[”In it (the Tower River) dwell many Helou-Fish. The Helou-Fish
has one head and ten bodies and makes a sound like a barking dog. Eating it
will cure tumors.”–Guideways through Mountains and Seas]
Helou This dog-sized creature appears
somewhere between a fish and an octopus. It head is like a pike, narrow and
filled with teeth. Its lower body divides into ten tentacles, each tipped with
a small fin.
The helou
is an opportunistic predator and scavenger of mountain streams. Their body is
divided into ten muscular arms, which it uses to affix itself to rocks and to
haul itself up waterfalls and across dry land in order to find better feeding
grounds. They typically sit facing the current, snapping up small animals
struggling to swim or pieces of detritus flowing downstream. They are more than
capable of active hunting, however, and may attack anglers or mountaineers that
cross their path.
The bite
of a helou carries an unusual and debilitating disease. Creatures bitten by a
helou start to grow stony lumps that fuse with and lock together their bones.
If untreated, the unfortunate victim is paralyzed by and crushed within their
own skeleton. Due to the lumpy appearance of these patients, some physicians
believe that helou flesh is good for healing diseases with a similar aspect,
such as tumors, and seek helou carcasses to concoct their remedies.
A helou
grows to four feet long, half of which are their tentacles. They weigh about
thirty pounds.
Helou are found in mountain streams across Gladia, including Munab and Waster. Their hunting grounds are usually avoided by civilized creatures, though their flesh is considered a delicacy by stone giants like the Jet-Spear Clan of Munab. The faithful of Oklata continue to investigate the medical potential of their flesh, but have never made much headway. Nonetheless, they will pay good money for caught helou specimens, since the creature’s dependence on flowing streams means they cannot be kept in captivity.
Shores of Swords 