(Andrew Wright)

The lands of Legend are wide and vast and much lore has been published about them and their many diverse denizens. But, occasionally, in the footnotes and asides, we find small fragments about obscure creatures otherwise ignored. Here's one for starters.

The Ngokla is a large trilobite-like crustacean common in warmer southern waters. Various species exist, from mud-brown freshwater varieties farmed by the river folk of the Cosh Goyopë swamplands, to electric-blue marine creatures ranging from the Azure Coast through the Gulf of Marazid to the Sea of Lament and the Deeps of Rasakna. They grow to around 1.5 metres long and are covered in thick spiny armour. Under this is succulent white flesh, much prized as a delicacy by both local people and northern gourmands. Freshwater species tend to be kept in, and harvested from, large floating wicker cages and corrals that bob up and down in the tidal river estuaries, while the marine kinds are more usually fished free-range, using nets and traps. Regardless, the flesh of one Ngokla is worth 50 Florins in local southern markets and up to 100 Florins in the ports of the Coradian Sea.

While the Ngokla itself is a herbivore, grazing on sea-grass, algae, and sea-weed, it does have some formidable defences. In addition to their tough spiked carapace, they are also armed with huge crushing pincers, usually used for gripping onto mangrove roots or coral substrate, but equally capable of slicing clean through steel. At their terminal end is a long poisonous spine with which the Ngokla can strike forwards, flexing its segmented armour. Along each side of the body are walking legs ending in smaller pincers and two pairs of swimming blades to propel the creature rapidly through the water. These are but some of the reasons many Ngokla farmers and fisherfolk bear numerous scars!

Note: The Ngokla originally appeared in Sleeping Gods (p74).

This article first appeared in Casket of Fays Issue 2.