Submission for Slystel

[Reece Nolan 634]

Name of the creature:

Slystel

(Optional) Link to a picture of the creature + name of the artist:

N/A

Is this creature tamable and if so, how:

 

No.

 

Can you use this in combat:

N/A

 

Habitats - Check all that apply:

Mountain
Caves/Caverns

 

Summary of the creature:

 

Slystel are gray or brown slugs ranging from small to giant depending on their age. Their main feature is a growth of crystal shards that trap sunlight and emit it in darker conditions. They can weigh anywhere between a few grams to a half a ton and are naturally peaceful. They serve as a vital component in underground ecosystems.

 

 

Characteristics of the creature:

 

Slystel are brown or gray slugs with glowing crystals growing out of their back. They vary in size and weight, ranging from that of a mouse to the size of small boulders. Slystel are considered omnivores, although they typically do not consume flora or fauna unless they happen to pass over some. Slystel eat minerals and sediment buried in stone, using the raw elements as a slow burning fuel to keep them going. They do not produce waste, instead discarded material is crystallized in their bodies and begins to grow out of their back. As a Slystel matures however, the build up of organic crystals will begin to collect sunlight when outside and slowly leech off in dim conditions. Because of their unique interaction with light, this allows for the growth of plants underground wherever they are present. Slystel mate just as a normal slug would, being hermaphrodites and laying eggs after mating. Their life span is far greater than that of their generic counterparts, living for upwards of three decades due to unimpeded feeding and low risk of death. Slystel tend to be very passive, although when attacked they will make their best attempt to escape, albeit very slowly.

A Slystel's crystals may seem like magic to the eyes many, but their unique properties are actually a result of being at the right place at the right time. When a Slystel consumes sediment from regions underground, they can very easily be feeding on a variety of different elements. The depths that these creatures are typically found tend to have an abundance of coal, sulfur, celestite, gypsum, halite and a variety of other similar sedimentary minerals. This combined with the presence of long since decayed skeletal structures littering the sprawling ecosystem of the caverns as well as carcasses above ground, causes Slystel to convert these raw elements into Strontium Sulfide and Calcium Sulfide respectively. The energy produced from the combination of these elements is what acts as a sort of metabolism for the Slystel. The crystals begin to grow once these newly formed combinations interact with the actual slime of the Slystel, which causes the formation of bismuth which then finally results in a strange spikey structure comprised of bismuth and phosphor. The substance phosphor is typically what you would find in toys that glow in the dark after charging them in the sun, however the sheer amount of these crystals produces a far greater luminescence than any toy could ever hope to. The color of their glow can vary across entire spectrum of light due to the prismatic properties of bismuth. Harvesting these crystals is fairly simple, they are so brittle you can snap them off with your bare hands and a bit of force. They will continue to display their glow in the dark properties for a few years but eventually fade out as they are no longer maintained by the organic process of a Slystel.

 

Though it isn't understood exactly why Slystel vary so much in size, it is believed that this is the also a result of their wild diets coupled with the weak radioactivity that bismuth carries. Their size could be a result of genetic mutations causing some offspring to simply be smaller compared to their far larger parents, or vice versa.

 

(Optional) Origins of the creature:

 

Native to Almaris, Slystel first came to light during the construction of Kal’Darakaan where dwarves slowly began to notice slugs with crystals on their backs trailing around the ecosystem. They were largely left alone until workers breached the caverns beneath their new mountain home, when they found hundreds of them in varying sizes lighting up the dark stony walls.

 

 

Strengths/Weaknesses

 

Slystel's only strengths lies within the fact that they have crystals growing out of them, which makes them ever so slightly durable and a bit painful for predators to eat. It is worth noting that Slystel do have the ability to crush people if they are large enough, but this is typically not part of any sort of intended defense tactics. With regards to weaknesses however, these creatures have an endless sea of worries. Since their crystals form a lot faster than naturally occurring crystals, their formations are very brittle, being able to be broken with your bare hands. Outside of their protrusions, they have all the weaknesses of the average slug with the inclusion of their ability to be much larger. Their size can actually make them even slower and in most cases make them even easier for predators to spot if the glowing crystals wasn't enough. Again it is worth noting that the light stored and emitted is sufficient for plants to grow in areas they would otherwise not, which may be able to change their surroundings into a more suitable environment for them eventually.

 

 

Red Lines

 

RP Red Lines - Slystel are incredibly weak, it's pathetic. As said above they have all the weaknesses of a regular slug, so it's very unlikely that you're going to see one of these tank more than one hit. Their crystals are brittle, you can snap off a piece with your bare hands and a little bit of force, yet they will retain their glow in the dark properties for a few years. If a larger one of these falls on you there is a chance you could be seriously hurt or crushed by their weight, although this is typically not part of their intended defenses. They usually try to run away after being attacked but are too shamefully slow to escape since they are slugs.

OOC Red Lines - While their light can be used to grow plants, it is not enough to grow crops. Attempting to grow crops underground using Slystel will result in the crops failing every single time as they just can't get enough sunlight or nutrients to grow normally. The plants you will typically find growing as a result of Slystel are fungi, weeds, vines, grass, ferns and other types of basic or mundane plants. They can grow some useful plants such as basic herbs like mint or tobacco. Slystel can form new caves given enough time, though this would typically require a few hundred of them in order to do so within a time frame of say twenty to thirty years.

 

 

Availability:

Common - Anyone can RP finding this creature.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Reece Nolan
Edited for pending critique.