Clawed Whale

Historical Overview

The Clawed Whale is a deep-sea dweller, so interactions between it and the people of the early Prominade were exceedingly rare. It is believed to have been first encountered by Dennic I Prominere, the legendary founder of the house, on his journeys across the Unknown Tides. There it gained its reputation as a servant of Murk, and one of his proxies in his fight against the young Dennic. 
Closer to history than legend were the sightings by early Prominere whalers, who saw the unique scutes, boney spikes, along its back and thought they were the claws of Murk, reaching above the waves. These scutes, besides giving the whale its name, add to its reputation as a dangerous beast. Whalers try their utmost to, despite the valuable size of the creature, avoid it and believe it purposely tries to sink their ships through piercing the hull with its scutes.

Biology

The most distinctive feature of the Clawed Whale are its scutes. These are four large protrusions along the back, shaped like spades, which when breaching the water give the impression of four claws. These protrusions are as hard and sharp as a well-tempered blade, and the whales use them to puncture the hulls of vessels. These are very valuable objects, and have only been acquired from washed-up bodies or occasionally wedged in the hulls of ships.
According to Prominere myth, Deepfisher, the House's ancestral trident, as well as Dennic's armor, is fashioned from the scutes of a Clawed Whale.

"The lake at the Mirans' backs did roil,
   As if at Prominere's command.
The Whaler Lord gave a shout,
   And raised his trident in his hand.
The Miralac swelled and spilled,
   Rocking Maialis' ship,
And water from the many falls
   Off gleaming weapons did drip." 
-  Last Stand of House Mira 

The Coastal Whale is also known for its great size, enabled by its distance from land. It lives in the deep sea of the Unknown Tides, and is rarely seen near the coast. Therefore they are only encountered by deep sea whaling along the whaling routes near the Boreal North, and can generally be avoided by staying away from known Clawed Whale territory.

Lifespan

150-200 Years

Average Weight

250,000 Pounds

Average Length

120 Feet