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Description
"How such a leviathan can move on land is beyond me. Even more astounding is its gentle nature belying its size and power." -Unknown fisherman regarding the Walking gar.

The Walking Gar (Atractosteus icthyopodus) is the largest member of the gar family in Kairegorn at 25 feet long and well over 3 tons, making it a giant among all the other native gars, which usually measure 3-5 feet long. Native to all the major rivers and lakes, walking gar are able to breathe air and uniquely, have strong fins that can support them on land, allowing them to move from waterway to waterway, a useful ability during dry periods in Kairegorn. Brilliantly colored with bronze and red scales, it is heavily armored with scales sharp enough to be used as arrowheads that can pierce steel. The gar is armed also with sharp teeth used to catch smaller fish up to the size of Terror Trout and occasionally turtles, using its ability to breathe air to operate in oxygen-poor waters. They will also scavenge sea serpent carcasses and are known to swarm the beasts like piranhas (a rare fish in Kairegorn's rivers) when sea serpents attack them, devouring the beasts alive. Walking gar also have an incredible burst of speed and immense stamina, making them very powerful fish. As its eggs are also poisonous, it has no predators as an infant. Despite its immense size and power, the gar is harmless to humans and children often swim with the creatures, protected by the gar's size and power from more dangerous animals. Highly intelligent, these gar have been known to rescue other animals including humans from more dangerous creatures in the rivers such as sharks and sea serpents. Dragons do not eat the gar, and humanoids do not hunt them, seeing the creatures as benevolent protectors of the waters. In many human cultures of Kairegorn, the gar is seen as a symbol of compassion combined with strength, and is worshipped as a minor deity among the polytheistic peoples throughout the land.

Description
"How such a leviathan can move on land is beyond me. Even more astounding is its gentle nature belying its size and power." -Unknown fisherman regarding the Walking gar.

The Walking Gar (Atractosteus icthyopodus) is the largest member of the gar family in Kairegorn at 25 feet long and well over 3 tons, making it a giant among all the other native gars, which usually measure 3-5 feet long. Native to all the major rivers and lakes, walking gar are able to breathe air and uniquely, have strong fins that can support them on land, allowing them to move from waterway to waterway, a useful ability during dry periods in Kairegorn. Brilliantly colored with bronze and red scales, it is heavily armored with scales sharp enough to be used as arrowheads that can pierce steel. The gar is armed also with sharp teeth used to catch smaller fish up to the size of Terror Trout and occasionally turtles, using its ability to breathe air to operate in oxygen-poor waters. They will also scavenge sea serpent carcasses and are known to swarm the beasts like piranhas (a rare fish in Kairegorn's rivers) when sea serpents attack them, devouring the beasts alive. Walking gar also have an incredible burst of speed and immense stamina, making them very powerful fish. As its eggs are also poisonous, it has no predators as an infant. Despite its immense size and power, the gar is harmless to humans and children often swim with the creatures, protected by the gar's size and power from more dangerous animals. Highly intelligent, these gar have been known to rescue other animals including humans from more dangerous creatures in the rivers such as sharks and sea serpents. Dragons do not eat the gar, and humanoids do not hunt them, seeing the creatures as benevolent protectors of the waters. In many human cultures of Kairegorn, the gar is seen as a symbol of compassion combined with strength, and is worshipped as a minor deity among the polytheistic peoples throughout the land.