Tide Maw

The Tide Maw is a deep-ocean predator feared by sailors, whispered about in storm-battered taverns and scrawled in the margins of old sea charts. Despite their rarity, their immense size, terrifying hunting behavior, and unnatural resilience have earned them a mythic reputation as omens of doom.
Believed to be ancient apex predators, Tide Maws dwell in the deep trenches and volcanic rifts far beneath the surface of Tanaria’s oceans, particularly within the Thessenar and Orendar waters. They surface only when drawn by disturbances—great migrations, magical interference, or violent storms that churn the deep currents.
Their presence is marked by unnatural silence in the water, a sudden shift in currents, and occasional bursts of bioluminescent light trailing their movement like falling stars beneath the sea. Their open jaws are wide enough to swallow longboats whole, and their thick armored hides make them resistant to most mundane attacks.
While rare, reports of Tide Maws attacking surface vessels are often tied to arcane interference or wounded specimens driven into shallower waters. Some scholars believe they are semi-elemental creatures, formed in the ancient mingling of oceanic life and elemental water energy—possibly explaining their resistance to thunder and lightning magic.
Despite their monstrous nature, some seafolk revere them as guardians of deep places—predators that keep the balance when the seas are stirred too deeply.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Tide Maw is a massive, prehistoric-looking beast, its body shaped more like a monstrous fusion of whale, shark, and crocodile than any natural creature. Its skin is thick and barnacle-scarred, a deep oceanic blue mottled with lighter speckling across its bulk. The head is enormous—almost disproportionate—with a colossal maw lined with jagged, interlocking teeth, each one the size of a sword. Its musculature is immense, built for explosive bursts of movement and violent thrashing. The Tide Maw’s fins are powerful and jagged, adapted for brute propulsion rather than agility. It uses vibration-sensitive pits along its skull to detect prey, similar to sharks, letting it navigate murky depths and find targets by heartbeat and ship-hull groan.

Behaviour

The Tide Maw is a territorial juggernaut, less cunning and more instinctive in its brutality. It charges without hesitation, smashing vessels apart with its bulk or biting straight through hulls. It doesn’t stalk prey so much as obliterate it. That said, the beast is not mindless, it recognizes danger, has been seen retreating from dragonfire or overwhelming magical force, and is known to bide its time before striking again. It responds violently to thunder or lightning-based magic, but not in pain—in rage. Some believe this is because it evolved or was created in places where such forces were constant, and now views them as a threat to be eliminated.

Scientific Name

Thalassorax tidus

Lifespan

Estimated 300+ years

Conservation Status

Due to the elusive nature of the species and the extreme danger of studying them in their natural habitat, Tide Maws are not officially classified in any known ecological registry.

Average Height

Up to 15 feet above water when breaching

Average Weight

Estimated 90–120 tons

Average Length

70–100 feet