SHARDBACK

The Shardback, known to the Senti Tribe as “Duramak” (“Stone-Shelled Guardian”), is a shoreline reptile native to the rocky shallows and reed margins of Lake Tijonara in the Asari Region of the Habitual Belt on VOI 700 D. Recognizable by its mineral-rough shell and curved, bird-like beak, the Shardback is a calm, deliberate grazer that prunes aquatic plants and keeps deltaic channels open. The Senti regard it as a waterway keeper; first baskers of the season are taken as signs of balanced floods.

• Size: Shell length up to 60 cm
• Weight: 15–20 kg
• Shell: Broad, low dome with irregular, stone-textured spurs; edges chipped like river rock
• Beak: Sharp, keratin beak (parrot-like curve) for shearing reeds and scraping algae
• Skin: Dark green to muddy brown; algae often colonize limbs and scutes
• Limbs: Wide, webbed feet; powerful for swimming and steady footing on slick rock
• Posture: Low center of mass; slow on land, agile in water

• Mineral Camouflage: Shell spurs break up outline among stones and roots
• Reed Shear Beak: Efficiently clips fibrous stems; can deliver warning nips to intruders
• Algal Mantle: Natural algal film improves concealment and houses beneficial microbes

• Armor Class (AC): 15 (mineralized shell)
• Hit Points (HP): 28
• Speed: 20 ft. (land), 30 ft. (swimming)

Actions

• Beak Shear: +4 to hit, 1d6+2 slashing (plants or creatures); against plant matter, deals double damage
• Shell Bash: 1d6 bludgeoning; DC 13 Strength save or pushed 5 ft.
• Defensive Withdraw: Retract and brace; gains +2 AC and resistance to bludgeoning until start of next turn

Special Abilities

• Vegetation Sense: Detects motion through plant contact within 15 ft.
• Shell Stability: Cannot be knocked prone while in water or on soft substrate
• Stone Stillness: Advantage on Stealth checks when motionless among rocks

• Diet: Aquatic vegetation, shoots, tubers, filamentous algae; opportunistic biofilm grazer
• Social Structure: Mostly solitary; loose basking clusters in calm weather
• Activity Pattern: Midday basking, crepuscular foraging in shallow margins

• Freeze and Blend: Holds still among cobbles; predators overlook the “stone”
• Channel Keeper: Regular grazing prevents reed choke points, benefiting small fish and invertebrates
• Cautious Nipper: Short, warning beak strikes deter harassment without escalation

• Nesting Sites: Shallow scrapes above the splash line on warmed gravel
• Egg Count: 3–6 per clutch; tough, mineral-rich shells
• Hatching Time: 8–10 weeks
• Juveniles: Miniature adults; remain near reed cover and rock pockets
• Lifespan: Estimated 40–50 years

• Natural Obstacle: Basking clusters block narrow landings or canoe pull-outs
• Resource Hook: Harvested (non-lethal) beak scrapings or shed shell chips as alchemical abrasives or camouflage dust
• Ecology Clue: Areas with trimmed reed corridors hint at Shardback presence — and safer, clearer water

• VOI 700 D
• Habitual Belt
• Asari Region
• Lake Tijonara
• Senti Tribe
• Known Wildlife of Asari

Known Predators:

• Bluestrike Heron (juveniles)
• Skyweaver Eels (hatchlings)