Spitter

There is a vast lake at the heart of the desert, but you will not find water there for yourself or your sandrunner. You will find death, though... and a particularly painful one at that.

— wisdom of the Chittiki Sandfolk

In the center of the The Dead Basin Desert, a vast lake can be found. But this is no oasis - or at least it has not been for over two thousand years. Its waters are fed by foul springs that were poisoned by the The Gods of Coercion during the The Great Strife. The waters are poisonous and highly acidic. There are no trees, not even scrub grass. And there is only one creature that can survive there - the fearsome horror that the Chittiki Sandfolk simply call "the Spitter".

Habitat

Spitters are found exclusively living in the lake at the center of the Dead Basin Desert. As amphibious creatures, they spend most of their time in the acidic waters, to which they are immune, and emerge onto the shores only to mate and to feed on any sandrunner (or adventurer) unfortunate enough to venture too close.

Basic Anatomy

The Spitter is amphibious, with a smooth, froglike skin rather than scales. It is quadripedal and has a short tail. Its head is mounted on a relatively short neck - enough to allow the creature to turn and look directly behind it, but not long enough to be considered snake-like (or dragon-like). In its earliest stages of development, it uses gills to breathe while submerged in the acidic Dead Lake that is its home; later the gill-slits close up and the creature relies on mouth and lungs to breathe.

Adult Spitters are huge beasts - larger than the sandrunner lizards they feed upon. Adults have been known to reach lengths of 50 feet (15 meters) from mouth to tail. Their size, as well as their dark coloration, leads them to be mistaken for black dragons quite often. They are equally deadly as their winged rivals.

Lifecycle and Growth Stages

After mating, a female Spitter will lay a clutch of eggs beneath the surface of the lake. An egg packet can contain up to one hundred eggs; these are suspended in a thick, sticky gel which protects the eggs and anchors them to rocks on the lake bottom. Newly hatched spitters resemble the tadpole stage of giant frogs - the creatures are legless and have eel-like tails. They are approximately 6 inches (12cm) long. A notable difference other than size between newly hatched spitters and tadpoles is that the former have mouths containing razor-like teeth.

Once hatched, spitters progress through three distinct stages of growth and development (assuming they survive the process):

Emergent Stage

The eggs all hatch within minutes of one another, setting off a cannibalistic feeding and killing frenzy begins. Out of the one hundred eggs laid in the clutch, only one - or rarely two newborn creatures will survive and break free of the protective gel. One would think the hatchling is relatively safe at this point, as there are no other predators in the acidic waters. They are too small to be considered food by adult spitters. They are threatened, however, by survivor hatchlings from other egg clutches. They are, after all, the only food source available at this stage of growth. It is estimated that no more than a handful of Spitters survive the two-year-long "emergent" stage each breeding cycle.

Transitional Stage

By the age of two, surviving hatchlings are approximately seven feet long (2 meters). At this age, legs begin to "sprout" from their bodies. Their tails shorten and lose their finlike structures. Gill slits begin to close and lungs develop. Their body begins to change as distinct torso, neck, and head form out of the single body structure of the tadpoles. Within a year, the shape transformation to the adult form is complete, and the creature has grown to approximately 15 feet (4.5 meters) in length. During this transition period, the spitters still cannot leave the waters of the lake, hence their only available prey is other spitter young.

Adult Stage

After three years of survival, transformation, and growth, the spitter is capable of taking its first steps out of the lake and onto the shores. At this point, cannibalistic tendencies seem to dissappear; the creature is only interested in prey that strays too close to the lake's edge.

Growth from this point on is dependent on the skill (or luck) of the hunt. Following a successful kill, the young spitter will gorge itself and a rapid growth spurt will follow. It takes six feedings, and six subsequent growth spurts, for the creatures to reach their full adult size, at which point they are also capable of mating.

Diet

Spitters are carnivorous from birth. In the early life stages - before the Spitter can leave the water - the creatures are cannibalistic. This is a necessity as the only food source is other immature Spitters.

Hunting Tactics and Defenses

The Spitter is a creature whose nature is shaped by the acidic environment in which it thrives. Its skin is smooth (similar to that of a giant frog), but it is thick enough to provide protection similar to what scales would provide a lizard of similar size. Furthermore, a gel-like secretion all over its body, similar to the gel used to contain a clutch of eggs, is resistant to acid. This is what enables the creature to live in the waters of the Dead Lake.

The creature is also capable of generating another secretion, this one is itself highly acidic. Jets of this liquid can be projected up to 60 feet at potential prey. One of the strongest acids known in the world - capable of dissolving gold and etching precious gems - even the giant Sandrunner Lizards that are the creature's main diet cannot withstand more than a blast or two of these acid jets.

Cultural Importance

Among the Chittiki Sandfolk culture, there is a loose organization called the Harvesters who have a deep reverence for these creatures. In order to protect them, they have taken upon themselves the job of humanely "milking" the creatures for their acid secretions. This material, sometimes called Spitter's Spit, or Spitter's Milk, is highly prized by the artisans of the Warrens - Chittiki Homelands who use it to craft the finest jewelry on Cartyrion.

Credits

Banner Image and left panel of page background by Greg Montani from Pixabay
Right panel of page background by kevberon from Pixabay