Another commission by the same clients as Pavaavak, this time the Mollusceron Kounekros!
Client also included lore so I feel obliged to include it here aswell if anyone else wants to know more!
Kounekros’s lineage and origins are mostly unknown to the guild though, being appart of a recently discovered group of monsters they dubbed molluscerons, they evolved from intelligent bottom feeder worms that feed on anything they could to survive of which were being outcompete at the time in the ancient past of the Colbron Reef, luckily for them the sudden draining of the inland mountain ocean gave them a sudden big advantage as they were one of the few organisms that have adapted to be able to go onto dry land for significant amounts of time. Being now able to take full advantage of the great die off at the time being able to reproduce and grow rapidly onto the passage of time. They have now grown from flatworm sizes to colossal might, reaching on average a length of 30 meters long and could look a lagiacrus in the eyes if it wanted too, despite its lack of eyes itself. They detect potential meals weather it be dead monsters, living ones, vegetation and so on via two methods. One being its hyper sensitive whiskers that smell both water and air for any scents that would lead it to food or for the case of moving foods it uses its ability to detect vibrations from the ground with the help of its water retaining skin and fatty tissues that make up its skin and flanks or its whiskers via changes of water or air pressure to detect prey from far away. If a hunter steps within 20 meters of kounekros, it can see you. Luckily for the inhabitants of the Colbron Reef it spends most of its time in the brine filled depths of the now former great ocean feeding on decay that drifts to it when rain is plentiful and pushes the food to it. Though when it hasn’t rained for a few days or weeks at times as the environment takes on a bleached look, the now great hunger of kounekros takes hold, leaving its home and leaving a trail behind of brine behind it take is toxic to most life that interacts with it.
Lucky as well for the inhabitants of the Colbron Reef Kounekros retained its rather slow speed from its ancestor, though it can still keep up with a jogging hunter. It aids it though that as well as its slow speed they kept their intellect and camouflage abilities, changing their Color’s like a cuttlefish with very similar skin to them with some differences, their skin is extremely water retaining similar to a ludroths mane though now elastic as well, with all the brine water it Carrie’s as well any prey or threats that attack it would find themselves now covered in brine if their not careful giving an effect on them similar to effluvium from the rotten vale, additionally it is capable in cause of flying prey or when it’s being feeling highly threatened or in need of going away it has one last trump card for defence, it uses the chromatophores in its skin to release a dashing array of Color’s messing with its prey or adversaries senses of sight and giving them confusion though for a more immediate effect it would delivery a flash of brightness with its Color’s though that puts its color changing abilities on cooldown so that the chromatophores do not get damaged, changing its truth Color’s rarely seen outside of its home. For when it needs to go onto the offensive it uses its slimy and sticky 10 meters long at maximum proboscis which branches out into many tendrils like the ribbon worms of our world to apprehend prey. Wrapping and swallowing anything that is small enough to fit into its mouth and with being the biggest organism native to its ecosystem and that the only hard parts of itself are its human sized hooked sharp Mandibles and armor plates on its back, there’s little that won’t fit, additionally like an octopus it can squeeze into any Crevaces or cracks that is human sized thanks to its elastic and tough skin, depending if it has had a decent sized meal already or not that would cause some blockage.
Its last ability in prey handling that it can’t just swallow up easily, its intellect uncommon for a worm as made way for a fascinating and yet terrifying ability to uses the skeletal and digesting remains in its iron stomach to "puppeteer" them giving way to be able to utilize them too attack as weapons or use them as tools, used in different ways depending on what they have eaten recently, they have also been known to regurgitate bones they find useful back into their lair for later use. Due to this ability it has been given the nickname. Master of death and decay from the local Lynian inhabitants. All of this makes it the apex predator of the region, having no rivals appart from invaders or elder dragons that can easily overwhelm it, additionally if left out of moisture for too long it will die of dehydration and despite its intelligence it is an uncaring parent, for a short period of time after laying its thousand of eggs onto a carcass and not eating it and defending it from other kounekros, that’s all it shall do for them, as soon as they hatch into feet sized worms their on their own to survive and are likely to be devoured by the parents later for reducing competition for food and space for their homes, as a matter of fact their highly cannibalistic eating their own kind with little to no hesitation at all if they can just swallow them. Though adult and fully mature kounekros rarely fight and they live for up to a maximum of twenty years before dying. Reaching adulthood at 8 years of age. Taking into account as well, that other predators and creatures are keen to feed on the now bounty of young worms their numbers are kept rather low at all times usually. Nonetheless when the bleaching comes all evacuate the shore of the remaining great bodies of water. So to not be devoured by the great worms.
Hunts for kounekros don’t happen that often due to their secluded homes and rarity of events that allows for uncontrolled population booms, though their kind are sought often for their materials like their elastic and tough skin for light weight water resistant armor and swimming gear and Mandibles and armor back plates for tools and weapons, their young are also hunted as a odd delicacy often boiled and then roasted eaten similarly to either escargot if small enough or as a strange roast by locals and outsiders, though only the young is to be eaten not having spent long enough time in the brine filled homes and feeding on the rather small and sweet sea fruits and other small life and not feeding much on decay yet their known to taste quite fruity and spongy as a result. Their some times served as sugar wrapped or hard candied as wel
When hunting kounekros it is important to aim for either the head or back since they don’t retain much water filled brine there, their proboscis when out can be broken as well as so to their whiskers to reduce their range of attacks and their abilities to detect hunters, though it is advised to not hide from a kounekros and just run if possible as it is nearly impossible to do so for hunters. When forced to attack the flanks be sure to clear the area after wards so to not be affected by the splash of brine left all over the place as a result of impacts, piercing weapons too have been known to be more effective on the flanks as well so bludgeoning and slashing weapons are recommended to stay at the head and back. Though ranged weaponry is highly effective as well, kounekros are non incapable of ranged attacks, throwing remains from their a stomachs with its proboscis.
