| Class: | Realistic Beast |
| Hab: | Any forests and grasslands |
| Fre: | Uncommon to rare |
| Num: | 1,000-100,000 |
| Lair: | 100% |
| Size: | 5-20 lbs, 2-4' long |
| Move: | Medium crawl, but swift strike |
| Def: | Tough skin, body usually mostly sheltered by thick coral-stone |
| Att: | Bite, not devastating but numerous |
| Int: | Bright beast; well organized; wolf-smart |
| Spec: | Builds huge labyrinthine "land reefs," shelters other creatures |
| Posns: | Incidental - may be plenty |
Among all earth eels, which SEE, labyrinth eels contruct the most complex structures. They build their colonies over sources of gravel, near streambeds, along the scree-skirted cliffs, or wherever they can find a source of small stones. There are tropical, temperate, and even insulated arctic varieties; desert varieties have thick, tough, sandpapery hides, well adapted to swimming though sand. The eels are quite willing to burrow extensively to mine gravel; their mining may clear out extensive tunnels under or near their colonies. The eels construct concrete walls of stones cemented with a specialized slime. The walls are vermiculated, honeycombed through with tunnels for the eels to travel through. Outer walls form v-shapes, funnels which guide prey into their labyrinths. Traveling inside the walls or equally protected tunnels resembling mole runs built just on or under the ground, the eels encircle their prey from as far as a mile from their labyrinths. Showing themselves conspicuously, they drive the prey, first slowly, encouraging shy prey to drift in a pseudo-casual fashion towards the labyrinth, then growing increasingly aggressive until the prey runs headlong inside the eels' labyrinth. Once inside, the prey becomes lost, confused and panics. The eels strike out from their tunnels in the wall, wearing down their prey until it collapses.
The walls resemble coral formations, and so attract colonization by actual landcorals. These may entirely cover the cemented-pebble architecture of the eels with knots and fans, splays and branches, and other fantastical forms. From these structures wave seeming feathers and fronds, ruffles and leaves, a wide variety of modified gill structures and tentacles, all mottled in greens and browns from the photosynthetic algae beneath their skin. Some, not satisfied to feast upon sunshine, use their tentacles as do their ocean-dwelling kin, striking out to snap up passing prey, generally insects, little birds, or other small creatures. Others have taken on a characteristic of plants, and grow structures that, in both form and function, resemble vegetable flowers.
Certain forms of coral seem especially associated with labyrinth eel colonies. These forms build shelves out from the wall tops, eventually sealing them over and thus turning them into enclosed, cave-like tunnels. As this happens, the eels simply build another layer of labyrinth on top of, and perhaps connected to, the lower, original layer of labyrinth. It is not uncommon for several such layers to be built up until the structure becomes a hollow maze-crowned hill. Of course, with the eels' delving for gravel below, the whole structure, though strongly cemented, may sink a few layers down into the ground. The eels readily enough patch up any cracks that may occur during settling.
The eels' labyrinth is often home to a range of commensal creatures. Some are tolerated because they feed upon growths that might harm the corals. There will likely also be a balance of coral-eating vermin resistant to predation by the eels and other creatures which eat said vermin. Creatures, such as certain Amorphous Gloops (which SEE), that help build, sustain, or supplement the coral are also welcome.
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