Encyclopaedia Elysia | Creatures / Gigan Khelonas (Gigan)

Name: Gigan Khelonas (Gigan)

Size: Huge

Lifespan: 250–300 years

Appearance

Gigan Khelonas are a very rare sight, and as such accounts of their appearance tend to be unreliable (when they can be found at all). What most descriptions agree on is the general elephant-like form of the creature, and its monolithic size. One Gigan Khelonas is large enough to comfortably accommodate a hundred humanoids upon it’s shell-encased back. This shell covers most of the creature — only its head and joints are unexposed.

The creature has four legs, which are all somewhat short but still sturdy enough to support the Gigan’s considerable size. The column-structured legs end in feet which are encrusted in very dense shell. When the shell is removed the soft, leathery pads on the soles of their feet are exposed. This soft skin covers the Gigan Khelonas’ entire body, but little of it is exposed.

The shell of the creature is its most interesting feature, as it differs from Gigan to Gigan. Given that the Gigan Khelonas forms its shell from materials that it ingests but cannot digest, the shell is often comprised of bone and a variety of inorganic materials. The shell is rather jagged, most of all on the Gigan’s back where it can look like a junkyard made up of materials one would find at the bottom of the ocean.

Gigan Khelonas have stumpy tails (also covered in shell), and very large ears that also function as gill flaps. The creature has no tusks, but it does have a long trunk which it uses to grab and to sweep the seabed. Its trunk also provides a sense of smell and allows the Gigan to breathe above water. It has no eyes, and its teeth are large but quite blunt. The Gigan Khelonas has skin of a light sea green shade, but most of this is covered by the shell which can be a variety of colours, textures and shapes.

Behaviour

Gigan Khelonas very rarely interact with other life forms, and will ignore aggressor and friend alike as they trudge along the seabed. They can withstand the immense pressures of the deepest parts of the ocean, and this is where the creature tends to be found (or not, as is usually the case). The Gigan Khelonas never stops walking or eating unless it is injured, mating, or due to give birth. In these instances it will seek shelter (usually an aquatic cavern, but some will surface on land). Of all the humanoids, it gets on best with (or at least, pays more attention to) Nymphs and Therians.

Diet:

Gigan Khelonas are indiscriminate in their feeding habits, and will eat all that comes across their path. They do, however, prefer to eat larger life forms and will often seek out structures such as sunken ships to eat. The Gigan Khelonas will eat the entirety of the structure (breaking it up with its trunk or feet if need be), digesting the plant life and sea creatures within for energy and using the structure itself as a part of its shell. Materials that it cannot digest are ejected from the Gigan’s stomach (which is big enough to make its other internal organs seem minuscule in comparison) and pushed through the skin, which will rip. The ripped skin secretes a substance (which can be thought of as the “blood” of the Gigan) that coats the materials and allows them to merge them with the existing shell. The skin heals very quickly, and the Gigan feels very little pain during this process.

Habitat:

Gigan Khelonas live in the depths of the ocean, as befits their colossal size and dietary needs. They rarely venture away from the Ao Sea, and wander along the Ceracen Migration Path without pause. The older the Gigan, the deeper they will wander – young Gigans wander in the shallower parts of the ocean, as it accommodates their smaller size, and because the young find the very depths of the oceans intimidating at first. There have been a few incidents in which very young Gigans take a bite out of the bottom of a sailing ship in order to sink it. This is very rare, however, as Gigans tend to trawl the bottom of the ocean, avoiding the surface (their shell is also very heavy and acts as an anchor, making swimming difficult).

Breeding:

Breeding amongst Gigan Khelonas is rare, given the scarcity of the animal. When a male and female Gigan do have an encounter, they will mate (if so inclined) in the shallower regions of the ocean. The male will then resume wandering, whilst the female finds the nearest shelter (most often an underwater cave, but sometimes the Gigan will surface and seek land) in which to hibernate during her gestation period. This period lasts two months, but the Gigan will stay in her shelter for two years after giving birth. This is because the Gigan Khelonas takes a long time to properly develop — the young Gigan is completely dependent on its mother, who will venture away from the shelter and her offspring for a few days, returning with food for her young.

The mother Gigan stores the collected food in her stomach, and then regurgitates it for her child. Inorganic materials are important here, as a baby Gigan is born without a shell, and will need to feed on such materials in order to develop one. A Gigan Khelonas will only have one child per pregnancy. There have been incidents where the mother Gigan has abandoned her child before the end of the support period, leaving it to fend for itself — highlighting the solitary and selfish nature of the Gigan Khelonas.

Special Information

Strengths/Abilities:

Its shell is its biggest defence, and it is very difficult to penetrate. The Gigan Khelonas, however, can detach parts of its shell at will — it does this when it wants to reach the surface. If it detaches the heavy shell casing around its feet, it exposes their soles. A Gigan Khelonas stores a lot of natural gas in its legs, which can be released in great bursts through the soles of its feet, propelling the Gigan through the water.
The Gigan Khelonas can and will eat anything, and it uses all that it eats, either converting it to energy or making it a part of its shell. This ensures that Gigan Khelonas are not left wanting for sustenance. A Gigan will leave a very clean seabed in its wake.

Weaknesses:

Gigan Khelonas are very slow, and have few offensive capabilities, meaning that a Gigan is often limited to feeding on the slow and/or stationary.
It also has very soft skin, which is easily damaged when exposed.
It is blind, but it uses its cry (much like ultrasound) and its trunk to feel around and determine the layout of its surroundings.

Uses: The rarity and habits of Gigan Khelonas means that they are rarely used by humanoids.

Valuable materials may be extracted from its shell, or the shell itself can be used in the creation of armour or something similar. For this reason, deep sea diving in safer areas, in order to scavenge discarded shell from the seabed, has become rather popular.
The blood of the creature is also useful as a bonding agent, although this use is not at all well known.

Origin: Unknown.

Other Info: Gigan Khelonas are few and far between, and so their voracious appetites do not pose a problem to the ocean’s ecosystem. They are not a threat, unless you get in the way of its eating.

Creator: Hollie

[[!Summer Camp 2011]