Monster Mash: K is for Karkinos!

The legendary karkinos is best known for its role as an emissary of various sea gods sent to waylay a hero on his quest or destroy a city that has earned their wrath. Inevitably, the beast is slain and the journey continues or the city makes amend and the beast returns to the sea. These creatures are mysterious, practically immortal and undeniably powerful.

Kings of the Crustaceans. The karkinos are giant crabs that spend most of their time rest in the depths of the deepest seas and oceans or burrowed into the ground. They are capable of hibernating for centuries until stirred but when they do awake from their slumber they are a sight to behold. These mighty behemoths stand tall over giants and only the mightiest of dragons can compare in size or might. They can easily trample cities that lay in their path and entire armies falter under its blows.

Misunderstood Myths. Despite their size and might, karkinos are not typically as destructive as other creatures of their size. They are simple and even timid creatures that attack in self-defense or as directed by the oceanic gods. Despite being manipulated into acting as machines of war by some evil creatures, such as mindflayers, karkinos seem to want to be left alone. They do become especially aggressive when other enormous creatures invade their territory and for this reason some clever civilizations have built their forts and cities on the backs of these beasts to ward off threats that are beyond their capabilities.