Bal'Tuk

Summary

The myth of Bal'Tuk is first recorded among the Merfolk and is better known to the Shorefolk as 'The Kraken'. The legends of the gargantuan squid-like creature who roams the ocean devouring ships are as old as the sea itself some say, and Merfolk and sailors alike have been taught to fear the name of the being.
Merfolk are told of a ritual that occurs every few years. The elders of the clans will whisper to their children of how important the event is, but will never tell the young exactly what it is or why it is important. This has carried on for generations, as what the Merfolk experience every few years is a great vibration through the ocean, which can be felt across clan borders. No one is truly aware of the origin point of the vibration, nor what it is caused by, however the truth is that the vibration is caused by the Sea Witch Lilith summoning her 'pet' in order to devour ships and, in more recent times, the Merfolk themselves.
The legends among sailors are more definite however; they tell of a large creature, who appears out of seemingly nowhere, to devour ships and its crew without discrimination.

Cultural Reception

Many of the more dramatic sailors who retell the story of the Kraken will insist that no being sees the Kraken and lives, which is quite quickly disproved through the fact that anyone is able to describe what the Kraken looks like in the first place. Not many people who witness the terror of the Kraken can bring themselves to ever set sail again, so many of the more realistic retellings never make it back to the sailors who propegate the myth.
In Merfolk lore, Bal'Tuk is less of a concrete being and therefore seen more as a concept to be revered. The vibrations which occur at the summoning of Bal'Tuk are spoken of as incredibly important and people treat these occasions with respect, though not fear the way sailors do.