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Description

On the topic of the Helkkja and their magical species, there is another odd denizen of their islands that has popped up from time to time. While others live only on their forbidden island and thus remain a mystery, this is a species that has been encountered at sea and even roaming other lands! The Snowdome is certainly a memorable species to encounter, as there are few things in the wilds like it! Like a crystalline orb with legs, slowly scuttling across the ice shelves and snowy tundras. Its transparent body hides nothing, revealing it to be practically empty! At first, you would suspect that magic is the only thing that allows such an anomaly to survive, but this design is not foreign to nature! The Snowdome is much like a jellyfish, though giant and terrestrial, with no familiar organs and a whole lot of tentacles. It is essentially a hollow sac of layered membranes, creating the domed "body" that is more like a stomach with a toothless maw hanging below. Radiating from this central mass are a variety of tentacles, each with their own job. Obviously the lower ones that support it act like feet, allowing it to walk in any direction it chooses without ever needing to turn around or reorient itself. Around them are a nest of crimson tendrils, which seem to be like tongues, tasting the air and environment to understand what is nearby and what is food. Up above are more tentacles, some with fronds that help it detect changes in the air. The longest of the bunch end in bulbous spouts, writhing and moving like blind snakes. While the others help with navigation, these ones are for hunting. The Snowdome has no stingers, but it has another way to immobilize prey. These long tentacles pipe a freezing gas from its central body, and spray it from their fleshy nozzles to engulf its victims. These clouds are unbearably cold, with chilling droplets that seem to cut through the warmest layers and freeze you to the core. Those swallowed by this gas are practically frozen solid, too cold to move or flee. When prey is slowed down, the Snowdome takes its time to thoroughly douse them with this gas, until they are truly an ice block. Once sufficiently frozen, it simply walks over top the icy statue and swallows it whole. They will be transported to its transparent dome, which acts as the Snowdome's stomach. The chilling air within its body contains a digestive component, which slowly eats away at ice and flesh. This is released in high concentrations when food is detected within its stomach, so that it may melt them down into nutrients over the course of days. It is certainly a grim sight to see, frozen victims on display within its stomach, trapped in the last pose they took before being doomed to digestion.

Watching a Snowdome work in the wild is rather unsettling, as they do not move or function like most other animals. They have no brains to think with, with no concerns to ponder. They are simply a freezing stomach that is guided by crude senses, moving only in the direction of food. If you have the chance to spy one, you will see it walk in a mindless march, following whatever scent or trail the tendrils detect. It doesn't try to avoid obstacles, it simply runs into them then responds to its senses. It will climb over the barrier if it can, or it will slowly slide alongside until it finds a way around. There is no thinking to this process, it just figures out which tendrils detect an obstacle and which ones don't. It is all in the pursuit of prey, which can change in a second if it comes across a trail that is more promising. A stronger scent or louder presence may trigger it to change targets, and it will do so without thought. People who have observed Snowdomes have said that it is quite clear when you have gotten too close or when the creature senses your presence. The wandering orb will suddenly start crawling in your direction, abandoning its old trail in hopes of a closer meal. If that happens, running away isn't enough. You have to get it off your trail, or else it will just keep following you no matter what. Horror stories speak of hunters encountering a Snowdome, then fleeing back to camp. Confident that the beast is long gone, they go to sleep only for this icy phantom to arrive late in the night and devour them all. It is advised to cross the paths of other animals, or find game trails to distract it with. Some use blood or rotting fluids from old kills and then spray it all over the land, that way the Snowdome is forced to follow numerous routes that all lead to dead ends. One tale claims you can create a circle of warm blood and trap one of these creatures in an endless loop, following the trail that never ends. I imagine sooner or later the scent will fade, or another beast will get close enough for its tendrils to sense. Regardless, they are a species that reminds every traveler to cover your trail and be careful what you leave behind. You never know what attention you will attract.

