Endeler
Endeler by Naelin
Larea islands by Naelin
Inhabiting the northwestern coasts of the Haan Archipelago, the endeler is an agile amphibian creature known to be pactual, but too timid to have formed any meaningful pact with societarians. They are a touristic attraction in some coastal areas, especially the north coast of Thaur Island.
Physical aspect
Endelers are quadruped creatures, about 70cm tall to the shoulders. They have blueish grey skin, orange eyes and dull white fins. These creatures possess webbed feet, with elongated toes on the hind legs.Endelers have a beak on their upper mandible, that connects to their eyes with a row of four nasal cavities on each side for their pulmonary system. At the sides of their neck, they have three gills to breathe underwater.
They also have long, thin ears that they can shut with a special membrane while underwater to prevent them from getting water inside. Atop their shoulders, endelers have two fin-like protuberances that some compare to tiny caricaturistic wings.
A proper fin runs through the dorsal side of their neck, with five spines that connect the fin's membrane and allow them to prop it up or down.
From the start of their pelvis to around two-thirds of their tail's length, they have a set of five rectangular fins, fused to each other, that get progressively flatter and longer. Some centimetres after the end of these fins, they have a tail fin elongated on the bottom side.
All of these fin and fin-like structures allow them rapid manoeuvring and speed underwater, though their nimbleness on earth is, at the very least, questionable.
Geographic distribution
Being amphibians, endelers are shore creatures, rarely moving too far from the coast in any direction.They can be found in the northwest corner of the archipelago: All around Larea, on the west coasts of Dhalmain and Red Crest, and on the northwest corner of Thaur as they get into the Shifting Channel
Behaviour
Endelers are carnivorous creatures that hunt aquatic creatures catching them with the rows of fine, needle-like teeth they use to prevent the slippery creatures from escaping. They are timid with other species but tend to live close together, in colonies that seem to lack any organized hierarchy.Reproduction
Endelers reach sexual maturity at around 18 months old.Males grow two front-facing tusks at the side of their beaks, that they use to fight with each other on land to get females to choose them. They mostly mate underwater, where they will deposit 4 to 8 eggs on rock crevices that the mother will care for until the babies are several months old. The babies have very short limbs, and their neck fin is at this stage thin, flexible and runs downwards to the sides of their gills. Before they reach maturity, they rarely stay out of the water.
Use and relationship with societarians
Societarians do not place particular interest in endelers, culturally, diplomatically or economically.
While some ships feature endelers as their figurehead, notably the Dhalmanite flagships Ysolda and Victorica, the creature is otherwise mostly ignored. Tusks from dead males are sometimes used in art, as the handles of knives or to make small ivory sculptures, and some restaurants specialized in odd food may offer dishes prepared with their meat as a rarity.
While some ships feature endelers as their figurehead, notably the Dhalmanite flagships Ysolda and Victorica, the creature is otherwise mostly ignored. Tusks from dead males are sometimes used in art, as the handles of knives or to make small ivory sculptures, and some restaurants specialized in odd food may offer dishes prepared with their meat as a rarity.
Distribution of the endeler in the archipelago
Lifespan
16~22 years
Average Height
50~90cm to the shoulders
Average Length
150cm~200cm
Geographic Distribution
An artist's impression of an aggressive endeler. Endelers do not hunt on earth and are by all means timid creatures.
I've been waiting for them O.O <3 I love the image of the angry endeler and the idea of the wings-fins.