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Description
From the Files of Frank Womack, Kaiju Expert*

Kaiju File # 010

Nemene (Nah-Mee-yin)

First Seen: Gulf of Corinth, Mediterranean Sea
Last Seen: Heraklion, Crete

Primary Range: Mediterranean Sea

Dietary Preference: Thermal/Electrical Energy

Description: A benthic terror often hailed as a textbook leviathan class kaiju, Nemene can best be described as a repto-mammalian creature that superficially resembles a feline in silhouette. Residing exclusively in the Mediterranean sea, this creature is known for menacing large vessels, from merchant freighters to luxury cruise liners, on an erratic basis, as well as its valiant, but ultimately doomed, stand against the gargantuan kaiju Stormback on the island of Crete. Its quadrupedal stance is due to oversized front limbs, each armed with an enormous, lethally curved claw that can even rend precursor metals into shreds. Other notable features include its large, pupil-less eyes, well suited for vision on the seafloor, and its electric blue 'mane' of stinging tendrils, which constantly flail around, reaching for nearby objects to determine if they are friend, foe or food. When in combat, these can also deliver a powerful toxin that can slow the regeneration process of most kaiju. The two tentacles located on its shoulders are moreso meant for defensive purposes, lashing out with 360 degree range, laser precision and lightning speed, bludgeoning foes into submission.

Its armament is indeed nasty, and in this case, the personality matches. Nemene exhibits a level of aggression not usually seen in kaiju, attacking any sizable object within its territorial range, both animate and not. Perhaps its sole inhabitance of a large, contained body of water has made it wary of sharing, or perhaps its energy needs are different from the average monster, but all the same, Nemene is widely seen as a threat, though light of more recent sightings, not a catastrophic one.

Defense Protocols: Given Nemene's lack of discretion in choosing targets, several OVER military installments now dot the shoreline of the Mediterranean, which for decades was considered too closed in and tightly packed to have UNDER provisions. The key to deterring the creature lies in the now commonplace Banshee sonic mines, which were invented originally for this scenario. These undersea sonic weapons cause immense localized damage to a kaiju upon entering their proximity, specifically targeting their organs, and often the pain is able to send Nemene back to the depths before any damage can be done. Should you find yourself on a vessel being targeted by Nemene, a call should be placed to OVER, and they will be there within the hour. Its rare to see the creature much anymore, but in case it does emerge from the depths again, merchant vessels are now required to carry several banshees among their cargo. Should those not be enough, a mecha deployment is considered a reasonable response, as it is capable of severely damaging regional infrastructure if left unattended.

Noteworthy Abilities:

-Adaptive Neurotoxin: A feature only seen in a select few monsters, Nemene's tentacle mane is able to inject a powerful toxin into whatever they come in contact with. This ability can cause severe reactions in even the largest kaiju, with effects such as temporary blindness, shortness of breath, local necrosis, and short term paralysis. The toxin, interestingly enough, bears a more than strong resemblance to the one utilized by Amminot Polyps . Further study has yet to be taken.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: As kaiju sightings began to increase, the world rallied to find different ways to prevent them from destroying everything about our prior way of life. Organizations such as OVER had invested billions into revolutionary defense technologies, and with every success, there was another failure. But another voice began to rise out of the political quagmire, a voice of scientific reason. People knew how to stop a kaiju in the short term, and successes with that were increasing, but many wondered if, through careful observation and study, a more permanent solution could be found. Experts knew the risks of rushing such a process, Dubai's glassy ruins stood as an immortal monument to that school of thought.

Some also wanted to see if it was possible to truly understand the kaiju, and the similarities and differences in their respective biologies. Most were unaware of Doctor Gaither's own continued, secretive studies after she was spirited away into the bureaucratic depths of UNDER, and had they been this conversation would have been moot. But the events following this scientific venture are, in my opinion, well worth going into detail about.

