The Kraken
"...It is the nature of this creature to swallow men and ships, and even whales and everything else within reach." - Örvar-Oddr
Its true size - unthinkable. Its might - unimaginable. Its hunger - unquenchable. The Kraken has lunged from the depths of Hell itself to pull down countless ship and sailor alike.
Its eight arms hold any poor doomed soul tighter than any eager lover. Its gigantic beak snaps in gluttonous anticipation. So great its might that you know the beast's impending arrival by floating debris and bobbing eyeballs - popped free from those crushed in its clutches.
Aqua Mortis (also known as the Aqua Morti)
"The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea." - Ovid
The oceans have no shortage of dead. Sunken ships make for full graveyards. There are some corpses, at times commanded at others, restless - that find their way back to land. Swarming in countless numbers, armed and beyond death, the Aqua Mortis or Morti are fearsome foes.
The Aqrabuamelu
"Why have you taken this route to us? The way is arduous and long, and no one goes beyond here." " - Scorpion-Man, Epic of Gilgamesh
Dating back to biblical times, the Aqrabuamelu also known as Scorpion-men, have been used as soldiers, guardians and on one occasion - an invading army. They are nearly impervious except for particularly enchanted blades. Even then, the head must be separated from the body. The creature is armor-plated, nearly ten feet at its crown, lightning fast and armed with strength enough to pull a man apart and a stinger that will go through ship hull.
Sea-Witch
"...Double, double toil and trouble" - William Shakespeare, "Macbeth"
At first, they are comely lassies - sweet and alluring and often in need of rescuing.
It is not long after tin which the demure but buxom young woman leans in for the seduction. And she reveals her true nature - that of a water-logged hag, a sea-witch, born to depths deep and foul and sworn to the Devil himself.
Their goals vary but are always dark and devious and at the cost of wayward sailors driven by lust or first-sighted love.
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