Actiniaes

Actiniaes are a race of giant undersea predator that are a fairly common sight in most tropical, undersea regions in Felarya. They have the upper body of a woman, and the lower body of a sea anemone. Their lower body is attached to the sea floor by an adhesive foot-disk. The trunk of their column-shaped lower body extends up from the disk, and dozens of tentacles protrude from the top of the column, spreading out in all directions. The torso of an Actinia rises out from the center of the mass of tentacles. Actiniaes can come in an amazing variety of shapes and colors. Everything from tentacle length and thickness, to the coloration of their lower bodies and torsos will vary greatly from individual to individual. There really are no common physical traits amongst them, much like the dryads on land. Also like dryads, Actiniaes remain stationary for great periods of time, and tend to be a very solitary race. If the need arises, an Actinia can detach her adhesive disk from whatever it is anchored too and use a series of flexing motions to swim to a more advantageous spot. This is only done when necessary though, as they can only swim short distances at a time, and rather clumsily, and the process is very tiring.

Actiniaes are ambush predators. They lie in wait, still, with their tentacles drifting lazily in the water until potential prey swims close. Once the intended meal is within grabbing range, the tentacles will shoot out, wrapping around the creature and paralyzing it with the venom contained in the stinging cells of the tentacles. The vast majority of an Actinia’s diet is made up of fish. They lack the illusion magic that other ambush predators have, and have trouble catching intelligent prey items. Occasionally a small mermaid or a diver will wander too close though, which will provide the Actinia with a welcome change of course. Their tentacles not only help them to catch food, they provide a powerful form of self-defense as well. Their sting is extremely painful, and their venom is potent enough to kill most attackers. As another defense, Actiniaes are capable of retracting their vulnerable torsos into the column of their lower body, leaving their attacker staring at a tangle of venomous pain and potential death.

Actiniaes reproduce by budding, a piece of their body, such as a tentacle, being able to regenerate into a small Actinia. It should be noted that a particular species of human-sized mermaid is completely impervious to an Actinia’s sting. These mermaids do not set off the stinging cells in an Actinia’s tentacles and actually enjoy a fairly good relationship with the larger predator, living among its tentacles. These mermaids will often aid their Actinia in its hunting by herding fish towards it, or by luring fish into the reach of the tentacles (pissing off sharks and swimming back to their Actinia, for example!). One of the most interesting behaviors that these mermaids exhibit is how they handle baby Actiniaes. Once they spot one, they will actually rear the baby predator, moving it to a safer place, and keeping it fed and taken care of as it grows. Eventually, when the Actinia grows larger, the Merfolk who helped raise it will have a safe place to call home. An Actinia mother rarely ever meets her offspring, but in crowded regions like coral reefs, the Actinia mermaids will actually act as messengers between different Actiniaes, allowing them to keep in touch even if they live on opposite corners of the reef.