Heads Up! This chapter is about a fanmade Grimm made by yours truly! I made some fanart of it to help the reader visualize how it looks, but because doesn't allow you to embed pictures, or links, or anything, it doesn't show up here. It is visible on my Reddit or the AO3 Crosspost of this fic, so feel free to check those out if you'd like to see what the Carcharonid looks like!
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InformatusMagna / GrimmBestiary / AquaticSpecies / GB-AQS-001
Open "ENTRY NO. GB-AQS-001"?
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Access Granted. Humanitas Regnabit Valeo Invicta.
CARCHARONID
DEVORATOR SELACHISEPTAT
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An illustration of a Carcharonid from the 7th Edition of the Illuminaria Grimm Compendium. This illustration is based on a real Juvenile specimen that measured 6.5 meters long.
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Overview: Life first rose from the sea, so it stands to reason that Death, too, shall rear its ugly head from the pelagic depths. And now, the Carcharonids – savage pastiches of natural underwater predators - contaminate the life-giving waters of Remnant with the cancerous taint of the Great Enemy.
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Physical Description: Carcharonids are aquatic Grimm that highly resemble the members of the Selachimorpha clade of fish, more commonly known as sharks. Their most distinguishing feature is their ossanoctae cephalofoil – a flared protrusion that sprouts from their head. Two additional eyes are present on each side of the cephalofoil, alongside the two eyes that are located in the Carcharonid's skull. The addition and location of these additional eyes grant Carcharonids superb vision.
Most of the Carcharonid's head is encased in thick osteoderm, but their trunk and tail are mostly unarmored to allow for ease of underwater movement. Their bodies are covered in scales, instead of cartilage like regular sharks. Their ossanoctae skeleton not only makes them more durable than regular sharks, but they can also survive on land longer than regular sharks, who tend to be crushed under their own weight when they wash up on the shore.
Since Grimm do not need to breathe, Carcharonids do not possess gills. However, they do have an organ at the tip of their snout called the Aural Magnificat, which gives them a highly accurate and hypersensitive sense of smell. Extensive testing has determined that Adult Carcharonids can detect a drop of human blood from as far as 5 miles away, and can smell one part of blood to three million parts of water.
Carcharonids do share their serrated, constantly-growing teeth with sharks, and the arrangement of their fins are analogous to sharks as well. Another feature they share with baseline sharks is their swim bladder, which is extremely large in size and takes up most of their midsection.
A Carcharonid's Telltale Heart is located in their trunk, which is often protected by a rudimentary ossanoctae ribcage.
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Incursion Stratagems: During an aquatic Incursion, Carcharonids play a similar role to Beowolves in that they both form the main bulk of a Grimm offensive. After the larger species of Grimm disrupt aquatic defensive holds and force them to expend their ammunition, innumerable herds of Carcharonids swarm the depleted outposts, consuming everything they can and leaving nothing behind.
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Huntsman Engagement Doctrine: Since Huntsmen and Huntresses train in mostly terrestrial environments, they are oft ill-equipped to deal with aquatic Grimm unless they possess a weapon or Semblance that is specialized in amphibious combat. As per usual, Carcharonids cease to be a meaningful threat when isolated, but Carcharonids almost always swim in shoals so large and numerous that the individual Grimm appear to meld together into a black, murderous swathe.
If a single Carcharonid were to drag you down underwater, your best chance of survival is to disorient them by damaging their eyes as they are the least-armored part of their body. However, due to their ferocity and hypersensitive sense of smell, chances are that if one is to be caught between a Carcharonid's jaws, they are usually considered lost.
Ultimately, the task of dispatching Carcharonids is better left up to Naval Battleships and Dreadnoughts that patrol the coastlines. Harpoons, Naval Mines, Depth Multi-Charges, Combat Submersibles and Cryogenic Weapons can all be employed against aquatic Grimm to great effect, but Torpedoes are the most widespread weapon of choice against Carcharonids.
Mistrali Fire [2], a highly volatile liquid combustible whose manufacture remains a highly guarded secret, is the Republic's primary method of eliminating Grimm, and Carcharonids are no exception. Mistrali Fire is so volatile that it can keep on burning underwater, and can burn away the flesh of Carcharonids despite them being fully submerged in water.
