Wahrk

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Wahrks are carnivorous sea creatures native to the oceans of the West, particularly the warmer waters of the Southwestern seas. They are bulky, square-faced with thin fins and horizontal tail, a massive fleshy ridge travelling the length of their bodies, tapering from just behind the head to the tail. They are predominantly blue-grey in colour, with stripes along the upper part of their backs, difficult to make out in the darker waters where they dwell, and their skin is thick and tough (though not a match for good steel). Long bone tusks emerge from either side of the wahrk’s body, adding to its ferocious appearance. Wahrks do not have external gills, instead ‘breathing’ in water through their mouths for air.


Wahrks are highly aggressive, feeding on all manner of fish and larger creatures such as Sunners or small whales, as well as humans they discover in the water and competitors they slay in duels.


Their tusks are not used to kill prey, but instead in duels with other wahrks over territory, as they are solitary creatures. Such contests involve wahrks ramming into their targets, attempting to gore with their tusks: many wahrks have flanks bearing the scars of such duels. Wahrks have been known to engage predators such as Orcas or Sharks in duels as well… while the latter often decline to engage or defeat the wahrk through pack tactics, sharks are particularly ill-suited to doing battle with the creatures, due to the vulnerability of their gills to tusk-goring and the stunning they suffer when forcefully struck head-on. This advantage may be vital to the continued survival of wahrks, for the bloodthirsty god Siakal hates the creatures for encroaching upon her beloved sharks. Wahrks will eat sharks or other wahrks that they slay during these clashes.


Wahrks will even ram the bottoms of ships passing through their territory, challenging the inanimate vehicles for daring to encroach. This is not as foolish as it might first sound, for small boats will be easily capsized and even large vessels could be shaken enough to drop sailors from rigging, providing the wahrk with a welcome meal.


The mating habits of wahrks are little understood, but they seem somehow able to form pairs, male and female wahrks finding means to tolerate each other with only mild amounts of dueling. These pairs seem to remain together for life, and tend to dominate their territories due to overpowering competing single wahrks.


Ivory from wahrk tusks is not considered high-quality, but has been used for decorative objects by some Western island cultures, where it serves as a trophy of a hunter’s prowess, or a symbol of fear and danger.


Source: Adapted from Cyan's Riven... a game whose plot makes for terrible Exalted, but whose setting is full of things 
that are beautiful samedifferent and thus wonderful fits for fleshing out Creation.