Sea warlocks (
Homoctopus veneficus) are a species of magical, sentient aquatic creatures found in temperate and cold-zone marine waters. They are immediately distinguishable from all other creatures by their humanoid torso, with two arms equipped with hands, contrasting with their lower body, which branches into eight "tentacles" (more properly they should be called arms, though devoid of a skeleton) that strongly resemble those of cephalopods.
Although there is no phylogenetic similarity and their physiology is very different, some tend to lump merfolk and sea sorcerers together; in reality, as mentioned, there is no relationship between the two species and it is impossible for them to hybridize.
This species in featured in:
Appearance and Physiology
Their upper body consists of a torso that, in appearance, closely resembles that of a human, with similar muscular development, covered with skin that is less loose than that of the tentacles, and two arms ending in prehensile hands, sometimes with a membrane that connects the fingers and aids swimming, sometimes without any connection.
The head also closely resembles that of a human, with two frontal eyes, a mouth, differentiated teeth, and a hair-covered upper skull.
All body hair on sea warlocks tends to be light in color, from sand to platinum, and even pure white in some rare specimens. Eye color is variable, and according to several observations, changes throughout the lifespan of the specimens; perhaps some chromatophores are also present in the irises of sea sorcerers, but no researcher has yet been able to study a complete Homoctopus head and establish this.
From the waist down, sea warlocks possess eight arms filled with suckers called colloquially "tentacles." They also have a funnel-shaped muscle formation, located ventrally and opening into the palpebral cavity, designed to allow the violent expulsion of water and "reactive" locomotion, which some researchers believe is achieved by modifying an ancestral foot.
Behavior
Highly intelligent, astute, and often mischievous, sea witches have a peculiar relationship with all other sentient marine creatures, offering them magical services and "wishes" in exchange for a seemingly symbolic payment, but one that always hides great dangers.
Reproduction
Normally, sea witches do not get along with each other and tend to kill each other; When this behavior ceases, and individuals begin to get along with each other, forming friendships or even feeling physical attraction, it means their optic glands have matured and become activated, initiating a process that will lead to reproduction and, ultimately, death.
For reproduction to be successful, all three sexes must be present: males, whose gametes must fertilize the eggs; females, who produce the eggs; and the candleholders, who do not produce any gametes but, through a bizarre evolutionary adaptation, manage, with their mere presence, to ensure optimal hormone levels in both males and females so that reproduction can occur.
After fertilization, the female will retain the eggs for 10-30 days inside her body, depositing them and later hanging them, like thick clusters, from the ceiling of her burrow. The eggs are contained in a white gelatinous substance and are guarded by the candleholder.
Unfortunately, once the optic glands are activated, the end of the sea witch is near, and both male and female will die, leaving the care of the young to the candleholder, which is a specimen without optic glands.
It is believed that the need for a candleholder is precisely this: nature ensures that someone will survive after the parents' necessary departure to care for the young.
The candleholder will obviously be fully invested in the obligation to care for the eggs first, oxygenating them and protecting them from any danger, and then the young, not only taking care of their physical needs but teaching them everything they need to survive in the ocean.
Gallery (Click to enlarge!)
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