Callyki
The callyki were a very intelligent, semi-magical species of mollusk. They typically reached three feet tall with soft, boneless bodies that were vaguely humanoid from the waist up. No shell or cover of any kind protected this little adorable marine animal, which would mark them as one of the most vulnerable creatures if not for their most powerful weapon. The majority of a callyki's body was dedicated to an organ system that created magical ink. This ink could be quickly excreted in vast amounts in order to dye as much water around the creature as possible. The callyki could then magically command all dyed water, allowing them to harness the very oceans themselves into deadly weapons. There was a limit to how much a callyki can control at a time, but it was large enough to make most predators cower in fear of being ripped apart by a high-pressure water stream. It primarily utilized this power to swim at breakneck speeds.
Because of the Callyki’s mysterious and presumably magical diet, they are quite an uncommon sight. They are more reliably found attracted to places with dense magical concentration.
Cultural Impact #
Sailors regarded callyki with a mix of praise and fear. They were generally docile creatures, only killing out of self-defense. In fact, they were very sociable and would often hang around boats and play with sailors, even if their ways of fun involved playing fetch with fishing nets, ruining a day of work. Most seamen let them have their way since while they weren’t that temperamental, too many have heard of a single callyki laying waste to entire vessels. Those stories were also offset with tales of them saving the lives of capsized crews, so they were both a blessing and boon.
Corgathian sailors were known to carve and carry totems made in the image of callyki. It was believed that such trinkets would bring them goof fortune and safety as they sailed the Cyclopean Ocean.