Great Nautilus

"So what are you expecting me to say?" Isolde sprinkled some sugar into her coffee before raising the cup and saucer. "That it was a great feat of daring, that I leapt from the rigging, blades in both hands and one between my teeth for good measure, to show the Nautilus what for? We hid until the thing was done and got back to shore. There's nothing more to it."
The woman across the cafe table was furiously taking notes. "You say as much in your book about the adventure, but I have a good instinct for this. Your surviving crewmates spread the tale far and wide of your valor during the Nautilus attack. There's something that isn't on the official record here." Lian closed her notepad and dropped her quill. "You agreed to speak with me for a reason, right? Give me something to work with."
The Captain of the Skyhawk sighed. "I agreed to speak with you because you're married to one of my best friends. Nothing more than that. I'll give you whatever quotes you want for the article you're writing, but trust me when I say there's nothing more to it. An hour of sheer abject terror as a gigantic sea beast tears your ship apart deck by deck, rafter by rafter. If you want a tale of heroism, perhaps go find one on your own?" She finished her coffee and folded her arms on the table. "It's always odd to me how this is the part of my life people are most curious about, where I lost the captain I trained under and nearly all of the crew I worked with, almost all the people I cared about. Maybe put that in your piece?"

Basic Information

Anatomy

The ordinary nautilus is a shell-dwelling creature roughly the size of two fists together, that propels itself through the water with the many appendages and tendrils that emerge from the shell's opening. The Great Nautilus is nearly identical in shape, but is significantly larger; the shell of a Giant Nautilus can be anywhere from the size of large Siege-sails to the size of small *islands*, with the propellling tendrils being similarly upsized. Out of the shell, the Great Nautilus resembles a compacted squid, with relatively short appendages for its size. It is an invertebrate, with no bone structure, and easily the largest invertebrate known on Creus.

Genetics and Reproduction

It is entirely unknown how such creatures reproduce or how long they take to grow to maturity. It is assumed any reproduction ritual would be an exceedingly dangerous thing to observe unless on land.

Growth Rate & Stages

The only knowledge of the growth of the Great Nautilus is in the colossal shells it leaves as it grows. Like many of the lesser shellfish, Great Nautili actually shed their shells during growth and grow new ones, with the old shells occasionally being encountered as floating flotsam.

Ecology and Habitats

The Great Nautilus is present in all observed oceans of Creus, though more common in the far north of the Feryll Sea and less common in the enclosed Bui Sea. Notably, they avoid approaching land; an observer must set sail into deep ocean if they should wish to look for Great Nautilus sightings. Pre-attack observations of the Great Nautilus note its general passivity, with the top third of the shells visible and simply bobbing along in the waves.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Academic speculation pins Great Nautili as passive feeders, loitering at the surface of the water and snatching passing fish with its tendrils. "Fish" here is a general reference to all sea life, as it wouldn't be out of the question for a Great Nautilus to eat large sharks and whales. Such speculation has yet to be confirmed, owing to the near suicidal nature of approaching a Great Nautilus for verification.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The Great Nautilus is a solitary species. None have ever been encountered in multiples, or, if they have, nobody has survived to report it.

Domestication

Domestication of the Great Nautilus is a common speculative topic in Etoile Capital City journals, but this is idle chatter until someone is foolhardy enough to try.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

A living Great Nautilus is a dangerous shipping hazard and a threat to life and property. The flesh of a dead Nautilus has been eaten on one occasion, when one was slain in naval combat. It's flesh was described as 'stringy' and 'tasteless'.
Shells, however, are worth very large sums of Florin, as they are rare and considered beautiful by many. "Smaller" shells, such as those found washed up on shores, are processed into large quantities of pearlescent material not unlike mother-of-pearl itself, and sell for a tidy sum. Large shells, especially those that are undamaged, are subject to bidding wars by the Foremost families of the Principality, as sufficiently large shells can be repurposed as entire buildings. There are four Nautilus-shell mansions on the outskirts of the Capital City, enormous structures that serve to announce the wealth and prestige of the owning family interest, though they have been noted to be drafty and difficult to heat in winter, as well has having a persistent aquatic odor.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Great Nautili are found in all oceans of Creus.

Average Intelligence

While generally unknown, Great Nautili have the ability to distinguish human-crewed ships from other objects in the water, and aggressively attack them when sighted, exhibiting a preference for ships with more metal content (Navy vessels, cargo ships with ore). Said attacks are savage and brutal; the few survivors of these attacks generally report that the Nautilus exhibits cunning in the attack, moving to snap masts of sails quickly and damage the propulsion paddles of Power-sails. Notably, however, they tend to not attack very small craft; survivors have attested to being able to quickly escape on lifeboats.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Unlike the ordinary nautilus (which has two eyes on the sides of its body just out of the shell aperture), Great Nautil have multiple eyes at the ends of several of their tendril appendages. In addition, Great Nautil seem to have the ability to detect metal objects, explaining how they more often attack Principality of Etoile naval vessels with steelwork flywheel launchers. Their underwater hearing is excellent; their above water hearing less so.

Lifespan

Unknown

Conservation Status

Great Nautili are rarely encountered in the wild, but are under no state protection. It is unlikely for them to be endangered by any human activity.

Average Weight

A single dead Great Nautilus was recovered after sinking multiple Principality Navy vessels. After being cut into large numbers of manageable pieces, the lower bound estimate for a Great Nautilus's weight is well over 150 tons - a lower bound due to the dessication and rotting of the corpse, and the fact that it was a smaller example of the type.

Average Length

Estimates range between 60ft long at the smaller end to 400ft long at the most colossal.

_{Header image sourced from the NOAA as a non-copyrighted work created by a US government employee
https://photolib.noaa.gov/Collections/Its-A-Small-World/China/emodule/486/eitem/835}