Cocytus — Leviathans and Krakens

Leviathan and Krakens.

Fishing is the central aspect of Cocytian culture and economy.

The prince gives out fishing permits to nobles and commoners alike since, following Infernal Jurisprudence, all bodies of water are the property of the Emperor and managed by the Princes Electors.

The beneficiaries of the permits are companies, which can mean cooperative guilds of humble fishermen or enterprises owned by a single wealthy patron.

Commoners fishing companies usually focus on the most efficient and reliable fish resource: cod.

When the new year begins in Spring, big ships sail to the northern part of the Undine ocean, returning after months with cargo holds full of salted and dried cod. Cod is the backbone of the north-western cities’ economies (among which is the capital Zagan), it’s a food appreciated by low-born and aristocracy alike, and it is believed that each cocytian home has its special recipe for it.

Salted Cod is the reason for a centuries-long trading agreement between the Dwarves of the Black Horn and the Levistia House, probably the longest-standing commercial alliance in the world. Dwarven companies export elemental salt from the Salt Desert and liquid smoke derived from the Smoke Monsoon, and they import back salted and smoked fish.

“Devilfish” (as the dwarves call it) won’t spoil for a long time, decades even, in the Uxali dry climate, and it’s, therefore, the perfect “stock food” for travelers and remote communities.

More enterprising fishing companies take up whaling, a higher risk, higher reward game than cod.

Whales give many goods but need expensive tools and infrastructure to catch and process them: a couple of scarce whale seasons will bankrupt a fishing company.

The “low tier” goods from the whale are the meat and the bones:

“Whale jerky” is the main ingredient of most armies’ and adventurers’ rations, and whale bones have some use in architecture and crafting.

Whale fat, called blubber, is where the money is: it is the raw material for lantern oil, soap, crossbow lubricant, and many other application.

The most sought-after good is the Ambergris found in sperm whales: this substance found in the cetacean intestine is the perfect base for perfumes. The precious material is why Zagan has one of the few sizable Elvish Districts outside the Sultanate: the Scents Courts in the middle of the capital is where elvish perfumers concoct their essences to sell them worldwide.

These days, the Cocytus’ whaling industry is challenged by Minauros’ fat mines: the development of magic techniques has made the exploitation of the Flesh Fields more affordable and safe. Carving big blocks of meat and digging out fat from quarries gives immense yield and, consequently, allows for low prices. The quality is not the same: whale meat has not that unsettling taste of sin, and the lamp oil doesn’t smell like inquisition stakes, but many choose Minauros’ products for their bargain price.

The nobles, with their wealth, can afford to embark on the riskiest and potentially most profitable fishing: the sea monster hunt.

Sea monsters are divided into two categories: Leviathans are vertebrates, while Krakens invertebrates (or invertebrate-like). Among the dozen of Leviathan species, all of gigantic size, some are so rare to be almost legendary, while others are common enough to be sought out and hunted.

Sea Serpents

The main prey for the hunter of sea monsters is the Sea serpents. These beasts are reminiscent of both snakes and whales, and they can measure up to 3 ships in length. They feed by filtering the water and eventually catching schools of small fishes and shrimps using their tentacled lips, similar to sea anemones. “Serpent’s lips” are considered a delicatessen, especially if eaten fresh and lightly cooked, usually served at wedding feasts.

Even more precious is the Amberblanc, the sea serpent equivalent of sperm whales’ ambergris. The Amberblanc is not only able to fix scents to make perfumes but also to fix magic to make potions and other consumable magic items.

Armor Whales

One of the goods that only the Armor whales can give you its glory: these cetacean-shark hybrids, covered head to tail in a shell-like carapace are the toughest prey of the sea, and therefore the ultimate trophy.

Nobles will venture in the hunt for this formidable foe to prove their value and gain respect. The challenge is due to their armored exterior and their aggressive behavior: predatory by nature will attack ships they mistake for Krakens (and so food).

Amor Whales have some practical uses: the carapace can be used as a lighter alternative to steel and many warships (usually the admiral of a fleet) will be strengthened by it. Specific parts of the whale armor can be ground and used as a spice to flavor soups (the Armor Bisque is a harbor inns classic).

Abyme

This giant squid seems more like a squid in a squid in a squid. These beasts can have 32 up to 56 tentacles (but some say even more) and their grasp can shatter a boat with ease. Some Abyme drag down ships to use as “home” like smaller mollusks would with a shell.

The strange “redundant” physiology of the Abyme has piqued the interest of many scholars. The current theory is that Abymes are creatures affected by hydrasis (also called hydragenesis), a “multiplicative mutation” relatively common in the Infinite Forests. If this theory is true, then there is an “Infinite Sea Floor” somewhere.

Taxidermied tentacles are a common decoration in the halls of coastal castles.

Legion

This Kraken looks like a langoustine that curled itself up to become a hermit crab, with its own body as a shell. The Legion Krakens take their name from their dozen claws, one for each leg, which looks like an assaulting army. The Legion lives at the bottom of the sea, cutting, packing, and eating everything on its path, leaving a trail of razed ground.

It’s uncommon, but not rare, that a Legion reach the coast and start eating livestock, harvest, and people alike.

Legion’s carapace is a cheap alternative to Armor Whales’s: less durable but easier to work with. The claws have a niche use in construct making, being already articulate to make cranes or lifting arms.