Naarshra'am

The Naarshra'am, also known as Narshies colloquially, are an amorphous colony organism found primarily in the equatorial band of Lor's eastern hemisphere. Variable in form Naarshra'am are recognizable by their luminous eye spots and the ubiquitous red fog that their bodies produce as a byproduct of their physiology.

Though appearing as a single cohesive animal, the Naarshra'am is actually composed of thousands or millions of specialized animals working together as a single cohesive colonial form. Specialized individuals handle everything from ingestion, digestion, and metabolic processing, to locomotion, defence, and structural development. Adult examples of the Naarshra'am range from as little as 3 centimetres in diameter to some extreme examples growing to sizes spanning up to 30 meters, giving the species a wide range of sizes as well as physiological compositions.

Common features of the species are a glossy gel-like general appearance dotted irregularly with bio-luminous eye spots. Additionally a common observation is an inherent capacity for 'tool use' in which naarshra'am will acquire solid materials such as stones, branches, bones, and in rare cases processed materials and use them to provide their body with an artificial skeleton providing structure that their typically amorphous form naturally lacks. Use of these acquired materials extends beyond simple structural augmentation as they have been observed using broken branches as makeshift spears, flat rocks as armour plating, and at times even co-opting the skulls of deceased animals to provide an bite. Despite the wide range of phenotypes that this adaptation allows naarshra'am to assume, they are typically fairly homogeneous in shape for a given region determined by their environment and the resources present in a location.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the species is the clinging red mist that is exuded from the flesh of the animal which is used both to deter would-be predators as well as debilitate potential prey. This mist typically clinging to the body of the naarshra'am has been observed to be a highly potent poison with a startlingly wide array of effects, many of which are magical in nature. While the effects of the mist when exposed to most living creatures is highly unpleasant, its most troubling aspect is that it has been reported as being extremely pleasant in aroma by the few who have survived direct exposure, often leading to increased exposure as individuals find themselves compelled to breathe deeply to enjoy the curiously pleasant floral scent. Though highly dangerous, the mist is thankfully unstable when exposed to UV radiation and dissipates readily during daylight hours even in locations where large quantities of the creatures are gathered.

Study upon helashio test subjects and a few trials upon condemned criminals has provided an exhaustive list of the potential effects of the mist upon humanoid life, with confirmed overlap among the majority of exposed cloned animal life. The effects observed are as follows:

Primarily found in equatorial coastal regions of Lor's moonfall scarred eastern hemisphere, Naarshra'am in smaller numbers can be found in smaller numbers across most of the eastern hemisphere typically existing on the edges of more established ecosystems.

Due to the highly toxic nature of the Naarshra'am and their hazardous byproducts they are typically removed or exterminated before they can enter settled locations to prevent exposure to residents as well as potentially violent encounters with hungry or threatened individuals.

An opportunistic omnivore the Naarshra'am subsists on vegetable or animal matter as available content to scavenge from corpses, graze on plant life, or hunt when possible. Though able to consume a wide variety of Lor-native vegetable and animal matter, they tend to prefer softer materials as they are more easily metabolized by the organism.

Initially thought to be mindless entities that roam the landscape searching for food, recent observations have noted a capacity for complex social behaviours in larger individuals. Observed behaviours include impressive memory retention for a species with no discernible central nervous system, recognition of individuals, varying 'opinions' in relation to individuals, reciprocation of kindness, and the capacity to attempt repayment for perceived acts of kindness.

Though largely anecdotal in observation, these behaviours have called into question the mental capacity of wild naarshra'am with some scholars proposing that they may even be capable of attaining levels of intelligence approaching helashio. Though this opinion is contested.

Narshraa'am propagate through a variety of specialized spores. These spores are produced and released in response to environmental factors such as an abundance of food or a scarcity there of. These spores are then scattered into the environment to settle in bodies of water, soil, or rarely in the bark of some varieties of tree. When environmental conditions are right for the spores to germinate they will begin to spread in a manner loosely analogous to a slime mould seeking out compatible growths which then germinate into an 'egg' stage commonly referred to as a 'blister.'

These 'blisters' use pseudopods to collect nearby material and grow over a period of 3-6 weeks to an average size of about 1 centimetre before becoming mobile and beginning the process of seeking more food in order to fuel the process of maturing to adulthood at around a year after development.

Due to the hazards inherent in naarshra'am physiology, no large scale domestication attempts have been made, though a few have found their way into captivity for research, as novelties, or in rare cases to be used in culinary attempts.

* Give any notable history surrounding the animal, such as legends, notable interactions, etc.

* This space serves for any observations or notes that are not relevent within the setting but may be useful to GMs or players.