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Cultural Addenda: The Mistrali Synkretismos (alt. 'Synkretii') is comprised of several religious cults that have been unified into one state religion. While numerous gods are worshipped underneath the banner of the Synkretismos, fourteen deities have received the most recognition throughout Aeternus (Upper Mistral) and Elladya (Lower Mistral). According to Mistrali Legend, thirteen of these Gods reside at the very top of Mount Mytikas, the highest peak in all of Mistral.
The deities of the Synkretismos are as follows:
Diwe: The Sky-father, Protector of Life, Adjudicator of Mankind, Basileus of the Storm, Rage of the Cosmos, Ruler of Everything between Heaven and Earth and the First Consul of the Mistrali Pantheon. He is the God of Thunder, Lightning, Electricity, Justice, Aerial Combat, Law and Order. The Cult of Diwe receives the most worship compared to the rest of the Synkretismos and Diwe himself is considered the most powerful deity amongst them.
Seidawonos [3]: The World-breaker, Master of Hurricanes, Wanax of the Coast, The One who Erodes All Things, and the Second Consul of the Mistrali Pantheon. They are the God of Oceans, Earthquakes, Typhoons, Storms, Marine Life, and Naval Combat. Seidawonos' worship is centered primarily on Elladya, where he is the second-most worshipped Mistrali deity in the region after Diwe.
Aidos: The Unseen One, Lord of the Dark, Reaper of Men, the Expunged Consul, the Outcast God and ruler of Erevo, domain of the fallen. He is the God of the Dead, Ghosts, Wealth, Last rites, Acceptance, and Nihilism. As the Mistrali God of Death, worship of Aidos is very limited, and most people refuse to invoke his name. He is the only member of the Synkretii to not reside atop Mount Mytikas.
Eyra: The Seneschal of Heaven, Spiritual Guardian of Mistral, Keeper of Marital Sanctity and Consort of Diwe. She is the Goddess of Marriage, Childbirth, Women, Faithfulness, and National Pride. She, alongside her son Mars, are worshipped as the Guardians of Aeternus.
Damate: The Magna Mater, Giver and Taker of Life, The Harvester of All Things and Divine Avatar of Remnant's Biosphere. She is the Goddess of Agriculture, Verdure, Seasons, Plants, Fertility, Rain, the Harvest, and the Cycle of Life and Death.
Hestanai: Keeper of the Everlasting Flame, Eldest of the Pantheon and the Guardian of the World's Many Blessings. She is the Goddess of Home, Family, Friendship, Community, Hope, Willpower, Optimism, and the Human Desire for Survival.
Arai: The Red Right Hand of the Gods, Vengeance of Humanity, Tearer of Flesh, The Unmaker of Monsters, and the final, Most Necessary Evil. They are the God of War, Bloodshed, Destruction, Melee Combat, and Murder. He is the second-most worshipped Mistrali deity in Upper Mistral after his father Diwe, and is regarded as the Father of Aeternus. This is in stark contrast to Elladya, as the less warlike people of Lower Mistral treat Arai with revulsion and contempt (with the City-State of Lakonos, whose people greatly venerate Arai, being the major exception [4]).
Hatana: The Gold Left Hand of the Gods, Breaker of Shields, the Lady of Divine Praesidium, Diviner of Weaknesses, and The Mistress of Wisdom and Warfare. She is the Goddess of Strategy, Knowledge, Learning, Democracy, Tactical Combat, and Siege Warfare. Her worship is centered primarily on the Elladyan City-State of Hatanaii, which bears her name.
Aporataoi: Beauty Incarnate, The Great Unifier, The Amorous One, The Weaver of Mortal Souls and Breaker of Mortal Hearts. She is the Goddess of Beauty, Love, Lust, Desire, Camaraderie, Trust, Affection, Heartbreak and Envy. Aporataoi is the only foreign God to be incorporated into the Synkretii, being based on the Vacuan Goddess Inatar, who was a Miyyarudan love, fertility, and war goddess.
