Shelleton

Quick Facts: Skeletal, Underwater, Covered in Shells

Height, Width, Length, and Weight: Average Mortal Sizes

Native to: Scalvoris Coastal Waters

Locations: Entirely in the Scalvoris Coastal Waters

Appearance: Shelletons are essentially skeletal mortals, usually completely lacking in flesh, though occasionally a newer Shelleton may still possess some minor scraps and pieces. What gives Shelletons apart and sets their name is the presence of large colonies of mollusk-like creatures around their bodies, with odd vine-like tentacles wrapping around their limbs and acting almost as joints. These tiny mollusks seldom move, and will almost completely cover the body of a Shelleton, bursting from bones like growths, or simply latching on where they can.

Habitat: Shelletons being quite reminiscent of undead marrows require absolutely no rest, nor protection from the elements, and therefore do not particularly bother with creating habitats or homes for themselves. That said, they are known to gather in large clusters on the ocean floor, where they will stare directly upwards, and wait for a passing ship to awaken them from their slumber.

Lifespan and Development: When a Mommy Sailor and a Daddy Shelleton like each other very much, the Daddy Shelleton pulls the Mommy Sailor off of her boat, and then drowns her under the ocean. The mollusks on the bodies of the Shelletons promptly feed on their flesh, wiping them almost completely clean in a matter of a trial or two, and proceed to lay new eggs in the empty skeleton. The skeleton then acts as a ‘shell’ and a home for the newborn mollusks, who promptly spread over its body and begin the cycle anew.

These mollusks are entirely the reason why the skeleton is capable of movement. They recognize boats and ships as methods of reproduction, and are entirely bestial in their desire to drown sailors, consume them, and then reproduce in their skeleton. The mollusks accomplish locomotion through a distinct and complex network of tendrils which snake throughout the body, typically forming a mass at the center of the Shelleton where a ‘heart’ might have been present. Mollusks zap gentle electrical signals through these tendrils and into the heart wherein it is transferred to other mollusks. Fascinating enough, these mollusks typically follow a somewhat ‘democratic’ structure wherein the requests of the majority are followed through by the remainder of mollusks. It is for this reason that the mollusks are rather slow in their movements, because it takes a couple of moments to properly determine movement.

Diet: Technically, a Shelleton being ‘Undead’ doesn’t require anything to eat. That said, the mollusks upon their bodies are scavengers, and will only consume dead matter, though they do not mind if it is recently dead, or long-dead. If these mollusks do not eat for several trials, they will begin to cannibalize themselves, and will effectively render the Shelleton unable to properly move large portions of its body.

Temperament: Shelletons could probably be defined as aggressively territorial. It is a rare instance where a Shelleton hive decides to actually leave from its fellows, and most prefer simply to wait for another passing boat to jar them into motion. Once a boat is spotted, however, they stir into action, swimming up towards the surface of the boat wherein they will attempt to yank down unsuspecting sailors into the sea so that they may drown them. Shelletons are not very talented at actual combat, and will almost always prefer simply to shove and push and pull on a person to get them in the water where they have the advantage.

Abilities:

1. Ability to live underwater without air.
2. Ability to sense the passing of ships without use of eyes, likely some form of electromagnetic sensation from the mollusks.
3. Ability to be surprisingly resilient as the only way to properly ‘kill’ a Shelleton is to remove the mollusks covering its body, and the mollusks are legion. Removing an area of mollusks will disable it from use, however.
4. Ability to swim surprisingly well for being essentially a shell covered in strange parasites.

Notes: There are secrets to discover so PM a mod for more info!

Creator: Noth