Ragathar

Those who visit the region by the Sea of Armaroph are often surprised and sometimes frustrated by some of the customs in the area. No ships or boats will sail out on the days either side of a new moon and entire villages are vacated for days at a time on the word of the local fortunetellers. The locals have little to say about the reasons for these customs, passing it off as just a local tradition, but those who pay attention may see the evasion in their eyes or the lie in their words.

Scarred Landscape

Those burdened with curiosity may find a few strange features dotting the landscape and settlements. Gouges in hillsides and cliffs that look like something has taken a bite out of the lanscape. Deep furrows running across villages that seem to serve little purpose, and an excess of abandoned villages near the shore.
The beaches and shallows are not exempt from scars with large sections of pebble beaches seemingly dug away, and rapid changes of depth from a few feet to many yards just beyond the edge of those beaches.

Destruction from the Depths

The cause of this destruction is a creature feared and revered by the locals. An immense turtle known as Ragathar. Dwelling in the depths, Ragathar shuns the light but will come to the surface when it is sufficiently dark or when other obscure conditions are met. Fiercely territorial Ragathar objects to any large creature sharing it's ocean and will attack anything from whales to ships if they appear while it is active.

Protector

Since the locals know when not to sail out they can mostly avoid Ragathar's attention. Interlopers tend to be less knowledgable and more likely to fall prey to Ragathar which has helped stave off pirates and invaders from the sea. Outsiders who do sail through the area bring back tales of a moving island or a dark shape that can destroy ships at a whim, and few traders would risk their ships travelling through the area.

Destroyer

Ragathar's activities are not totally confined to the sea. There are times when the immense creature emerges on to land and lays waste to all before it. It's gigantic fins dig out gouges from soil and rock and it powerful jaws let it bite chunks out of the landscape as it clumisly hunts living prey.

Origin

Ragathar was a regular sea turtle until the War of Ascension when the destructive magics unleashed destroyed it's home and wiped out the rest of it's kin. Ragathar survived but the magics that had seared it's body changed it. A rapid growth spurt caused Ragathar to double in size in under a week. In order to satiate it's increased appetite Ragathar hunted ever larger prey and this fueled further growth.
Having stripped the upper regions of the seas of prey Ragathar descended to the depths where it found little compettion for food. Seemingly able to absorb certain traits rom it's prey, Ragathar become able to see in darker conditions but became highly sensitive to light, avoiding the sun and even the moon on it's infrequent trips to the surface.
By the time the demon hordes reached the depths of the oceans Ragathar had grown to a size that all but the mightiest of fiends gave it a wide berth. However, Ragathar did not escape totally unscathed. Consumming those fiends that dared to attack it tainted Ragathar, imbuing it with a taste for destruction.

Fortune Tellers

While fortunetellers may be scorned in other more civilised lands they are highly respected in the area where Ragathar makes it's home. Aside from everyday fortunes and weather prediction these fortune tellers keep a watch for signs that Ragathar might make an appearance on land. When such a warning is given the locals heed it without arguement. Even if the fortuneteller should be wrong, it is never considered worth risking staying.

Reluctant to talk

Those who endure Ragathar's presence try to avoid talking about it for a few reasons. Some regard it as a vengeful deity that will punish those who speak about it, but most are simply being practical. Outsiders don't understand the futility of opposing Ragathar, and well intentioned attempts to get rid of Ragathar only ever serve to provoke the giant turtle, leading to even greater destruction.

The header was created in Flowscape and relates to Baramith.