Greatshell

Greatshell
by Randy Vargas
Type	Animal family
World of Origin	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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Greatshell is a term used to describe various large crustaceans native to Roshar. The family includes numerous related species, among them chasmfiends, Tai-na, Yu-nerig, and the extinct lanceryns.

Appearance and Anatomy

Greatshells consist of a variety of creatures both aquatic and land-bound. Their appearance varies widely, but they share a number of physical characteristics. They are massive, vastly larger than a human; the largest creatures on the planet, both on land and in the water, are greatshells. They possess an exoskeleton and multiple legs. Their exoskeletons are chitinous, and known species have carapace armor that is extremely difficult to penetrate. They have no tongue, and a complex set of jaws; though it's unclear if they're all carnivorous, it is unlikely. Their blood is violet, and has a musty, moldy smell.

Greatshells breed slowly, and for most species, their populations are generally small. They all reproduce the same way: an adult greatshell transforms (pupates) into a chrysalis, which eventually produces a number of young. They do not seem to have a singular biome they thrive in; they can be found as far east as the Shattered Plains, as far west as Aimia, and as far north as the Reshi Isles. Their sheer size makes domesticating most species unfeasible, although there are stories of greatshell riders in places like Kadrix.

Gemhearts and Spren Bonds

The greatshells maintain their enormous size through Nahel bonds with mandras, a type of spren also known as 'luckspren'. Mandras decrease the animal's weight, allowing them to exist and move their bulk in defiance of the square-cube law. To facilitate this bond, greatshells possess gemhearts, massive gemstones, within their bodies that the spren can enter. The type of polestone may vary in some species, while it is consistent in others. The size of the gemheart scales up with the size of the animal. Due to the buoyancy of water, the largest greatshells are aquatic, and it is possible that some aquatic greatshells can survive without a spren bond.

Gemhearts hold great value, and greatshells are often hunted; some species, like the lanceryn and chasmfiends, have been hunted down to extinction or near-extinction over their gemhearts.

Known greatshell species

• Chasmfiend
• Lanceryn
• Tai-na
• Yu-nerig
• Santhids are known to be in the same family, although they are not explicitly named as greatshells.

Notes

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