O'eya
The Insectoid beating hearts of the Sea of Hearts.
The initiate took a deep breath and looked over the water, his instructors were sitting on the edge of the floating village, not far from where he was treading now, but he would have to complete this himself. He looked down into the water below and saw the light pulse of light so far below. With a final glance at his instructors he stopped treading, letting his feet calm and his body sink into the Sea, the salty water stinging his eyes as he let himself drift down into the murky abyss. The water was cool, the light grew brighter, and he swam towards it, letting the above world fall away even as his lungs began to pang for more air, more oxygen. The pangs grew in intensity and frequency, lining up to the loud pounding of his heart in his ears and fitting the strobes of the light he swam towards. He began to despair. His body straining as his arms pulled him ever further, closer to the light. He wouldn’t reach it, he couldn’t reach it. Then he did. The water broke over his skin as he pushed into open air and tumbled through the air into the warm embrace of the O’eya. The chitinous scales cushioning his fall and the jointed legs grasping him in a firm embrace. The faint thwomp of his heartbeat receding as he feels the pure thrum of the O’eya congratulating him on his joining. He had made it.The O'eya are the masters of the Sea of Hearts, known to natives of the region as the "Beating Hearts of the Sea" for the flashes of light that emanate from their bubbles far below the waves of the sea. This flash is the byproduct of an electric discharge utilized by the O'eya to fill their bubbles of air with breathable oxygen for themselves and their children.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The O'eya have a tri-segmented body, six legs, and chitinous carapace that protects their body; in short, they are large insects. Averaging from 34-48 inches tall with legs long enough to grasp a fully grown Human, the O'eya can be quite intimidating. Their wingspans reach 138 inches wide and define the bubble they subsist in beneath the sea.
Ecology and Habitats
The O'eya are only found in the Sea of Hearts, attempts to move the O'eya to other bodies of water have always ended in failure, there is an assumption that the strange level of salinity in the Sea of Hearts may have something to do with their survival in this region, however there is no consensus on this matter.
In the majority, the O'eya live 20-40 feet below the surface of the Sea of Hearts, their bodies having an intense hydrophobic effect that keeps them suspended in a bubble of air.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Only found in the Sea of Hearts.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The O'eya seem to utilize a basic form of echolocation which helps them to anticipate the ingress of prey into their domain, though this happens rarely.
Scientific Name
Insecta Garridae O'eya
Origin/Ancestry
Water Walkers
Conservation Status
While some have worried on that the Sea of Hearts is the only habitat for the O'eya, the amount of O'eya in the region prosper mightily under the protection of many of the priests and monks therein that utilize the species for specialized meditations.
Average Height
34-48 inches
Average Length
38-68 inches
Comments