As mentioned in prior entries, kaiju attacks had made many traditional occupations reconsider their approach to the minutia of their schedules. One such job was working on cargo freighters, a job that occasionally made media waves, though usually only when pirates were involved. With the discovery of enormous aquatic creatures with a penchant for destruction of property, they found themselves shorthanded and forced to pay much more handsomely to secure willing sailors. Some were desperate, others were foolhardy, hoping to revive an age of the mythic qualities of whaling, but either way, in 99% of cases, they wound up disappointed. Except in one pocket of the world. The Mediterranean Sea, not paid much mind since the kaiju outbreak started, was the stomping ground of a very distinctive monster that, unlike most, seemed to enjoy pursuing anything that crossed into its territory. Nemene, I call it. It never failed to appear when something large enough crossed its path, and its enormous claws and vicious temperament had earned it a reputation among the top brass of the defense forces. It crippled trade in the entire region, and people were growing desperate for someone to do something about it.

Several scientists of OVER's employ took advantage of this, taking a condemned naval vessel out and setting it adrift in the rapidly expanding graveyard of ships Nemene was coming to call home. When the monster appeared, a trained sniper fired a small round with an extremely sensitive tag, burying itself under the kaiju's skin and beginning a detailed analysis into the inner life of the giant monster.

The study went on for over a year until Nemene's near fatal encounter with Stormback caused the tag to dislodge, and some of the results were quite enlightening. Kaiju like Nemene, which were later categorized as leviathans, were quite different on the inside from more ground-bound kaiju like Meeraj , now classified as a behemoth. They reside full time on the seafloor, usually parking it near volcanic vents, and they seem to not require respiration to function in the abyss. Nemene migrated occasionally, changing its resting place from one geothermal vent to a volcano bed every few months, and then back again. Secondly, while all kaiju we know possess internal organs, a leviathan's body is lined with several we haven't encountered anywhere else in nature, a series of nerve-like ganglia that run up and down their skin, usually on their backs. There's a superficial resemblance to the Ampullae of Lorenzini used by sharks, but the true function is quite different. Nemene was no exception to this, and the reason for these was revealed when the team learned an enormous bombshell about kaiju, the only time they typically surface. A single ascent was logged that didn't come from a passing ship, during a powerful thunderstorm. The reason for this became clear after checking a chart of recorded lightning strikes alongside its territory. Several, more than normal in fact, struck right where Nemene was projected to have breached, and in one flash of clarity, we knew how kaiju survived with such enormous bulks without eating everything on the entire planet in a month.

The exacts are still a mystery, but most kaiju subsist on energy. the more they can get the better. It explained the stories of so many sailors and their stormy night encounters with monsters too. The theories had been circulating for years, but now there was finally proof.

Most interesting of all was a discovery Doctor Gaither had made years before but chose to keep quiet. Kaiju, unlike all known forms of life, have a much more complex protein makeup. We have 4 base proteins making up a double helix of DNA, everything on earth is made of those. Except kaiju, which have 17, most of which are unknown to science, on a six strand chain. Even I'm scratching my head on that one. But the discoveries we owe to Nemene all have plenty of merit regardless. It may just take a while to understand them. In the meantime, I personally pray for a speedy recovery for the bastard. Stormback got him good.
---------------------------------

*These files are in no representative of nor indicating the opinions and/or facts concerning various government bureaus, including but not limited to: The United Nations, UNDER, etc. These are unofficial productions by a private citizen determined to aid the concerned public in the event of a kaiju or extraterrestrial incursion and are in no way to be considered authoritative reports on the aforementioned dangers.

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

Hey guys! I know this post is almost two weeks late, but there's a pretty important real world reason behind it. I just had to change jobs recently, and the work that went into that prevented me from really sinking into my typical creative pursuits. But now that's all settled, and I'm happy to say my new schedule still will allow me to have new monsters bi-weekly.

Now, Nemene is a years old idea that I never got around to posting, but he was originally a potential design for Umbara back when I was putting the Fathom universe together. When designing a kaiju, if inspiration fails me, I like to start my process by listing the rough traits I want for the creature, ie tentacles, teeth, evoking land and sea simultaneously, etc. and then just spitballing different ways to combine those parts until I find something I like. Mostly that's just one design, but in this case, I had two I adored and really wanted to use. One worked better as a first monster, so the other was relegated to a minor, but still important role.

Now, Nemene also marks the next to last of the 'setting dressing' kaiju that will exist in this part of the story, and after one more we'll begin the next important stage of the sage of humanity and monsters. Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks, and feel free to fave and comment. I live for conversations about monsters!

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

Profile Template updated! Thankfully Nemene's original art worked really well with the new layout, I really don't want to redraw if I don't have to.

