Cave Stalker

A sapient species in the Nightlight Zone

Cave Stalkers are large octopus-like creatures with several strange markings on their heads, having intelligence that rivals that of humans'. They are known for developing tools, language, and culture, all to make up for their low strength and speed. Very few people have properly interacted with these beings, and those who have have contributed immensely to what is now known about them.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Cave Stalkers have large heads almost reminiscent of a squid's, but can also bend backward when the creature is traveling forward. The front of their heads have red glowing markings that take on a variety of different patterns, and along with the varying horns on the sides of their heads, only serve to distinguish themselves from one another. Their arms are long and have small hooks on the undersides, and in females, two are replaced with cradle-like structures for guarding the eggs. These creatures have eyes in between their smallest markings, but are too small to be noticeable.

Biological Traits

Male members of this species are often slightly larger, with more pronounced horns on their heads. Females are generally smaller, and have two of their arms shaped like cradles.

Genetics and Reproduction

The Cave Stalkers breed only on the basis of whether their partner serves them right. These creatures are very social with one another, and are able to make close friends that will stick together for most of their lives. Sometimes, these friends will grow a closer bond with each other, either through helping each other from an injury, performing beneficial acts without the other asking, or merely showing admiration for each other's appearances. If these partners grow close enough, they will mate several times in their lives, but only conceive offspring every once in a while. The mother will use her pouch-like arms to carry their eggs until they hatch.

Growth Rate & Stages

Cave Stalkers take the longest out of all species to raise into adulthood, which is why they will only give birth to one or two at a time. Newborns start out appearing pudgy, lacking pronounced horns or pouches, and often stay close to their mother's arms for protection. Their relationship with potential siblings often depends, as they will either brawl with each other endlessly (and needlessly), or merely stay indifferent with each other's presence. In their juvenile stage, their adult features will start growing in, and some may act out against their parents as a means of proving a temporary sense of superiority. As adults, they will pressured to live without their parents' aid, and will begin a life of defending and feeding themselves in their community.

Ecology and Habitats

These creatures once lived in every environment in the Nightlight Zone, but are now generally centered in the Pits and inside the mountain range near the Fields, with one particular specimen being found elsewhere in the realm, mainly the Kelp Forests. Their preferred residence is surface caves, where they use them to make beds out of animal skins, or make simple pieces of art on the walls. These caves are most often temporary residences, as these creatures are always on the move in search of areas with more available resources.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Cave Stalkers are omnivores, and unlike most omnivorous species, they are not picky about what they eat. They send out small teams to gather plants such as seeds and fruits, as well as hunt down large creatures for meat. They eat a variety of food every day in order to properly sustain themselves, and make a habit of storing parts of meals in bags for later use. These creatures have also been known to highly encourage sharing meals with others of their kind, especially if the other party has been starved of sustenance for long enough.

Biological Cycle

Occasionally, the hooks on the undersides of their arms routinely fall out and regrow themselves. Some specimens collect these fallen hooks, and are immediately deemed as what we call "weird" by other Cave Stalkers.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Cave Stalkers have the most advanced social structure in the Nightlight Zone. They organize themselves into basic hunter-gatherer societies, nomadic in nature. Families consist of no more than around five members, and a single nomadic band will be no longer than around twenty. These bands will move from place to place as the resources become depleted in a certain area, with the bands gone being a chance for the area to replenish. Because resources in their main habitat are sparser, bands are less likely to act with hostility towards each other, and instead initiate brief instances of trade, where they can also reproduce without inbreeding.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Cave Stalker senses are particularly weak compared to other inhabitants of the Nightlight Zone, but are generally well-rounded. They make use of virtually all of their available senses, including sight.

Supernatural Abilities

These creatures are able to read a human's mind to some extent, and only use this ability to speak to them. They communicate with humans by reading a part of their mind that controls language, in order to learn a language of a particular person. They then forward messages into a person's mind in a language they can speak. However, because humans can only speak their language aloud, they have trouble communicating back to Cave Stalkers, and this causes some confusion when attempting to have a conversation.

This is thought to be related to another ability of theirs, where they carve a trident-like symbol into a solid surface, which can communicate a message into another individual's head when they find it. Cave Stalkers have to train themselves to do this, and only some individuals can pull it off properly, which leads to experienced Cave Stalkers being correlated with having high status. It is thought this ability was a factor in their civilization long ago, but the mechanisms of how it works are long lost due to its destruction.

Civilization and Culture

Average Technological Level

Cave Stalkers most commonly make use of simple tools made of plant bark and bones from slain creatures, as well as satchels made from skins and types of leaves analogous to cloth. They always rely on melee weapons, as the density of water makes throwing things impractical, meaning they often kill their game by stabbing spears in close range. They also make use of clubs with sharp bones on the sides, carved weapons similar to swords, and sometimes large rocks grabbed from the ground. They can also use bones and skins to make temporary shelters if they are unable to find a cave to hide in.

History

It is presumed that this species started out much the same as it currently is, except slowly developing more efficient technology in parallel with humans. There is evidence that they developed into a rather sophisticated civilization, spread out over virtually every area of the Nightlight Zone. This was also a time when the Frozen Wastes appeared much different then it does now. The Watchers at the edge of the Nightlight Zone were likely overseeing the Cave Stalkers unbeknownst to them, and soon laid waste to their civilization, thought to be out of fear that they would escape into the real world after the discovery of the chutes.

In the present day, the species as a whole has forgotten what this civilization was like, only able to pass down mythological stories over generations. The exact date of when the civilization was started, and when they regressed into the stone age again is uncertain, but they have possibly remained in their modern state for millennia. It is because they have such a low population now, much less centered in one general area, that their culture and beliefs have little variation between different groups.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Cave Stalkers have had a messy history with the beings known as the Watchers. Considering the Watchers almost drove them to extinction, the Cave Stalkers would not have a very high opinion of them if they still remembered their existence. Meanwhile, the few nomadic bands that have interacted with the Watchers since the fall of their civilization have merely been used by them to fulfill thought experiments for the beings, which have come in numerous forms.

Scientific Name

Enteroctopus sapiens

Lifespan

Around 20 years

Average Weight

320 lbs.

Average Length

8 ft.

Average Physique

Streamlined

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Black skin, dark navy horns and hooks, red glowing markings

Geographic Distribution

• The Ash Fields
• The Halocline Pits
• The Kelp Forests

Related Myths

• The Cave Stalker Creation Myth

Average Intelligence
Extremely high