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Leviathan

Name: Leviathan

Category: Monsters

Type: Aquatic

Size: Huge

Region: Aquatic

Rarity: Very exotic

Lifespan: Indefinite

Appearance

The Leviathan is possibly one of the most terrifying creatures any Elysian could ever see. It spans a length of around forty metres but can be even longer than that.

This creature is serpentine, and has a large, undulating body which ends in a ridged tail. Its head, and on the top of its body, is all armoured with an extremely tough exoskeleton.

On its head, on each side of its massive, gaping maw, are two spikes which protrude out from the Leviathan in order to spear enemies and battle other massive sea creatures. The Leviathan is blind, but instead of eyes, underneath the exoskeleton of its 'face' are tender, delicate parts of flesh that are unprotected. Around these unprotected areas is its mouth, which is lined with jagged and uneven rows of razor sharp, slender teeth.

This massive creature is soft grey on its unprotected underbelly, and a soft blue on its exoskeleton.

Behaviour

The Leviathan is feared — and with good reason. For those unfortunate enough to see one, the Leviathan attacks with a rabid, insatiable bloodlust. It does not differentiate between creatures however humanoids are often small enough to escape the notice of a Leviathan. The same cannot be said, however, for those travelling by ship. The aim of attacking, for the Leviathan, is not to feed. It feeds upon creatures as big as itself, one of its favourites being the tenacious kraken.

It is unknown as to whether there is more than one Leviathan, but many claim that the Leviathan is as old as Elysia itself. Although mythical, and often the subject of folklore, the Leviathan have been seen and courageously fought against. These fights are always futile, but there are survivors of Leviathan attacks, and often these survivors have changed and may have scars as evidence of their encounter. A sighting of a Leviathan is marvellous, however rare due to the length of time which it may stay down in the darkest depths of the ocean without emerging up to the surface.

Diet: Although it attacks everything it can, the Leviathan may occasionally feed on humanoids but generally it has a taste for kraken and kaunyos.

Habitat: The Leviathan can survive in salt water, and is only found in seas. Usually, it is found in the depths where only the bravest would dare to cross, but it often moves around — sometimes into shallower waters where sailors travel.

Breeding: It is unknown whether there are multiple Leviathan in Elysia, but for this creature breeding is an extremely slow process if there were. It takes place within the deepest crevices of the ocean.

Special Information

Strengths/Abilities:

• This gigantic beast has an extremely resilient exoskeleton on its upper body, and sharp, piercing 'tusks' which could spear through even the toughest of materials.
• Also, it is generally very tough and difficult to damage. It has a large ridged tail which is extremely good at smashing things – especially ships.

Weaknesses:

• The Leviathan is rather slow moving, in the sense that it is not so slow as it takes a long time for it to travel, but that it is so large that it takes quite a time to move its mass.
• Also, underneath its exoskeleton on its underbelly and on its face, is tender, soft flesh which is unprotected and easily damaged by weapons such as harpoons or other such attacks.

Uses:

• Nobody has lived to be able to say, or to obtain a part of the Leviathan, whether or not it is useful. However, in an Elysian folk tale, a giant Leviathan washed up on the shores of the Ao Coast and parts of its exoskeleton were decorated and carved into trophies and small pieces of armour such as gauntlets.

Origin: It is said that the Leviathan began as a small crustaceous fish, in the early days of Elysia, created by Xanth as a combination of shellfish and fish. The species was weak, and soon wiped out by larger, more powerful predatory experiments. One of these little fish survived, living in the depths and feeding on whatever it could find, and over hundreds of years, growing. Forgotten by Xanth when the rest of the species became extinct, the Leviathan lived in the depths, growing in size and strength and adapting for survival. Eventually, it grew to a size large enough to terrorise the seas of Elysia.

Other Info: It may be worth noting that Leviathan sightings are extremely rare.

Creator: Laura