Zoog
Thalassophobia in Miniature
A race of humanoid sea creatures who live in magical kelp forests near the coasts of the Dreamlands' western continent. Zoog are curious travelers by nature, amphibious, and often seen in areas far beyond their usual homes. In particular, the Caelestis Collegium of Dylath-Leen make a habit of capturing Zoog to use as servants and errand-runners. They enforce this servitude by threat of exposure to cats, who are the Zoog's greatest natural enemies.
In physical form, a Zoog often resembles a miniature boy or girl bearing qualities associated with creatures of the deep sea. As dream creatures, they do not necessarily follow any concrete rules of biology, nor do they always resemble each other closely enough to be easily identified as the same species. Some Dreamers in fact believe that Zoog are the product of nightmares of the deep sea; personified thalassophobia in miniature. If this is true, Zoog fall short of living up to their nightmarish origin. Although often mischievous, stubborn, and not particularly bright, most of their species are not malicious in nature. Nor are they carnivorous.
Indeed, the Zoog's diet is of particular note. They subside entirely on a diet of raw magical energy. Deprived of such, a Zoog will wither away and eventually die, regardless of any mundane sustenance it might consume. The vibrant, multicolored kelp forests in which Zoog originate also share this peculiarity, feasting upon magical energy which bubbles up naturally from fissures in the sea floor. When far from home, a Zoog must survive by devouring spells. Fortunately, there is no short supply of magicians in the Dreamlands. Their propensity for gobbling up enchantments is a source of revilement in some magical circles, but seen as a useful tool in others.
Cats, however, are not often magical, leading to questions about the relationship between them and the common Zoog. The origin of this long-standing hatred is not well-understood, but seems to have something to do with the Cats of Ulthar. Wherever it began, that war of species appears to be built into the very genetics of both. A Zoog will fear a cat, and a cat will attempt to kill a Zoog, even if neither of the two has been exposed to the other in their lifetimes.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Zoog names are unisexual and often begin with a Z, but are otherwise customarily borrowed from other languages the Zoog are exposed to.
Characteristics
- +2 AGI [40]
- -2 STR [-40]
- -2 INT [-40]
- +2 PER [40]
Essential Abilities
- Attuned: Magic [10]
- Unnatural Size (Down Only) [10]
- Aquatic Breathing [10]
- Physical Need (Zeon Equal to Presence) [-10]
- Racial Fear (Cats) [-10]
Powers
- Increased Reaction +10 [10]
- Special Trapping (Equal to DEX) [30]
- Aquatic Movement [20]
- Mystical Flight 4 [20]
- Mystically Undetectable +50 [10]
- See Magic [10]
- Eat Magic (Special) [50]
Comments