mm in diameter, and millions are laid to hatch thousands of larvae, of which hundreds are expected to make it to adulthood.

Growth Rate & Stages

Recently hatched larvae have very little in the way of fins, and cannot move far for the first few weeks of their lives. Within a few weeks, they have grown to several inches long and their dorsal fins begin to grow in and their tail fins become established. At this point, they begin to move away from the spawning grounds. Over the course of their first year, they grow into their dorsal fins and the pelvic fins begin to form. Once they are a year old, their fins have fully grown in, and the Fish may be up to 5 feet long. They continue to grow, reaching full size after approximately 4 years. If not hunted, males can live up to 15 years, and females up to 20.

Ecology and Habitats

The Fire Fish is the only known creature living in the lava flows of Vorax's Wall. They have scales that are heat resistant to allow them to exist in the area, and their bodies are ideally suited to move through the thick molten stone. They live off of the minerals dissolved in the stone, filtering out what they need. The lava in Vorax's Wall is hotter than anywhere else on the planet. While some believe that this is due to a link to the elemental plane of fire, it has been theorized that the Fire Fish filtering out impurities allows for hotter lava, the mechanism being that they remove elements that cannot hold as much heat and are actively cooling the lava.

Behaviour

Fire Fish behavior revolves around spawning. After two years of growth, they will return to the spawning grounds every year of their life. Outside of those times, they appear to wander through the lava flows with no particular intent. The minerals they need can be found everywhere in the flows, although they do need to move as they deplete localized areas. There has never been an indication that they recognize dangerous areas - tribes of fire giants are their primary predators, and the giants have given no indication that fishing has grown more difficult over time. They are seen as the least intelligent fish in existence by the fire giants.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Their eyes are vestigial, and the lateral line is their primary sensory organ. The lateral line forms a large net-like pattern of crystalline hexagons, which allow it to sense changes in temperature in the lava that help them navigate.

Lifespan

M: 15 years; F: 20 years

Average Weight

3000 pounds

Average Length

20 feet

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Red, brown and yellow, blends in well with molten lava.

Geographic Distribution

• Blackrock Isle
• Vorax's Wall