HOME | DD

Aysheathan — Description

At first glance, water bodies in the Underworld are a lot like ones on the surface. They feel similar because they.....well because they are a bunch of water in one place. Be it still like a lake or moving like a river, the Underworld has stuff like that. Once you dive in, though, you will see that there are some differences. The main thing being that many of them can be connected to each other in a much more literal sense. Sure, rivers flow into lakes and oceans, but movement is typically one way. But with places in the Underworld, we are talking water-filled tunnels cutting through the rock that allows life to move back and forth from certain bodies at any time. The complexity of the Underworld makes such places far more connected, or remote, and the movement of such water can be quite extreme. This means that you can never really judge a water body just by looking at it, as it could be far deeper or more connected than this simple pond may appear. You would think a small underground lake could only support little fish and invertebrates, all until a massive toothy worm bursts forth to devour prey upon the shore. Because, yes, this lake is too small to support a big beast like this, but since it is connected to a far larger body through tunnels, these creatures can swing by for a quick pop-in.
The Aysheathan is an aquatic predator of the Underworld, a beast that brings to mind a sea serpent. A long body, with multiple fins running down its length. A nasty set of "jaws" are at one end, and it is obvious what it uses those for! Six eyes are on its head, and they are used to the darkness of the waters and caverns. Some may think it a reptile, an aquatic serpent of sorts, but it is actually more of a worm. Its body is boneless, which is perfect for slithering through the tight tunnels and water ways. But what of those big jaws? Well, they aren't actually jaws! They are actually spine-covered limbs that play the role of a toothy maw, with the actual mouth being at its "throat." The difference this makes is that these arms are far more flexible than a maw with bones, able to bend and twist in many ways. This is important when you are dealing with an environment with a huge variety of obstacles and space. You never know how prey is going to try and run or what tight tunnel it will squirm into, so you need catching limbs that can adapt. They serve to hook prey and hold it tight, letting the true mouth slowly gnaw away at its catch.
As I said, these are predators, and powerful ones too! With their size, they are easily one of the mightiest hunters of the water. Their serpentine shape lets them access many areas, while their flexible jaws ensure no meal gets away! They hunt any big prey that is in the water, as well as those standing too close to the shore! If something big and meaty comes to the water's edge for a drink, the Aysheathan may lunge from the depths to snare them and drag them down. Pretty terrifying, especially since you have no real idea which lakes are safe from such predation! Just because it is small doesn't mean an Aysheathan can't stop by to check it for hiding prey! This is why the denizens of this land have worked hard to try and map the waterways the best they can, to know what areas are accessed by what creatures. This is very important, as you don't want to be in a little dinky fishing boat with such a big hungry worm slithering beneath you!
Though I do mention that these things are quite big, I feel that I have to mention that they are not that big. It was an interesting observation I made during my trip down below, that the aquatic life here is not nearly as huge as the stuff on the surface. Which should be obvious, right? In a land with tight tunnels and space limited by caverns, it isn't able to support such titanic creatures as the open ocean can. Not suggesting our aquatic fauna is better, just observing! It was a fact that I shared with my guides, talking about the huge sea beasts of the surface. I figured they would think it was neat, as who doesn't love learning about new species? But they kept giving me weird looks as I prattled on, making me think I made some kind of blunder! Was I coming off as bragging? Did they think this was some superiority stunt? I was hasty to apologize if that was what it was, but they assured me that wasn't it. I questioned them some more, and as it turned out, my talk was kind of disturbing them. BUT, and here is the thing, it wasn't the sea monsters scaring them! It was the open ocean! The sheer expanse! The blue void! They were unsettled by the idea of such a huge space of nothing that seemingly went on forever! Of course, I wasn't thinking! The finite nature of the Underworld and its caverns is something demons and shades are used to!
Of course, I thought this was fascinating to realize and unfortunately may have been a bit to loud about it. I think I wound up embarrassing my guides by pointing out such fears, and things sorta went a bit quiet. Some days I really got to watch my mouth....
Chlora Myron
Dryad Natural Historian
---------------------------------------
Been a minute since we got some Underworld critters so here is one! Here it is! Take it! TAKE IT! Work to do, work to do! It seems that I am descending into one of my art frenzies, where the need and energy for art are at max setting. So many ideas, so many drawings, so much to do, but it isn't enough! If I am drawing I am not coloring and if I am coloring then I am not writing but if I am writing than I am not drawing and I need to I need to! We are already churning out a bunch or pieces but it isn't enough! The ideas are flooding in faster than the hands can work! Gah! I have wasted too much time here! Back to it!