As mindless as they are, I imagine some wonder what purpose the Helkkja could have for such creatures. They just walk and eat, what good is that? Well, some say that is good enough for the witches! The stories say that the Snowdomes are sent out from their island onto other lands so that they may capture victims and bring them back to their masters. Being nothing but membrane and air, they easily float on the water, letting the tide take them wherever. Their freezing gas perfectly preserves prey, which is then swallowed and carried back home. They say spotting a Snowdome at sea is bad luck, as they ferry poor souls to the waiting clutches of the witches, and thus death is not far behind. However, that isn't the only use these creatures are said to have. While other species may shudder at the endless cold within the dome of these creatures, the Helkkja would actually feel right at home! Legends of the Helkkja suggest that they not only live comfortably at freezing temperatures, but need such cold to live. Whatever arts they performed or deal they struck makes them immune to the arctic environment but deathly weak to heat and fire. Since their frozen island is so far north and constantly barraged by icy winds, they never fear of it getting too warm. But if a witch wishes to visit other lands, then the warmer climate could kill them. So instead, they use the Snowdomes as a mode of transportation, riding within its freezing stomach to keep their bodies at the right temperature. Their magic lets them control these mindless sacs with ease, and a transparent body means they can easily see where they are going. The maw lets them pick up objects from the outside, or spit them out when they are done. Some witches are said to practically set up house right inside a Snowdome, having everything they need to live comfortably within. Other stories say that they setup ritual circles and ceremonies within one of these creatures whenever they need to shield themselves from the wind. It just seems like the possibilities are endless! I must say it is a clever design! To have a creature that is essentially the perfect sealed environment on legs! I wonder if they can make them for warmth instead of cold, as I would buy one in an instant! To have a personal bubble of constant warmth, with no worry of wind or cold! It would make these arctic trips so easy! I got to find me some witches and see if such a thing is possible! Wait, would that mean this version breathes fire instead of ice? Hmmmmmmm, a possible problem...

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

----------------------------------------

Any wintry time calls for an iconic snowglobe! This one, however, isn't content to just sit on the mantle...

Description

On the topic of the Helkkja and their magical species, there is another odd denizen of their islands that has popped up from time to time. While others live only on their forbidden island and thus remain a mystery, this is a species that has been encountered at sea and even roaming other lands! The Snowdome is certainly a memorable species to encounter, as there are few things in the wilds like it! Like a crystalline orb with legs, slowly scuttling across the ice shelves and snowy tundras. Its transparent body hides nothing, revealing it to be practically empty! At first, you would suspect that magic is the only thing that allows such an anomaly to survive, but this design is not foreign to nature! The Snowdome is much like a jellyfish, though giant and terrestrial, with no familiar organs and a whole lot of tentacles. It is essentially a hollow sac of layered membranes, creating the domed "body" that is more like a stomach with a toothless maw hanging below. Radiating from this central mass are a variety of tentacles, each with their own job. Obviously the lower ones that support it act like feet, allowing it to walk in any direction it chooses without ever needing to turn around or reorient itself. Around them are a nest of crimson tendrils, which seem to be like tongues, tasting the air and environment to understand what is nearby and what is food. Up above are more tentacles, some with fronds that help it detect changes in the air. The longest of the bunch end in bulbous spouts, writhing and moving like blind snakes. While the others help with navigation, these ones are for hunting. The Snowdome has no stingers, but it has another way to immobilize prey. These long tentacles pipe a freezing gas from its central body, and spray it from their fleshy nozzles to engulf its victims. These clouds are unbearably cold, with chilling droplets that seem to cut through the warmest layers and freeze you to the core. Those swallowed by this gas are practically frozen solid, too cold to move or flee. When prey is slowed down, the Snowdome takes its time to thoroughly douse them with this gas, until they are truly an ice block. Once sufficiently frozen, it simply walks over top the icy statue and swallows it whole. They will be transported to its transparent dome, which acts as the Snowdome's stomach. The chilling air within its body contains a digestive component, which slowly eats away at ice and flesh. This is released in high concentrations when food is detected within its stomach, so that it may melt them down into nutrients over the course of days. It is certainly a grim sight to see, frozen victims on display within its stomach, trapped in the last pose they took before being doomed to digestion.

