Glow Skimmer

T
he glow skimmer is a variety of skimmer classification vegetation beasts. These elemental beasts are living creatures of dense foliage given form. This particular variant is only found within the Roaming Ruin basin and seems to have appeared in direct response to a unique moss growing in the region. The glow skimmers are considered a prime food source and are the main draw for humans to move into this region.

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Glow skimmers are native to the area of the Roaming Ruin basin, and their population shifts in direct relation to the glowing moss that is their food source. When humans first settled in the basin, they hunted the glow skimmers as a food source. Similar skimmer classification vegetation beasts in other regions had proven to be a stable food source, and the expectation was the same here. What they quickly realized was that these skimmers are more tender and have a richer flavor than many other skimmer varieties.

The discovery of the superior nature of this skimmer variety led to a brief period of overhunting. Nearly all the glow skimmers were hunted and eaten during this period. What followed was a moss bloom so extreme that it blanketed the entire basin and started spreading up the surrounding hills and cliffs. The glowing moss cannot be eaten by humans due to a toxin it contains, causing anyone who consumes it to become very sick. With no good way to control the bloom, many of the residents were forced to leave their homes and leave the basin for a time.

With the bulk of the settlement gone and the hunting stopped, the glow skimmer population was allowed to regrow. Glow skimmer reproduction was aided by the natural generation phenomena seen throughout the darker areas of Oabos. In response to the moss bloom, new glow skimmers began emerging from the dying plant life under the thick moss blanket. While these new skimmers were small, they quickly grew with the great availability of food.

This burst of new glow skimmers was able to get the moss bloom under control, while also swinging the balance to overpopulation. Once the moss became a limited resource, these skimmers became more aggressive. The naturally timid beast would fight over food and lash out at anything which got too close. The settlers returned and began hunting the glow skimmers again but were far more careful. Seeking out aggressive skimmers, they thinned the population while being careful not to put strain on the skimmer population.

Now the basin has a healthy population, and the locals are careful to keep it that way.

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The skimmer classification of vegetation beast is so named for the way they move along the ground, or over the surface of fluids. The body is long and low to the ground. They tend to resemble long, narrow, piles of leaves. Large leaves along the top of their bodies are hardened like carapace segments, with the softer flesh of the plants protected beneath. Vines or tendrils extend from beneath this outer shell and propel the beast along the ground or fluid surface.

The size and appearance of the skimmers can change based on the location and variant of skimmer, but they tend to retain the same basic shape. The average skimmer comes to about the knee of an adult human when moving along the ground. They can also rear up the front half of their bodies, and doing so puts their head at about the height of a man's shoulder. A rearing skimmer can be quite intimidating, since even though they are narrow in comparison to their length the average skimmer is about the width of a human torso.

Glow skimmers have a unique appearance, attributed to their diet of glowing moss. The bioluminescent motes within the moss appear within the outer carapace of the skimmers, and some seem to float just above the beast. The carapace also develops a soft grassy texture over the hardened leaf plates. Most of the glowing motes are caught within these small blades.

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Glow skimmers only appear in the marsh of the Roaming Ruin basin. It is believed that this is due to the presence of the glowing moss. Without the moss, any skimmers would be of a different variety. The moss they feed on grows on the old ruins themselves and does not appear anywhere else unless there is a moss bloom which spreads beyond the surface of the ruins.

The area of the basin where these ruins can be found collects water from the regions and pools it into a marshland. The skimmers move primarily across these watery areas when moving between different ruin segments. The skimmers never collect in one spot for too long, which feeds into the rumors that the ruins move within the basin.

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Most glow skimmers are left to their natural habitat and reproduction. Small efforts have been made to cultivate the beasts in a more structured manner. Early attempts to contain some skimmers to a corralled space and provide harvested moss for them to eat led to a corral of hostile skimmers that would attack anyone who came near.

Later attempts at cultivation took more of a guiding approach. Sections of the ruins would be blocked off and intentionally allowed to overgrow. The controlled bloom would cause skimmers to gather in the area as well as trigger some natural generation of new skimmers. These cultivators would then hunt and harvest one mature skimmer for each young one that appeared.

This second method is far safer and more sustainable. It is still used within the basin whenever it looks like the skimmer population may be thinning. Individuals who take up this style of skimmer cultivation are jokingly referred to as Moss Guards, due to the amount of effort it takes to keep hungry skimmers away from a section of blooming ruins.