Apelleus: The Great Illuminator, Dawn-bringer, Voice of the Heavens, and He who makes life worth living. He is the God of Light, Music, Poetry, Recreation, Self-Discovery, Prophecy, Fulfillment, Artistry in all of its forms, and the Sun. He shares the domain of Archery with his twin sister Atemite.
Atemite: The Night Huntress, The Arrow of Adamant, Chooser of the Slain and The Eyes that Glint in the Night. She is the Goddess of Hunting, Children, Stealth, Precision Elimination, and the Moon. She shares the domain of Archery with her twin brother Apelleus.
Erume [5]: The Wayfaring Stranger, He of the Common Folk, The Black Hidden Hand of the Gods, Psychopomp of Erevo and the Swift of Hand and Foot. He is the God of Messengers, Swiftness, Trade, Misdirection, Thievery, and Dishonorable Combat.
Jephaistes: Tamer of the World, The Unflinching Hammer, He who was Rid of Limbs, Greatest of Weaponsmiths, and the Ashen One. He is the God of Fire, Volcanos, Innovation, Dust, Technology, Prosthetics, and Weaponry in all its forms.
Diwonuso: Revelry Incarnate, Obscurer of Reality, The Divine Miasma and He who is closest to Humanity. He is the God of Drink, Pleasure, Intoxication, Festivities, Madness, Delirium, Nonconformity, and Rebellion.
Carcharonids play a substantial role in the worship of Seidawonos. They are oft sacrificed in his honor, and their skeletons adorn his places of worship. The Okeanos Archontiko, known in Modern Mythic as the Pelagic Manse, is the Fortress-Citadel and primary place of worship for the cult of Seidawonos.
According to Mistrali Epics, Seidawonos despises the Carcharonids and views their continued existence as a blight upon his domain. Within the Cult, hunting, skinning, and sacrificing your first Carcharonid is a rite of passage performed by its members when they come of age. Bands of Mistrali Youths will board Hemiola-pattern vessels, armed with tridents and seeking to prove their devotion to the World-breaker through the slaying of monsters.
The current High Pontifex of the Cult of Seidawonos is Pontus Vasilias, who is also the High Suzerain of the City-State of Idhaka. His son, Neptune [6], is a Huntsman Aspirant who is currently enrolled in Beacon Academy as part of the Hunting Party 'SSSN [7]'.
Footnotes:
1. The 7th Edition of the Grimm Compedium is currently in use in Beacon Academy's curriculum. 'u/Sepponix39012' presumably owns the copy of the book this image is taken from, but who this individual could be is unknown
2. While the manufacture of Mistrali Fire remains a closely-guarded secret, chemical analysis has determined that its composition is similar to promethene. Allegedly, the main component of Mistrali Fire is a byproduct of Fire Dust after it has been refined, but this has yet to be confirmed.
3. Histographs have discovered that Seidawonos had once been the patron deity of early Mistrali, before his influence was overtaken by the worship of the Sky-Father and the Cult of Diwe.
4. The Elladyan City-State of Lakonos, while not the only exception, is undoubtedly the most popular one. The only Temple to Arai in Lower Mistral can be found upon their Central Acropolis.
5. The Cult of Erume is currently rife with turmoil, due to the attempted bombing of the Arx Esibrae (the Fortress-Citadel of Erume), and the sudden assassination of its High Pontifex Marcus Black.
6. Whose name means "Beloved by the Sea" in Classical Mythic.
7. Hunting Party comprised of Vasilias, Sun Wukong, Scarlet David and Sage Ayana.
Tried my hand at making my own fan made Grimm for this one! I had a really fun time drawing it. This'll probably be the last chapter for the year. School's been tough and the holidays draw near. Hope you guys have an awesome December!
Apologies for the short chapter. Besides the picture itself, I'm not a big fan of how this chapter turned , I probably shouldn't be working on this at all, but hey - I never claimed to be the best at time management. Hope you guys like my fanmade Grimm as much as I liked drawing it! Anyway, this is probably gonna be the last chapter for 2023. I have to prepare myself for the seasonal horrors that are my extended family and the endless deluge of Mariah Carey.
Have an awesome December!