Description
From the Files of Frank Womack, Kaiju Expert*

Kaiju File # 010

Nemene (Nah-Mee-yin)

First Seen: Gulf of Corinth, Mediterranean Sea
Last Seen: Heraklion, Crete

Primary Range: Mediterranean Sea

Dietary Preference: Thermal/Electrical Energy

Description: A benthic terror often hailed as a textbook leviathan class kaiju, Nemene can best be described as a repto-mammalian creature that superficially resembles a feline in silhouette. Residing exclusively in the Mediterranean sea, this creature is known for menacing large vessels, from merchant freighters to luxury cruise liners, on an erratic basis, as well as its valiant, but ultimately doomed, stand against the gargantuan kaiju Stormback on the island of Crete. Its quadrupedal stance is due to oversized front limbs, each armed with an enormous, lethally curved claw that can even rend precursor metals into shreds. Other notable features include its large, pupil-less eyes, well suited for vision on the seafloor, and its electric blue 'mane' of stinging tendrils, which constantly flail around, reaching for nearby objects to determine if they are friend, foe or food. When in combat, these can also deliver a powerful toxin that can slow the regeneration process of most kaiju. The two tentacles located on its shoulders are moreso meant for defensive purposes, lashing out with 360 degree range, laser precision and lightning speed, bludgeoning foes into submission.

Its armament is indeed nasty, and in this case, the personality matches. Nemene exhibits a level of aggression not usually seen in kaiju, attacking any sizable object within its territorial range, both animate and not. Perhaps its sole inhabitance of a large, contained body of water has made it wary of sharing, or perhaps its energy needs are different from the average monster, but all the same, Nemene is widely seen as a threat, though light of more recent sightings, not a catastrophic one.

Defense Protocols: Given Nemene's lack of discretion in choosing targets, several OVER military installments now dot the shoreline of the Mediterranean, which for decades was considered too closed in and tightly packed to have UNDER provisions. The key to deterring the creature lies in the now commonplace Banshee sonic mines, which were invented originally for this scenario. These undersea sonic weapons cause immense localized damage to a kaiju upon entering their proximity, specifically targeting their organs, and often the pain is able to send Nemene back to the depths before any damage can be done. Should you find yourself on a vessel being targeted by Nemene, a call should be placed to OVER, and they will be there within the hour. Its rare to see the creature much anymore, but in case it does emerge from the depths again, merchant vessels are now required to carry several banshees among their cargo. Should those not be enough, a mecha deployment is considered a reasonable response, as it is capable of severely damaging regional infrastructure if left unattended.

Noteworthy Abilities:

-Adaptive Neurotoxin: A feature only seen in a select few monsters, Nemene's tentacle mane is able to inject a powerful toxin into whatever they come in contact with. This ability can cause severe reactions in even the largest kaiju, with effects such as temporary blindness, shortness of breath, local necrosis, and short term paralysis. The toxin, interestingly enough, bears a more than strong resemblance to the one utilized by Amminot Polyps . Further study has yet to be taken.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: As kaiju sightings began to increase, the world rallied to find different ways to prevent them from destroying everything about our prior way of life. Organizations such as OVER had invested billions into revolutionary defense technologies, and with every success, there was another failure. But another voice began to rise out of the political quagmire, a voice of scientific reason. People knew how to stop a kaiju in the short term, and successes with that were increasing, but many wondered if, through careful observation and study, a more permanent solution could be found. Experts knew the risks of rushing such a process, Dubai's glassy ruins stood as an immortal monument to that school of thought.

Some also wanted to see if it was possible to truly understand the kaiju, and the similarities and differences in their respective biologies. Most were unaware of Doctor Gaither's own continued, secretive studies after she was spirited away into the bureaucratic depths of UNDER, and had they been this conversation would have been moot. But the events following this scientific venture are, in my opinion, well worth going into detail about.

