Elfshrimps

“Where Elfshrimp breed, the sea breathes. Where they die, it starves.” -Old fisherman's testament from the shallows of Gullsperch.

Small, luminous, and deceptively elegant, the Elfshrimp is one of the most vital creatures in Everwealth’s aquatic food web, a bottom-feeding prawn-like species whose delicate coloring and ear-like headplates give it the name whispered across docks, kitchens, and arcane observatories alike. These shrimp, no longer than a curled pinky finger, resemble a species of pale crustacean once common to shallows and tidal zones, but with two remarkable adaptations: the presence of bright yellow heat-sight eyes, and a set of side-facing, flared chitinous fins that resemble the curled, pointed ears of Everwealth’s ancient Elfese. Whether this resemblance is evolutionary mimicry or the result of post-Schism magickal drift remains unclear. Regardless, the Elfshrimp is more than a curiosity, it is a keystone species, forming the foundation of entire ecosystems from The Bay of Knives to the murkier driftbeds of The Laughing Sea. Hundreds of species feed upon them. And the predators that feast on those? They often end up feeding on each other, too. The Elfshrimp may be small, but in the blood-warmed waters of Everwealth, it is a beacon, a lure, and a secret engine of life.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Elfshrimp average 3-4 inches in length, with a lean and narrow carapace of peach-pink to pale coral tones, offset by faint orange stripes along the legs and back. Their most iconic feature, two flared, ear-like chitin plates that rise from either side of the head, gives them both their name and their mystical appearance. These plates are soft during early life stages, but harden to a defensive edge in adulthood, helping deflect sediment and micro-predators. Their eyes are unusually large for their size, round and glowing a radiant yellow, allowing them to perceive through heat-based vision. This trait makes them invaluable for avoiding nocturnal ambush predators like Shinefins and underwater Reevials, giving them a shimmer-dance signature that allows swarm evasion in tight, dark reef corridors. The body ends in a narrow fan-like tail used for rapid backward flicks, helping them dart away in pulses when threatened. Despite their elegance, Elfshrimp are surprisingly hardy for their size, capable of living in both brackish water and deep saltwater zones, often dwelling where tide meets decay.

Genetics and Reproduction

Elfshrimp are sequential hermaphrodites, beginning life as male and transitioning to female after the second molt. Breeding is constant, often year-round in warm climates or during moon-thick tides in the colder bays. Mating pairs briefly entwine in crevice nests or shallow beds, releasing bioluminescent eggs that drift in schools of hundreds. Each egg is soft, translucent, and incredibly nutritious, a delicacy among reef fish and alchemical foragers alike. Only 3-5% survive to hatch.

Growth Rate & Stages

• Egg (0-3 days): Bioluminescent, suspended in drifting jelly clusters.

• Larval (3-10 days): Microscopic, phototactic, prone to parasitic infection.

• Juvenile (10 days-3 weeks): Faint coloration emerges, first ear-plates appear.

• Adult (3 weeks-3 months): Fully matured; capable of mass migrations and swarm spawning.

Most Elfshrimp die within 4-6 months, though in protected reef chambers, some may live nearly a year.

Ecology and Habitats

• Elfshrimp flourish in mudflats, coral forests, mangrove estuaries, and even the submerged grave-temples of drowned kingdoms. Their adaptability allows them to occupy nearly any coastal waterway, so long as there is organic detritus, algae bloom, or drifting plankton for them to feed on.

• They prefer to nest under overhangs and between coral fans, where their vibrant coloring and lateral movement help them blend in with anemones and reef lichen.

• It is no exaggeration to say an entire ecosystem can hinge on their presence. Their populations dictate the movement and health of larger creatures like Griefscales, Shinefins, Archerclaws, and other shallow carnivores. If Elfshrimp numbers drop, predators begin to turn on each other, or worse, on humans.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Elfshrimp are detritivores and filter-feeders. They consume decomposing organic matter, drifting plankton, and microalgae, often seen scrubbing their antennae through sediment to locate nutrient-rich patches. When food is scarce, they will graze fungus off reef bones, or even nibble on dead fish eyes and soft tissue left behind by larger predators. Their foraging is not just cleanup, it fertilizes reef shelves, clears necrotic zones, and maintains the balance of the shallows. Alchemists sometimes harvest the shell remains of Elfshrimp swarms for use in magickal filtration tinctures, known to “purify grief from water.”

Biological Cycle

Elfshrimp populations boom in late spring through mid-summer, riding the warmer tides and plankton-rich currents. In colder regions or deeper waters, their life cycle slows, and they may burrow into silt or under coral clusters in a form of semi-dormancy. Notably, their breeding syncs with Griefscale fry blooms, providing a consistent prey population to keep larger predators fixated. In some regions, druids have begun managing Elfshrimp swarms like seasonal crops, using tidal charts and sediment-purging rituals to ensure a reliable bloom each year.

Behaviour

Elfshrimp are social but not pack-oriented. They swarm during feeding and migration, but nest alone or in loose, unfixed colonies. When disturbed, they engage in startle swarms, releasing heat-pulse flashes from their eyes that disorient visual predators for just a moment, long enough to vanish. They seem drawn to magickally active zones, and can sometimes be found clustering near decaying spells, broken wards, or half-buried arcane relics. Why they do this remains debated.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Elfshrimp’s most astounding trait is its yellow heat-sensitive eyes. They can detect even the faintest thermal gradient, giving them advantage in both deep sea darkness and sun-warmed tidepools. Their antennae can sense chemical shifts, salt content, and even trace spells in the water. Combined, these senses make them unnervingly aware of danger long before it strikes.

Scientific Name

Palaeothermis auriremis.

Origin/Ancestry

Believed to be a post-Dawn species from the early days of Gaiatia’s seas, possibly magickally accelerated by residual reef-rituals from the Elfese coastal empires.

Conservation Status

Abundant, but sacred, though widely consumed, Elfshrimp populations are so vital to Everwealth’s marine balance that their harvest is carefully monitored. Fishermen who trawl during nesting face fines, and killing a pregnant Elfshrimp in the Bay of Knives is considered a spiritual taboo. Some small coastal cults even worship their breeding grounds, claiming that the Elfshrimp were “first feeders,” brought to earth by sea-gods to remind mankind of humility and hunger.