Ísjaki Ray (Ees-jockey)

"We all thought it odd when the report came in. Sudden ice formations weren't uncommon, but it was the middle of Summer. Even here, the water stays warm enough. Nontheless, we went out thinking it would be the typical job. Sail in, crush up the ice, good to move on, three hours tops.
I wasn't expecting to see the ice grow and move along the top of the water. None of us were. And let me tell you this, when we chipped at the ice, and dove down to see what could possibly be down there, I sure as heck didn't expect to see some silky sea-blanket freezing up the place!"

--Magnian Sailor, reporting to "The Theogany Herald", 922 EE.

The Ísjaki Ray is a type of Manta Ray found in one of the four overlapping Elemental Planes, specifically the Oceanic Plane. When it begins to merge and move into the Aerial Plane, cold winds form ice and glacial lands over the water, and the Ísjaki Ray is one such ice-aligned creature. On top of being fast swimmers and quick thinkers, they possess the ability to release ice-mana from their backs, freezing the top of the water as they move along. While it usually isn't strong enough to make more than flimsy ice floes, stories of entire squadrons creating ice burgs or floating ice shelves exist.
Most of them remain on those far edges, where most Water Elementals do not wish to or cannot travel, but in 922 EE a strange spacial anomaly led the Oceanic Plane to spill into the waters of Magnum Opus, with one family of Ísjaki Rays making their way through because of it. While they seem to enjoy the conditions of the frosty waters of Northern Magnum Opus, they are still an intensely monitored and protected family.

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Basic Information

Anatomy

The Ísjaki Ray is similar to its non-magical cousins, with large pectoral fins making up the majority of their width as they glide along the waters, with their cephalic fins in front and a small dorsal fin and tail in the back for steering and direction. 
Where they differ is that the Ísjaki Ray has not only a set of gills on the bottom of their body for breathing but also another set on the top of their body as part of a long hump that starts behind their head and extends along the center of the body until about the midsection. 
This is part of their body that releases the Ice-aligned Mana, and the vents are what distribute it as they skate along the surface and depths of the Oceanic Plane. It also creates a fine mist wherever they travel, with larger squadrons producing veritable clouds on the surface of the water.

Genetics and Reproduction

Most rays reproduce via ovoviviparity, or by having an encased embryo within them until it's time for birth when the pup comes out fully formed in about 13 months. As far as time and process go, Ísjaki Ray aren't any different, although mothers who don't have any form of defense sometimes release more ice-mana than average in order to create a protective shell around her.

Growth Rate & Stages

As a benefit of their birth style, a Ísjaki Ray pup is capable of defense quickly after birth and can largely hunt and feed with their squadron quickly. The Ísjaki Ray takes a bit longer to reach reproductive maturity, about 20 years versus the standard Rays 15, and tend to live into their 30s or 40s on average, with some stories telling the tale of much longer lived ones.

Ecology and Habitats

Ísjaki Ray's survive best in cold waters, as they are beings primarily aligned with ice-mana. They mainly feast on smaller fish and plankton through filter feeding, but they also subsist from mineral deposits in glacial formations. They tend not to go too deep into the ocean, barely passing 50 foot depths, but some larger variations enjoy the room lower depths provide.

Additional Information

Domestication

While there haven't been any recorded moments of domestication, if one is capable of communicating with animal life one way or another, Ísjaki Ray's are on the easier end to negotiate and reason with.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Ísjaki Ray's are mostly left alone, as their meat is not as desired as other creatures within the Oceanic Plane. Their skins and ice-humps, however, sometimes are sought after for specific magical creations, although that is considered poaching and heavily punished in the Oceanic Plane.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

All except a single discovered squadron of Ísjaki Ray's are located in the Oceanic Plane, the alternate realm where Water Elementals live. Specifically, they live in the artic fringes of that realm towards the west, where it butts against the Aerial Plane.

Average Intelligence

Ray's, in general, are very intelligent compared to other non-magical aquatic species, and the Ísjaki Ray's are a half-step above that, perhaps owing to their casual interaction with Mana directly.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Along with the traditional senses aquatic creatures utilize, Ísjaki Rays are also able to use a limited form of heat vision, as they remain sensorily attached to their released ice-clouds for a few seconds, so if releasing one continuously, they could feel warmer bodies moving through it.

Scientific Name

Mobula birostris glacio

Lifespan

40 years

Conservation Status

While there is only one squadron of Ísjaki Rays on the Material Plane, who are fiercely protected, they are commonplace in the Oceanic Plane, where they mostly remain on the icy far edges of the realm.

Average Weight

4500 lbs

Average Length

20 ft. long, 17 ft. across.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Most Ísjaki Ray's are white or silver in coloration, with the top side being more saturated than the underbelly. They also tend to have dark colored spots, especially atop their ice-humps and on their stomachs.