Nuzem
From Mizahar Lore
| "Petchin' ting came from nowhere. One chime we was sailins alon, and ten teesh tentaclesh sprouted from te water! Washn' ten more chimes n me secon' mate was dancin' in fron' o' me, lil worm teengs growin' from 'is back." - Drunkard telling tall tales |
 | |
| Frequency | Very rare |
|---|---|
| Threat level | High |
| Major features | Giant octopus body. |
| Abilities | Camouflage, tentacles and tentaclettes, great strength |
Nuzem are a species of horribly warped octopus, changed into what they are today by the massive energies tossed about in the Valterrian. This Valterric creature cultivates small caches of bodies, which it will "sew" onto the ends of its tentacles to create the appearance of a living creature.
Contents |
History
he Nuzem were originally a large species of octopus that lived off the coast of the Alahean Empire, along the area where Sahova currently is. When Sahova was first established ten years before the Valterrian, they began to research into magics previously forbidden. Sahova was mainly a weapons research facility, and one of the weapons they developed was the Nuzem. The wizards were searching for a way to effectively and discreetly overpower any naval forces the empire may come across. Instead of constructing ships, which may have been noticed by the public eye, the Sahovan's reached their powerful hands down into the depths and procured the precursor of the Nuzem.
The wizards of Sahova found this specimen to be ideal for their purposes. It was riddled with natural defenses: Ink, vents, camouflage, etc. The list was long and impressive. So the Sahovans took an already lethal creature, and made it malignant. They channeled immense amounts of divine djed into their original specimens. They made them smarter, not entirely sentient, slightly more intelligent than a cat. The original specimens grew to sizes nearly twice as large as their natural counterparts. Yet the most interesting development was that of the tentacles. The Sahovans split, painfully no doubt, the ends of the specimen's tentacles into hundreds of small, yet powerful, tendrils. With these the octopus could easily manipulate objects, perhaps even more effectively than a creature with opposable thumbs might.
Within several months, the first specimens were released into the wild as a test population. The Sahovans anxiously awaited incoming news of ships being attacked near the coast to the north, and sure enough, the entire coastal region was being decimated by their creatures.
During the Valterrian, the species was nearly eliminated due to the massive tectonic shifts and tsunamis that occurred in the ocean. At this point, the Nuzem are known to humanity only through the vicious attacks on their ships..
This near extinction prevented their exposure to the post Valterrian surface dwellers until recent times. Before now, even those who knew of their creation before the Valterrian assumed them to be eradicated. Yet while originally hailing from Sahova, the Nuzem's first documented sign of their continuity appears to lie with the denizens of the Konti Isle. In Winter 501 AV, a small group of Konti huntress' vanished. Nothing was heard of the group for nearly a month, until a bloated corpse was found caught in a reef. The White Maidens shipped the specimen to Sahova, where several Nuit identified the markings as signature of the Nuzem. It appeared as if their creation lives on.
To this day, no documented sightings of live Nuzem have been recorded, although clues abound. Every now and again one of their massive appendages will be found, severed by a predator. Or perhaps a ship or raiding party will go missing. One of the greatest indicators, to one that is versed in ecology, is the increased population of Sperm Whales in the region. Before the Nuzem population took off, the whales were rare sightings at best. However, in recent years that trend has changed.
Biology
The Nuzem appear at first glance to be large octopus. They grow anywhere from 35-40 feet (11-12 meters) in length, and 300-350 pounds (136-159 kg). The coloring of one of these predators is difficult to pin down. This is because, like many octopus, a Nuzem can change its colouring and skin patterns to match its surroundings. However, it is often concluded that the Nuzem are naturally a blotchy peach color. The mantle of a Nuzem is larger than normal for a creature of its size (note that this is not because of its increased intelligence, because the brain is not in the mantle). This is to support its expanded digestion system and stomach.
The dietary needs of a Nuzem are similar to that of a standard octopus of the region, which complicates things. The Sahovans never changed the genetic programming in a Nuzem that tells them what to hunt. As such, Nuzem originally continued to eat shellfish and smaller organisms that octopuses usually tend to eat. However, due to their increased size, this particular species has more difficulty sustaining itself solely off of similar organisms. Though much of their diet is composed of shellfish, in recent years the Nuzem have deviated from standard diets, devouring larger organisms such as sharks or dolphin.
A Nuzem, being derived from an octopus, has no bones. Thus, they can fit into places much smaller than most creatures their size could. While a Nuzem's mantle is approximately 45% of its body mass, it can still fit into a space designed for a creature nearly one third of its size.
The tentacles and tendrils of a Nuzem are extremely powerful, capably of generating immense force. This is because the Nuzem's tentacles are composed of almost entirely of muscular tissue, as opposed to fat, bone, and cartilage. The suction generated by a Nuzem can leave lesions or even break the skin of a human or similar creature. The ability to regrow their limbs is a native ability of the Nuzem's base creature, however they cannot regrow bodily organs such as their brain or gonad.
Nuzem, like all octopus, have beaks for chewing the prey they catch. While these beaks are razor sharp, they are not particularly strong. Instead of breaking open objects with its beak, it will instead use its appendages to disassemble the organism or object apart. Then, when the object is small enough, and shed of any shell or similar natural armor, it will shred it into digestible pieces.
A large vent is located on the mantle, near the anus. The vent allows the Nuzem to pull in water and sediment, and subsequently eject it back into the water to create a smoke screen of sorts. This feature is not unique to the Nuzem, all octopus have this filter/vent.
