Abyssal Lure Species in Hislariya | World Anvil

Abyssal Lure

This article is a WIP and will be completed after Summer Camp
The Abyssal Lure is a giant monster that inhabits the deep waters of the Svajan Sea, preying preferentially on any ship that happens within the reach of its immense jaws.   While its day to day diet consists of cetaceans and large fish, its preferential prey are humans and it is highly specialized to attract and capture vessels to feed on their crew and passengers.   This sea monster is an ambush predator that waits still, often in sea channels between landmasses that form a unavoidable passage for ships and large fish shoals. In their ambush point, they wait with their gigantic jaws open like a teeth trap until a suitable prey gets attracted by its human shaped dorsal fin, mistaking it for the legendary Fair Maiden of the sea or for a drowning person.   When the ship is close enough to realize their mistake, it's usually too late for them as the gigantic jaws armed with several rows of sword like teeth close like a snap trap on them and drags them in the monster's lair to be slowly digested over the following months.   It is unknown if only a single specimen of this creature exist, or if more of the same species are responsible for the sightings. The sources of the descriptions of the Lure come from a handful of sailors that in the various attacks managed to slip between the teeth of the monster or fell overboard when their ship was captured. The first of these reports dates back 200 years, making most people believe that there are or at least have been several Lures active in the Svajan sea.

Fair Maiden of the Sea

  Along the coasts of the Svajan Sea, in taverns and port inns, it's rare an evening passes by without one of the sailors claiming to have had a spicy encounter with the Fair Maiden of the Sea, a mythological creature said to pick the most handsome among all seafarers to have with them a steamy night of passion before sending them back to their homes or abandon them on deserted islands.   The context where the stories are told, rise the suspect that alcohol is what these fair ladies are made of, or, wanting to be generous, a lucky sighting of a Lure's esca that didn't become fatal for the witness.


Cover image: by Thom Milkovic

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!
Aug 3, 2022 15:40 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

The human-shaped lure is a very cool concept XD