Morkoth

Witnesses disagree so much that no one is sure what a morkoth looks like. Most describe a clever-looking fish 5 to 6 feet long, ink black with dim glowing silver patches and an octopus beak, perhaps with vaguely human finned limbs. It has 90-foot infravision and its own language. Sailors call it the wraith of the deep; only the kraken is thought more spiteful.

Six narrow tunnels spiral into the morkoth's central chamber, too narrow for size L creatures and only wide enough for one size M creature at once. A swimmer crossing a tunnel mouth is gripped by a hypnotic pattern and drawn inward unaware, and near the chamber must save vs. spell at -4 or be charmed, to be eaten at leisure. If the victim gets within 60 feet uncharmed, the spell breaks. The beak bites for 1d10.

Any spell aimed at a morkoth, area spells included, rebounds on the caster. A dispel magic cast simultaneously gives a 50% chance the reflection fails, though the morkoth may save against the dispel.

Morkoths are loners that rarely leave home, slowly widening natural tunnels over centuries, often near hot vents that warm the lair. One may aid a kraken for an occasional slave or deal with evil sea peoples, usually betraying them at the worst moment, since deceit is its chief joy. It values no gold, gems or magic, but keeps victims' goods to bargain with. It keeps no slaves; its appetite would finish them quickly.

Sages guess it is a fish species with human and squid traits, by chance or design. It eats nearly any sea creature, especially sharks, octopi, brinekin and sahuagin. Males live 80 to 100 years. Once a decade a morkoth roams to find a mate, leaving a scent trail others follow. The male then returns home; the female buries about 25 eggs in the seabed and dies. Hatchlings emerge after two months and hunt for empty tunnels, and most perish. Survivors are hardy at six months (2 hp per Hit Die, 14 hit points) and fully grown, and exceptionally intelligent, by five years.