Shield King
(lore under cut)
OVERVIEW
The nopa-kimali--more universally known as the "shield king"--is a creature native to Wokina's Jungle of Scales. Though it resembles a tortoise, it is actually a type of dragon. Hatchlings are about 100 pounds, but can grow to be about 30,000 pounds at adulthood. The shield king's natural lifespan is unknown, as there are no records of one dying from old age. The oldest living individuals are estimated to be several thousand years old.
Not only are shield kings dangerous, but their jungle environment is highly hazardous as well. Because of this, they are notoriously hard to study and not much is known about their breeding habits. They are fairly rare and it's believed they only mate once every few centuries. Females and males look similar, except that females tend to be smaller and more reddish in color.
BIOLOGY
A shield king's shell has a rough, spiny texture. As it moves through the jungle, it collects vines, leaves, dirt, moss, and other debris. Eventually this debris begins to decompose and makes a rich environment for stray seeds to grow. Bird droppings and fallen fruit gather on the shell, and over many years will form a full ecosystem on the shield king's back, complete with small fauna like monkeys and rodents.
These dragons are among the slowest-moving creatures on Looming Gaia. They are opportunistic omnivores who use camouflage to their advantage. Their slow speed, enormous size, and mobile ecosystem makes them very hard to distinguish from the environment until it's too late. They are known to eat anything from deer to crocodiles to peoples.
Its shell and hard scales provide tough natural armor that even swords cannot pierce. Its belly, however, is soft and vulnerable. If it somehow tips on its back, a shield king is unable to turn itself over. Most of their natural deaths occur by rolling down embankments and starving to death, or drowning in deep rivers.
CULTURE
This dragon is widely worshiped by the people of Lamai Nation, who regard it as a guardian of their people. Like the other dragons in the jungle, the shield king had been a major obstacle that colonizers have yet to overcome. Down in their underground labyrinths, the Lamai people are safe from this creature, for it only dwells topside.
If Lamai scouts find a dead shield king, the corpse is dismantled and no part is wasted. Its scales are used to make armor for elite soldiers in the Lamai military, while its shell is left whole and repurposed into topside military forts. Because of the shell's shape and density, these forts can withstand a hit from a catapult.
*
Masterpost
Questions?
*
