Art:Underwater Fanged Pine

This article is an entry in the Piratical Guide to Oceanic Life muse game.

Underwater Fanged Pine

The Underwater Fanged Pine is the stuff of legend to most, but a nightmarish reality to the fish of the deep. No one knows exactly how it evolved to the way it looks today, but the history can't have been pretty.

The "Scimitar of the Deep", as it is known, stands about 5 feet tall. Leathery, withered leaves grow out of the stalk, and give off a faint, luminous glow in the deep-sea blackness. Unsuspecting fish, seeking shelter from the hellish creatures that inhabit the cruel seas, swim towards the tree and attempt to take shelter under the leaves...

Where they are promptly gutted by the 4-inch blades that stick out of the pine, sharp as razors. The pine feeds itself by taking nutrients from the blood of the fish it kills, absorbing them as the blood disperses itself throughout the murky deeps. The Obsidian Flatfish is often one of the victims of the Fanged Pine, but almost all species of fish swimming through the depths have fallen victim to the pine at least once.

However, some species are allowed live. The Deformed Eel is allowed to twist its way through the blades of the pine, and the Quicksilver Whipfish can often be seeing flitting in and out of the Pine's tattered, glowing leaves.

This creature originally created by Darkaardvark^[1].