Angler Crabs

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"We long hypothesised, from the still-glimmering corpse of this vast decapod, that it guised itself as a distant light, to lure its prey close. We discovered, eventually, that it simply pursues its prey across the zee with happy zeal. It evinces, also, a regrettable turn of speed."[1]

Angler Crabs are enormous decapods that roam the Unterzee. They have two glowing stalks on their pincers, like the lures of anglerfish, and luminescent blue blood.[2] They come in three known varieties: the reddish Western Angler Crab, the blue Eastern Angler Crab, and the Elder Angler Crab.[3]

Unlike anglerfish, Angler Crabs rely on speed and ferocity to hunt, and do not use their shining appendages to lure prey.[4] Rather, their bioluminescence aids them in navigation, so focused bright light can stun them.[5] Angler Crabs consume treasures (and hapless victims) from the ships they attack, making them quite profitable to hunt;[6][7] however, their favored prey is actually the flightless albatross, not unlucky humans.[8] Their shells can resist cannon fire and damage hulls,[9][10] but they have a weak point between the eyes:[11] striking this point with enough force can kill an Angler Crab instantly.[12]

Occasionally, Angler Crabs migrate to their old spawning grounds and explode in population. These newly-spawned crabs can ravage the ecosystem, and their ferocity only grows worse as they compete over resources to survive.[13][14]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • A Western Angler Crab.
    A Western Angler Crab.
  • A deceased Angler Crab.
    A deceased Angler Crab.
  • An Eastern Angler Crab.
    An Eastern Angler Crab.
  • An Elder Angler Crab.
    An Elder Angler Crab.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ A Sightseer’s Guide to Sunless Sea, part five, Failbetter Games
  2. ↑ Dissect it, Sunless Sea "Its blood is a curious blue: and the blood, too, is touched by luminescence."
  3. ↑ Game Data, Sunless Sea "Western Angler Crab [...] Eastern Angler Crab [...] Elder Angler Crab"
  4. ↑ A Sightseer’s Guide to Sunless Sea, part five, Failbetter Games "We long hypothesised, [...] that it guised itself as a distant light, to lure its prey close. We discovered, [...] it simply pursues its prey across the zee with happy zeal. [...] a regrettable turn of speed."
  5. ↑ Use your hard-won knowledge of monstrous behaviour to predict its movements, Fallen London "The Angler Crab navigates by means of its luminescent illiciae. Its tectonic scuttling may, [...] be arrested by means of a sufficient application of light. You order all torches, lanterns and reflectors [...] pointed directly at the enemy. [...] It is blinded – only for a few moments, [...]"
  6. ↑ ‘MENACE RISES FROM THE ZEE’: Giant Angler Crabs Return, Failbetter Games "There’s good hunting on the Angler Crab. Inside their bellies lurk all manner of discarded riches, swallowed up."
  7. ↑ Strike down the Angler Crab, Fallen London "[...] within the soupy horror of its stomach, you find much of value. [...] You've gained 1 x Headless Skeleton"
  8. ↑ Memories of Mozart, Fallen London "Hitch a ride on an Angler Crab [...] You raise your voice in an ululating cry, the call of the flightless albatross, the crab's favoured prey."
  9. ↑ Ready the guns and fire at its soft spots, Fallen London "Shots hit the creature's carapace and lodge into it, doing little to deter the beast."
  10. ↑ Outflank the (Zee-Beast), Fallen London "The plated carapace of the Angler Crab would dent your hull, if not put a hole in it."
  11. ↑ Ready the guns and fire at its soft spots, Fallen London "[...] one [...] shell strikes it right between the eyes, finding its soft centre. The creature topples over [...]"
  12. ↑ Reach for your harpoon; call for ramming speed!, Fallen London "The harpoon plunges into the tender place between its eyes. The crab's body goes instantly limp."
  13. ↑ ‘MENACE RISES FROM THE ZEE’: Giant Angler Crabs Return, Failbetter Games "Fearsome Angler Crabs, [...] are migrating once again to their ancestral spawning grounds. The Unterzee is achurn with the tectonic movement of the crabs."
  14. ↑ Hunt an Angler Crab, Fallen London "The Angler Crabs of the Unterzee [...] their spawning seasons are numerous. More crabs are produced in these [...] spawnings than their ecologies can sustain; the excess roam the Unterzee, desperate and murderous. The victors safeguard their habitats, triumphant and also murderous."
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