Difference between revisions of "Greatshell"

← Older edit

Greatshell (edit)

Revision as of 19:48, 10 April 2024

1,837 bytes added , 1 month ago

→‎Behavior

Firesong

Editors

3,881

edits

Revision as of 12:05, 29 March 2015 (edit) Fbstj (talk \| contribs) m ← Older edit		Latest revision as of 19:48, 10 April 2024 (edit) (undo) Firesong (talk \| contribs) (→‎Behavior)
(17 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
{{lifeform ~~{{Flora & Fauna~~ \|image=Chasmfiend Hunt by Randy Vargas.jpg \|type=Animal family \|world=Roshar \|universe=[[Cosmere]] \|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]] }} }}{{update\|~~book=sa2~~sa3\|sa4}} '''Greatshells''' are a group of large, crustacean-like animals native to [[Roshar]]. They include [[chasmfiend]]s,{{book ref\|sa1\|12}} the [[yu-nerig]]{{book ref\|sa1\|40}}, the extinct [[Lanceryn]]{{book ref\|sa1\|36}}, and others.{{cite}} '''Greatshell''' is a term used to describe various large crustaceans native to [[Roshar]]. The family includes numerous related species,{{wob ref\|12183}} among them [[chasmfiend]]s, [[Tai-na]], [[Yu-nerig]], and the extinct [[lanceryn]]s.{{book ref\|sa1\|36}}{{book ref\|sa1\|12}}{{book ref\|sa2\|i\|3}} == Appearance and Anatomy ==▼ ~~People from [[Kadrix]] are said to ride greatshell beasts.{{book ref\|sa1\|36}}~~ 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.{{book ref\|sa2\|i\|3}} They possess an exoskeleton and multiple legs.{{file ref\|Chasmfiend.jpeg\|text=Shallan's sketch: Chasmfiend}} Their exoskeletons are chitinous, and known species have carapace armor that is extremely difficult to penetrate.{{book ref\|sa1\|13}} They have no tongue, and a complex set of jaws;{{book ref\|sa1\|15}} though it's unclear if they're all carnivorous, it is unlikely. Their blood is violet, and has a musty, moldy smell.{{book ref\|sa1\|26}} 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.{{book ref\|sa2\|49}} 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]].{{book ref\|sa2\|i\|3}}{{book ref\|sa1\|36}} Their sheer size makes domesticating most species unfeasible, although there are stories of greatshell riders in places like [[Kadrix]].{{book ref\|sa1\|36}} ▲== Anatomy == ~~Larger species have a large gem inside of them, called a [[gemheart]]. Greatshells are usually wild and hunted for their gemhearts, edible meat and carapace, although some species are domesticated.~~ === Gemhearts and Spren Bonds === ~~Their blood is violet, and has a musty, moldy smell.{{book ref\|sa1\|26}}~~ The greatshells maintain their enormous size through [[Nahel bond]]s with [[mandra]]s, a type of [[spren]] also known as 'luckspren'.{{wob ref\|1227}} Mandras decrease the animal's weight, allowing them to exist and move their bulk in defiance of the [[wikipedia:square-cube law\|square-cube law]].{{book ref\|sa3\|99}} To facilitate this bond, greatshells possess [[gemheart]]s, massive gemstones, within their bodies that the spren can enter.{{book ref\|sa3\|i\|13}} The type of [[polestone]] may vary in some species, while it is consistent in others.{{wob ref\|3772}} The size of the gemheart scales up with the size of the animal.{{wob ref\|756}} Due to the buoyancy of water, the largest greatshells are aquatic,{{wob ref\|1499}} and it is possible that some aquatic greatshells can survive without a spren bond.{{wob ref\|6498}} Gemhearts hold great value, and greatshells are often hunted; some species, like the [[lanceryn]] and [[chasmfiend]]s, have been hunted down to extinction or near-extinction over their gemhearts.{{book ref\|sa1\|36}} They have no tongue, and a complex set of jaws. Chasmfiends, for example, have some flat platelike teeth for crushing and destroying shells and other, smaller mandibles for ripping off flesh or shoving it deeper into the throat. == Known ~~Greatshell~~greatshell ~~Species~~species ==▼ Greatshells live in symbiotic relationships with spren that allow them to grow as large as they do.{{qa ref\|977\|158\|What are the smoke-y spren that appear around a dead chasmfiend?\|date=2012-09}} These [[Chasmfiend spren\|spren]] only appear around the corpses of recently killed greatshells.{{book ref\|sa1\|15}} ▲== Known Greatshell Species == [[Chasmfiend]] [[Lanceryn]] [[Tai-na]] [[Yu-nerig]] *[[Santhid]]s are known to be in the same family,{{wob ref\|7450}} although they are not explicitly named as greatshells. == Notes == ~~{{columns\|~~<references />}} {{partial}} {{Stormlight}} [[es:Grancaparazón]]