Another common feature of many octopus', including the Nuzem, is an ink sac. The inc sac works to the same effect as the vent, excreting a smokescreen to aid escape or attacks. The ink, however, is internally generated and stored in the sac.
Perhaps the most bizarre and dangerous feature of the Nuzem is its tentacles. Each of its eight appendages splits off into hundreds of tendrils at the end. While the combined dexterity of each tentacle is great, each individual one is capable of complicated tasks as well. These tendrils are also extremely powerful, and burrow themselves into various places on organisms. Often times the Nuzem will place tendrils near major joints and muscular systems to actually control the creature. This is one method the Nuzem frequently uses to attract prey, creating lures out of living organisms.
Reproduction
A Nuzem reaches sexual maturity after four or five years. Before this, the Nuzem is an entirely solitary creature. But after a Nuzem reaches maturity, it will breed at the next viable opportunity. A "viable opportunity" varies between the sexes. A female Nuzem will breed with any male she can find. However, the males of the species are exceptionally discriminating when it comes to finding a mate. After they breed, one of two things can happen depending on the sex of the specimen. If the Nuzem is male, it will immediately die. But if the specimen is female, then it will starve itself guarding the eggs. Prospective Nuzem mates locate each other via the pheromones the female releases. If a female specimen appeals to multiple male Nuzem, it is not uncommon for conflict to occur as one male establishes dominance.
Behavior
Upon cursory inspection, one might believe what the Nuzem to be a standard, if not extremely large, octopus. However, it is in the curious (and relatively sadistic) behavior of using other organisms as lures or puppets that earns them a reputation as more than just animals. Many who have seen a friend or even foe be attacked by a Nuzem claim them to have a "human intelligence". While the behavior of this species is the cause of much speculation, one of the most famous testimonials to the Nuzem's sadism is as follows,
{{Quote "I'll never forget that wretched day. Storms had wracked the coast for over a day. My son had begged me to go to the beach, so maybe we could find shells before Jeremiah did. I never knew why they always competed so much. We arrived at the beach during a lull, and found three bodies floating in the... I shouldn't have let him go ahead of me. My son... I will always remember its eyes, it looked at me. No, it did not merely look, it glared at me." }}
Many superstitiously claim that the Nuzem prefer living organisms than dead ones, but nobody has ever validated this. However, they will often discard corpses/organisms that are too decayed by the water. Often the Nuzem will devour the lure when the tissue becomes too soft.
Amongst each other, Nuzem are extremely territorial and solitary. The only time one will ever see two Nuzem is while they are breeding. During every other part of the year these creatures are solitary hunters, and primarily nocturnal at that.
There are few things a Nuzem has to worry about, being so high up on the food chain. The major predator of this species would be toothy whales. Individually, a toothy whale any smaller than a sperm whale would have difficulty killing a Nuzem. However, pods of smaller whales such as Orcas are more than capable of hunting a Nuzem.
Usually, a Nuzem makes their lair in any rocky crevice or cave they can find. Their flexible body allows them to squeeze into caverns that one would think to be far too small for such a large creature. The larger caverns are often occupied by the larger or particularly intelligent Nuzem, as they are prone to steal the cave and territory of others of their species. The caves serves triple purpose as protected spaces for the Nuzem to rest and recuperate, a haven from predators, and as a cache for the various bodies they hoard.
Geography
These Valterrics may be found most heavily concentrated off the coast of The White Isle. The area between Sahova and The White Isle is also an area to find the Nuzem, but most have migrated to the Konti Isle. The nearby coast to the west of Sahova and northwards is also a place to rarely find the Nuzem.
Industry Uses
The Nuzem, if properly prepared, is an immensely popular delicacy. While the flesh has been rendered nearly inedible, even toxic, from the Sahovan experiments, there are certain chefs that can prepare the Nuzem in such a manner that the toxins are removed. Catching and killing a Nuzem is a cause for celebration in itself, and thus these chefs that have the skill to render this otherwise poisonous flesh edible is an asset to said celebration. The greatest concentration of these chefs can be found among the Konti, who most frequently encounter the Nuzem. The price of fresh Nuzem is absolutely immense, due to the rarity of catching the specimen, and the difficulty in preparing it. However, many a culinary aficionado have affirmed that it is well worth the price.
Myths
No humanoid victims of the Nuzem have actually survived to spread many myths, but they still abound in local areas. Somehow, whether it be intentionally or accidentally, myths and legends abound. Tales of tentacles washing onto shore spontaneously animating, or of the Nuzem's lethal toxin (there isn't one), or how the Nuzem herald the death of sailors get whispered by many sailors that travel between the White Isle and the mainland.
Though on the White Isle, many of these myths are dispelled in exchange for new ones. The Konti, who have found quite a few specimens of Nuzem flesh, are quite familiar with its properties despite having never seen one of them alive before. However, many times when a hunting party stays out too long, whispers bubble up among the maidens, placing the blame on the Nuzem.
Sahova has a slightly different take on the Nuzem. They technically created the beasts, and thus have many of the original records regarding them. They know that the Nuzem has no venom, that it cannot spontaneously animate, and that it doesn't herald death. They are more concerned with the fact that many creatures with so much divine djed coursing their body evolve quickly. Thusly the quiet discussions taking place in Sahova usually deal with speculation as to how the monster has developed in recent years since it has resurfaced.