Tentakuluak

I don't care what those fancy pants wizards say, the Tentas are as smart as we are. I had one grab my arm when we pulled it up couple weeks back. It was heavy as hell and the thing was flashing and glowing all over. And it don't act like no common octopus either. Got too many arms for one thing, but more, it didn't hang on to nothin' when I threw it back over the side. Fact, it seemed downright thankful and floated up to the surface to flash and glow at us 'fore it disappeared.

— Harvey Lichtnacht, fisherman

In the Darkness of the Ur Hilgarria

The Ur Hilgarria is a forbidding ocean, laced with wild magic and home to the wild unknown. Few, save the humans of the First Wave, have ever successfully navigated it's deadly waters. But the Ur Hilgarria is not a barren wilderness inhospitable to life as is the Northern Wastes. Beneath it's roiling surface lies a world teeming with life and adapted to the wild magic that courses through it's leys.
Of course, the undersea world is subject to the same contraints as the surface world, and the light of the sun can only penetrate so far into it's watery depths. Where the sun no longer shines, the world becomes... weird.

The Oddities of Sentient Life

One of the weirdnesses is the Tentakuluak, a creature that have been observed only rarely by fishermen when pulled up from the ocean, caught in nets used for deep sea creatures. The Tentakuluak at first glance seem to be much like a coastal dwelling octopus, but the physiology of the creature says something very different, for the Tentakuluak has a very large brain arguably developed in conjunction with it's huge eyes.

In Speech

Connected to the brain and fully integrated into the hood and tentacled arms, is a collection of roughly round bioluminescent skin patches. In creatures who have been caught alive, these organs will change in a series of organized repeating and recognizable patterns, leading observers to believe that the creatures are not only intelligent, but are attempting to communicate with their captors. The method of communication, named by fishermen as "Tenta-speak" is obviously through a language developed using these dots to create patterns that shine in the dark habitat that is their home.
Tentakuluak are clearly intelligent. Their very large brains have a large frontal cortex area similar to that of humans, but each section of the brain is individually wired and loosely coupled to the other areas. This allows the brain to move and rearrange itself as the creature moves and hides, squeezing through openings and fitting into spaces that are much smaller than one would expect given it's size. They have no bony infrastructure, because as a waterbound creature, the surrounding water supports the delicate brain. Tentakuluak use the suction cups on their long arms to manipulate tools - a behavior that has been observed by fishermen. Their lifespan is relatively short as they are sizable (and tasty) creatures and they have natural predators in the shark and turtle families.

And Art

Fishermen have also reportedly observed large scale gatherings of Tentakuluak who come close to the surface to engage in mating rituals and, some believe, artistic expression. Fishermen refer to this as the "Tenta-fair". While it is difficult for us to be certain, recordings of the visual displays indicate a very high degree of abstract and creative thinking, the ability to coordinate between individuals, and the ability to tell stories, all indicative of a highly funtioning intelligent species.

Corroboration from Reluctant Sources

Merfolk are typically disinclined to speak with land dwelling sapients, but occasionally some individuals will interact positively. These individuals have confirmed (in as insulting a way as possible) the intelligence of the Tentakuluak, the ability to communicate, and the artistic nature of the event referred to as the Tenta-fair.