Watching a Snowdome work in the wild is rather unsettling, as they do not move or function like most other animals. They have no brains to think with, with no concerns to ponder. They are simply a freezing stomach that is guided by crude senses, moving only in the direction of food. If you have the chance to spy one, you will see it walk in a mindless march, following whatever scent or trail the tendrils detect. It doesn't try to avoid obstacles, it simply runs into them then responds to its senses. It will climb over the barrier if it can, or it will slowly slide alongside until it finds a way around. There is no thinking to this process, it just figures out which tendrils detect an obstacle and which ones don't. It is all in the pursuit of prey, which can change in a second if it comes across a trail that is more promising. A stronger scent or louder presence may trigger it to change targets, and it will do so without thought. People who have observed Snowdomes have said that it is quite clear when you have gotten too close or when the creature senses your presence. The wandering orb will suddenly start crawling in your direction, abandoning its old trail in hopes of a closer meal. If that happens, running away isn't enough. You have to get it off your trail, or else it will just keep following you no matter what. Horror stories speak of hunters encountering a Snowdome, then fleeing back to camp. Confident that the beast is long gone, they go to sleep only for this icy phantom to arrive late in the night and devour them all. It is advised to cross the paths of other animals, or find game trails to distract it with. Some use blood or rotting fluids from old kills and then spray it all over the land, that way the Snowdome is forced to follow numerous routes that all lead to dead ends. One tale claims you can create a circle of warm blood and trap one of these creatures in an endless loop, following the trail that never ends. I imagine sooner or later the scent will fade, or another beast will get close enough for its tendrils to sense. Regardless, they are a species that reminds every traveler to cover your trail and be careful what you leave behind. You never know what attention you will attract.

As mindless as they are, I imagine some wonder what purpose the Helkkja could have for such creatures. They just walk and eat, what good is that? Well, some say that is good enough for the witches! The stories say that the Snowdomes are sent out from their island onto other lands so that they may capture victims and bring them back to their masters. Being nothing but membrane and air, they easily float on the water, letting the tide take them wherever. Their freezing gas perfectly preserves prey, which is then swallowed and carried back home. They say spotting a Snowdome at sea is bad luck, as they ferry poor souls to the waiting clutches of the witches, and thus death is not far behind. However, that isn't the only use these creatures are said to have. While other species may shudder at the endless cold within the dome of these creatures, the Helkkja would actually feel right at home! Legends of the Helkkja suggest that they not only live comfortably at freezing temperatures, but need such cold to live. Whatever arts they performed or deal they struck makes them immune to the arctic environment but deathly weak to heat and fire. Since their frozen island is so far north and constantly barraged by icy winds, they never fear of it getting too warm. But if a witch wishes to visit other lands, then the warmer climate could kill them. So instead, they use the Snowdomes as a mode of transportation, riding within its freezing stomach to keep their bodies at the right temperature. Their magic lets them control these mindless sacs with ease, and a transparent body means they can easily see where they are going. The maw lets them pick up objects from the outside, or spit them out when they are done. Some witches are said to practically set up house right inside a Snowdome, having everything they need to live comfortably within. Other stories say that they setup ritual circles and ceremonies within one of these creatures whenever they need to shield themselves from the wind. It just seems like the possibilities are endless! I must say it is a clever design! To have a creature that is essentially the perfect sealed environment on legs! I wonder if they can make them for warmth instead of cold, as I would buy one in an instant! To have a personal bubble of constant warmth, with no worry of wind or cold! It would make these arctic trips so easy! I got to find me some witches and see if such a thing is possible! Wait, would that mean this version breathes fire instead of ice? Hmmmmmmm, a possible problem...

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

----------------------------------------

Any wintry time calls for an iconic snowglobe! This one, however, isn't content to just sit on the mantle...