Sonorous Aquaticus: The Beasts of Thunder Reef
Welcome, Lads, to Thunder Reef. A marvel of magical energies existing in harmony with the local fauna. Here, in Thunder Reef, you can find a large variety of oceanic creatures just overflowing with sonic energy. From the lowly Cacophony Crab, to the mighty Thunder-Squid, we will be taking a look at all of them today.
Welcome, Lads, to Thunder Reef. A marvel of magical energies existing in harmony with the local fauna. Here, in Thunder Reef, you can find a large variety of oceanic creatures just overflowing with sonic energy. From the lowly Cacophony Crab, to the mighty Giant Thunder-Squid, we will be taking a look at all of them today.
Thunder Reef - An overview by an old sailor:
Thunder Reef is a strange place. There is always a buzzing sound in the air, a droning hum from beneath the waves. They say a large shipment of Thunderstones went down near here and it hasn't been the same since, but, that was long ago. Now, we can barely touch the place. If the sonic surf doesn't sink your ship, then the Giant Thunder-Squid surely will, or those damn annoying Discordant Dolphins will make your ears bleed. It's just a nasty place, but it's where the Thunderstones seem to appear in abundance. Not just loud rocks though, these one are gems! Gems in all the colors of the rainbow! Gems! I've seen one, a scary thing is it. Like a brilliant uncut emerald, only... Your slightest touch, any slight trauma or contact to the gem... And it begins to roar. Slight roar for a slight touch, but hit it hard enough and it'll let loose like the Heavens are crashing around you. Nasty things, best not to mess with them.
The Beasts of Thunder Reef - Sonorous Aquaticus:
The Crab of Cacophony -
A strange crab, yellowish and translucent, they travel in swarms and seem to have the same properties as the Thundergems. That is, they make a lot of noise when they touch things, even each other. You will hear them coming, and they aren't very dangerous, they're just interesting. They put on shows of their manliness to impress the females, clicking their claws to create low rolling thunder. I've never heard of anyone injured by one, but they are said to be decent-enough tasting to be worth catching if you've got nothing else. I wouldn't fancy stepping on one.
The Discordant Dolphins -
Yellow-speckled dolphins that emit a large range of annoying sounds. They like to travel in packs, each of them screeching a different series of sounds. They can't really cause any harm unless you're in the water, in which case the sonic assault will likely leave you dazed and deafened and probably subject to drowning.
Thunder-Squid -
Pale yellow and white monsters with an arrow-like head and many tentacles. They are, thankfully, one of the rarest denizens of Thunder Reef and only come out at night to feed on small fish (that don't seem to have any sonic qualities). They have no ink bladder, and instead have some sort of magical thunder bladder. Able to squeeze out a very loud noise capable of stunning those around it. They appear to be completely deaf, as they are not affected by each others shows of sonic prowess. They emit noise from their thunder bladders when hunting or when frightened, so be careful when you see their glowing eyes in the waters below.
Giant Thunder-Squid -
They call him Thundor, a large kraken-like beast of rudimentary intelligence and an impressive control over his noisy powers. He is rarer still that his smaller cousins, but will ferociously defend Thunder Reef from any ships attempting to get on shore. He can fire large blasts of almost-visible sonic energy at ships, splintering wooden hulls and deafening the crew. He is a nasty bugger, and there is a large reward on his head. Killing him would make it much easier to access Thunder Reef.
Thundershell Periwinkle -
A small sea snail that grows a sound-emitting shell. The shell acts like a minor Thunderstone. it makes very little noise, but it considered a novelty edible when eaten raw, as the slug inside the shell makes an appealing low roll of thunder as it is sucked from the shell.
Agitato Dragons -
Agitato dragons bear a strong resemblance to sea horses, and are considered bad luck by the locals. Like magpies of the sea, these palm-sized water-dragons spend their time scouring Thunder Reef for unguarded thunder jewels to add to their watery hoards. Often seen carrying (or dragging) a jewel in its long, prehensile tail, these critters cause no end of trouble for divers and sailors alike. For one, the silly creatures startle easily -- any unexpected noise (of which there are many), forbidding entity (ship, diver, predator), or large shadow (even their own!) will cause them to drop the jewel to the sea floor with a resounding boom. As if this weren't bad enough, the tiny pests can build up a dangerous cache of thunder jewels that can stun wildlife within a mile-wide radius, and even sink small vessels if allowed to go off. For this reason, sea merchants who must pass through Thunder Reef regularly will hire brave (or deaf) souls to seek out these hidden caches and disarm them.
racket gulls
gulls that when startled or when mating give of such a noise that any creature in half mile radi will go cover there ears in pian
thunder turtles turtles that can emit thunder
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? Responses (11)
Neat! The aquatic equivalent of the Singing Woods! I like it!
Very nice.
Ditto; I take it visitors would rarely be surprised by the inhabitants.
Ditto; I take it visitors would rarely be surprised by the inhabitants. I'd like to see a bit more about the ecology and climate; not being very knowledgeable about aquatic environments, I'm having a hard time envisioning how all this would fit together.
To be honest, I'm not all that sure either. I have grown up in a north-eastern US fishing village, and as such have a fair bit of knowledge about boating and some marine life, but don't know much about coral reefs, which I imagine Thunder Reef to be. I see them as a gathering place for aquatic animals to make homes and feed. Picture yellow and pink coral, of the sea sponge-like variety, growing near rocks and maybe a few shipwrecks. The idea was mostly for sea creatures with sonic properties, the reef was a loose idea to combine them. But, i was originally picturing it as existing as a barrier, to naturally protect from ships, as part of a remote island's ecosystem. I hope that helps a little.
My hat's off to you, sir, for this clever twist on two separate posts. Sound has always been a fascinating medium to me, and discord can be just as potent as harmony. As an exercise, how would you feel about a joint effort to expand both subs? I will consider your reef and add at least one idea, in the hopes that you will do the same for my woods.
You've got a deal.
cool
Nice idea, I'm editing the Thunderstones again soon, but they'll still fit into this series you have here.
An excellent way to tie in other subs. It is an interesting location as well - a magi-environmental disaster.