As mentioned in prior entries, kaiju attacks had made many traditional occupations reconsider their approach to the minutia of their schedules. One such job was working on cargo freighters, a job that occasionally made media waves, though usually only when pirates were involved. With the discovery of enormous aquatic creatures with a penchant for destruction of property, they found themselves shorthanded and forced to pay much more handsomely to secure willing sailors. Some were desperate, others were foolhardy, hoping to revive an age of the mythic qualities of whaling, but either way, in 99% of cases, they wound up disappointed. Except in one pocket of the world. The Mediterranean Sea, not paid much mind since the kaiju outbreak started, was the stomping ground of a very distinctive monster that, unlike most, seemed to enjoy pursuing anything that crossed into its territory. Nemene, I call it. It never failed to appear when something large enough crossed its path, and its enormous claws and vicious temperament had earned it a reputation among the top brass of the defense forces. It crippled trade in the entire region, and people were growing desperate for someone to do something about it.

Several scientists of OVER's employ took advantage of this, taking a condemned naval vessel out and setting it adrift in the rapidly expanding graveyard of ships Nemene was coming to call home. When the monster appeared, a trained sniper fired a small round with an extremely sensitive tag, burying itself under the kaiju's skin and beginning a detailed analysis into the inner life of the giant monster.

The study went on for over a year until Nemene's near fatal encounter with Stormback caused the tag to dislodge, and some of the results were quite enlightening. Kaiju like Nemene, which were later categorized as leviathans, were quite different on the inside from more ground-bound kaiju like Meeraj , now classified as a behemoth. They reside full time on the seafloor, usually parking it near volcanic vents, and they seem to not require respiration to function in the abyss. Nemene migrated occasionally, changing its resting place from one geothermal vent to a volcano bed every few months, and then back again. Secondly, while all kaiju we know possess internal organs, a leviathan's body is lined with several we haven't encountered anywhere else in nature, a series of nerve-like ganglia that run up and down their skin, usually on their backs. There's a superficial resemblance to the Ampullae of Lorenzini used by sharks, but the true function is quite different. Nemene was no exception to this, and the reason for these was revealed when the team learned an enormous bombshell about kaiju, the only time they typically surface. A single ascent was logged that didn't come from a passing ship, during a powerful thunderstorm. The reason for this became clear after checking a chart of recorded lightning strikes alongside its territory. Several, more than normal in fact, struck right where Nemene was projected to have breached, and in one flash of clarity, we knew how kaiju survived with such enormous bulks without eating everything on the entire planet in a month.

The exacts are still a mystery, but most kaiju subsist on energy. the more they can get the better. It explained the stories of so many sailors and their stormy night encounters with monsters too. The theories had been circulating for years, but now there was finally proof.

Most interesting of all was a discovery Doctor Gaither had made years before but chose to keep quiet. Kaiju, unlike all known forms of life, have a much more complex protein makeup. We have 4 base proteins making up a double helix of DNA, everything on earth is made of those. Except kaiju, which have 17, most of which are unknown to science, on a six strand chain. Even I'm scratching my head on that one. But the discoveries we owe to Nemene all have plenty of merit regardless. It may just take a while to understand them. In the meantime, I personally pray for a speedy recovery for the bastard. Stormback got him good.
---------------------------------

*These files are in no representative of nor indicating the opinions and/or facts concerning various government bureaus, including but not limited to: The United Nations, UNDER, etc. These are unofficial productions by a private citizen determined to aid the concerned public in the event of a kaiju or extraterrestrial incursion and are in no way to be considered authoritative reports on the aforementioned dangers.

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

Hey guys! I know this post is almost two weeks late, but there's a pretty important real world reason behind it. I just had to change jobs recently, and the work that went into that prevented me from really sinking into my typical creative pursuits. But now that's all settled, and I'm happy to say my new schedule still will allow me to have new monsters bi-weekly.

Now, Nemene is a years old idea that I never got around to posting, but he was originally a potential design for Umbara back when I was putting the Fathom universe together. When designing a kaiju, if inspiration fails me, I like to start my process by listing the rough traits I want for the creature, ie tentacles, teeth, evoking land and sea simultaneously, etc. and then just spitballing different ways to combine those parts until I find something I like. Mostly that's just one design, but in this case, I had two I adored and really wanted to use. One worked better as a first monster, so the other was relegated to a minor, but still important role.

Now, Nemene also marks the next to last of the 'setting dressing' kaiju that will exist in this part of the story, and after one more we'll begin the next important stage of the sage of humanity and monsters. Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks, and feel free to fave and comment. I live for conversations about monsters!

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

Profile Template updated! Thankfully Nemene's original art worked really well with the new layout, I really don't want to redraw if I don't have to.