BOGFANG (ZARU-DAK)

Called “Zaru-Dak” by the Orlanda Tribe, the Bogfang is an obligate-aquatic benthic disk predator of the Orlanda Marshes on VOI 700 D. It lies flat in root mazes and undercut banks, then surge-pounces to pin prey or braces at the shoreline to drag land animals into the water. The Orlanda regard a resident Bogfang as the quiet sentinel of sacred pools.

• Length (disk + tail): 1.2–1.4 m
• Mass: 40–50 kg
• Body: Dorso-ventrally flattened disk with broad fin-lobes for swimming; no hind walking limbs
• Forelimbs: Two anterior grasping arms only, each with five short keratin-tipped digits (claws) for anchoring to roots/stone and seizing shoreline prey; incapable of supporting body on land
• Skin: Velvety, matte peat-green to mud-brown with gritty dermal plaques that trap silt/algae (living-rock camouflage)
• Head & Mouth: Subterminal mouth facing downward; pharyngeal shearing plates (rasping hold rather than fangs)
• Senses: High-set eyes for peeking above silt; dorsal spiracular vents for breathing while the mouth is silt-sealed; lateral pressure pores detect wakes and footfalls
• Tail: Long, muscular tail with thin fin edge for steering and burst starts
• Locomotion: Undulates fin-lobes and tail to swim; cannot locomote on land (obligate aquatic)

• Shoreline Brace: Uses its two forelimbs to hook roots/rocks and hold position in current; enables sudden arm-snatch on land prey at the water’s edge
• Wing-Lobe Pin: Broad fin-lobes press prey to substrate while the plates shear
• Living-Rock Camouflage: Gritty plaques hold silt and algae, breaking the outline among stones and roots
• Spiracular Breathing: Dorsal vents ventilate while buried; eyes watch from cover

• Armor Class (AC): 14 (low profile + gritty plaques)
• Hit Points (HP): 45
• Speed: 40 ft. (swim); 0 ft. (land)

• Surge Pounce (Recharge 5–6). The Bogfang launches up to 20 ft. in a straight line underwater. If it ends adjacent to a creature, it makes Wing-Lobe Pin* with advantage.
• Wing-Lobe Pin. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: d6+3 bludgeoning, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). While the Bogfang remains prone on the bottom, a grappled target is restrained.
• Shearing Plates. Melee Weapon Attack (vs. a grappled target): +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., Hit: 2d8+3 slashing.
• Shoreline Yank. Melee Weapon Attack (arms): +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. onto land from a water square. Hit: 1d8+3 bludgeoning and the target must succeed on a DC 14 STR save or be pulled up to 10 ft. into the water and knocked prone (submerged).
• Silt Bloom (Recharge 4–6). Kicks up a 10-ft-radius silt cloud. Creatures in the area must make a DC 13 Con save or be blinded until the start of their next turn. The area is lightly obscured for 1 minute unless dispersed.

• Benthic Camouflage. Advantage on Stealth checks when motionless on silt, stones, or among roots.
• Pressure Sense. While submerged, the Bogfang has blindsight 20 ft. against moving creatures.
• Bank Brace. While adjacent to a solid bank/root, the Bogfang has advantage on checks to resist being moved and may target creatures on land within 5 ft. with Shoreline Yank.
• Obligate Aquatic. Land speed 0; if forced fully onto land, the Bogfang is knocked prone and has disadvantage on all attacks until it re-enters water.

• Diet: Small fish, amphibians, large invertebrates, shoreline mammals/birds when available
• Social: Solitary except brief spawning aggregations
• Activity: Crepuscular/nocturnal peaks; day spent buried or wedged under shelves

• Stone-Still Ambush: Lies flat, gathers silt, watches with high-set eyes
• Brace-and-Snatch: Hooks forelimbs under roots, then lashes out to yank shoreline prey into the water
• Wrap-and-Shear: Uses fin-lobes to pin while shearing plates do the killing work
• Silt Screen: Deploys Silt Bloom to break line-of-sight for escape or reposition

• Mating Season: Wettest marsh cycles; brief nocturnal aggregations on shallow shelves
• Egg Deposition: Adhesive clutches tucked beneath root lips and ledges
• Incubation: ~2 weeks; hatchlings disperse into micro-channels and leaf packs
• Lifespan: 15–20 years (est.)

• Edge Ambush: Any creature looting the bank, watering mounts, or following root paths within 5 ft. of water risks a Shoreline Yank.
• Sacred Pool Clause: Orlanda rites may forbid harming a resident Bogfang; parties must solve the pool non-violently (lures, distractions, offerings).
• Environmental Tells: A clean oval in settled silt or a sudden silt boil under an overhang foreshadows Zaru-Dak.

• Orlanda Marshes
• Orlanda Tribe
• Wildlife of Asari

Known Predators:

• Kardar (targets juveniles)