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Planning somethings so I can properly set up the whaling industry of /who/ later, which depends on when I finish chewing through a metallurgy book while fighting my ADHD. Inputs are welcomed of course, and GeologyAnon if you are willing can you roughly describe the ocean ridges and trenches in Vitubia?
Ecosystem of the Owlantic sea (place holder name)
Ocean ridges and trenches surrounding the sea from west and south, combined with the ocean current create unique ecosystem below the twilight zone. Large Islands in the middle of the sea creates flowing wood, which sinks to the bottom and feeds small organisms that can digest ligneous cellulose.
The Indie sea trench and the south Owlantic Sea Ridges create hydrothermal vents, bringing vitubium enriched minerals up and mixing with the water, particularly "lively", compared to other ecosystems below the twilight zone.
Unique sea creatures developed novel uses for chuubanite, from food sources, survival and hunting.
Ocean ridges and trenches surrounding the sea from west and south, combined with the ocean current create unique ecosystem below the twilight zone. Large Islands in the middle of the sea creates flowing wood, which sinks to the bottom and feeds small organisms that can digest ligneous cellulose.
The Indie sea trench and the south Owlantic Sea Ridges create hydrothermal vents, bringing vitubium enriched minerals up and mixing with the water, particularly "lively", compared to other ecosystems below the twilight zone.
Unique sea creatures developed novel uses for chuubanite, from food sources, survival and hunting.
Giant armored squid (also placeholder)
Exceptionally efficient in terms of metabolism. Mostly opportunistic feeder but would become more active during breeding season. Spawn in deeper depths, near the hydrothermal vents and volcanically active zones. Young feed near the spawning ground, occasionally going up to the midnight zone to hunt as adolescents. Adults can grow up to 20 meters in length. As it grows, armor like plates begin to grow on it's trunk, parts of it's head and the ends of its tentacles. Diet mainly consists of smaller fishes, but feeds on bigger ones like marlins and tunas when surfacing up. It's hypothesized that it's giant size and armor helps it to avoid predation. Doesn't possess ink, rather a viscous substance containing chuubanite is created, water passing from gills are mixed with the substance and shot out of the creature's beak at high speed, using the chuubanite's propelling power. Can regulate it somewhat by focusing the spout and secreting the activator which "ignites" the water jet. Used to knock fish or a whole school of them out and feed. Also used for self defense against predators, can focus it like a water jet, also creates light and heat when it focuses by adding even more chuubnaite muscus and activator. Beak has many sharp "teeth", has some amount of lateral movement capability. Beak also almost completely wrapped in flesh, protrudes not unlike a goblin shark.
The Owlantic Furred Whale (just assume every name is a placeholder)
Special hair grows almost everywhere on it's body, hollow in the inside and very thick (think polar bear hair). Glands secrets chemicals which bonds with chuubanite it ingested through smaller fishes and obtained from the environment. The chemical boned chuuabnite acts as a magic disruptor,, not unlike lead compound obelisks used by the Owl Republic to disrupt magic. Hair filled with the substance protects it from magic used by its prey, which prominently includes the armored squid. Older specimens has longer and thinner hair. Thinner hair has a much longer and stronger anti-magic life span compared to the obelisks, where leftover chuubanite compound completely fills the hair, and the whale stops secreting the chemical.
Hard nodules dotted throughout it's body, mostly in the front. Defense role very minor, houses sensory organs to compensate for weaker detection due to hair covering whole body. (think narwhal tusks)
Hunts adult and adolescent squids when it surfaces near midnight zone to feed. Behaves like real life sperm whale.
Thinner hair used to weave anti-magic fabric, which helps mitigate offensive magic, physical and psychological. Can be used in environments where magic disruption is strong but also prohibitively expensive. As status symbol, early fabric can only be made from stranded whales, only expanded after long distance whaling starts to mature. Thicker hair with chuubanite left in it treated and used to reinforce cuirasses. Hair without chubanite can be used like baleen after treating. But most important material derived is spermaceti, early demand pushed by need for lubricant in manufacturing machinery. Candles and perfume relatively secondary, but large and experienced whaling fleet makes Republic one of the biggest exporter of whale derived product.
