[This crooning, glowing fish monster from Shetland is likely inspired by the midshipman, which is both bioluminescent and vocal. The art direction went into a more angler-fish like direction. If somebody out there has art of a monstrous toadfish, I would be all for it.]
Marool Breaching the surface is a fish the size of a whale.
Feelers and tentacles grow from its head, and its body is studded with dozens
of luminous eyes.
A marool is a predator of
the lightless depths of the ocean that nevertheless uses illumination to lure
and hunt its prey. It has a body something like a monstrous anglerfish, but it is
covered in a constellation of glowing eyes, and it bears an array of feelers
and lures that allow it to sense the tiniest vibrations in water or air.
Although many deep sea animals may be attracted towards the marool’s maw simply
by the novelty of light, it can enhance the effect magically, luring creatures
to their doom in the marool’s cavernous jaws and crushing stomach.
Marools spend most of
their time on or near the ocean floor, but they do come to the surface,
especially on moonless nights. A marool has a dim and evil intelligence, and
they delight in destroying ships and consuming sailors. A marool prefers to use
its mesmerizing lights to lure multiple victims into position before using
their Great Cleave feat to gobble them all up at once. The only real culture
marools seem to have besides violence is their love of music—they croon with
low, murmuring voices that can be heard for miles, and those that speak Aquan
can understand their frequently disturbing lyrics. A particularly skilled (or
at least noisy) bard traveling on the waves may attract the attention of a
marool, which is rarely a good thing for either the bard or their ship’s crew.
Shores of Swords 