Angthang

He was sure, he had seen something split the surface. Something big. All the tales the old sailors had told, tales of horrible monsters lurking in the vast depths raced trough his mind. The dark waters started to bubble, the ship waving back and forth. What was happening? And then he saw it- for a split second. Eyes as large as bonfires, jaws the size of a barn, filled with horrible teeth. When he awakened he was jammed between two floating logs, the only remnants from the ship he could see.

The vast majority of the earth's oceans and seas are unexplored. Is it really hard to believe that there are creatures that live so far down or in such remote areas, that they are rarely, if ever, seen by humans? There has been many a sailor who has told stories of seeing strange creatures while on the high seas. Are these just ramblings or are they actual eye witness accounts of creatures yet unknown to science?

Full Description

The Angthang lives in the shallow epicontinental seas of the world. It is a solitary predator, laying in wait near the bottom, and using its immense flippers to propel itself forward in a burst of speed in order to take its prey. Due to its immense size, the Angthang is capable of preying on anything else in the ocean including Whales, Giant Squids and Sharks. The Anthang's life span is unknown, but may be upwards of hundred years. It lives as a solitary animal, and is fiercely territorial, and will attack an intruding Angthang. When the Anthang hunts, it remains in the gloom of the lower depths, taking unwary prey found in the upper layers of water. It is capable of great bursts of speed, and can strike suddenly and without warning.

The teeth are not attached to it's jaw, but embedded in the flesh, and are constantly replaced throughout the Angthang's life. The ghastly huge mouth have multiple rows of razor sharp teeth along the edges of their upper and lower jaws. Angthangs also have a sharp sense of hearing and can hear prey many miles away. A small opening on each side of their heads leads directly into the inner ear through a thin channel. They might hear and feel the vibrations of ships cutting the surface up above and mistake them for being prey. and attack, propelling upwards with great speed and wreck the ship.

The Angthang is an immense short-necked monster. Fully grown it measures close to 80\' in length, with a weight upwards of 150 tons. It has a long, narrow, horned skull, a short neck, a long torso, and a short tail. Four large flippers provide propulsion and steering. Everything about Angthang is large. Its head is 16 feet in length, with 10 foot jaws. Each flipper is 10 feet long. The rosette of teeth at the front tip of the jaws are twice as long as those of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Additional Information

*Despite everything, sailors say that the most danger the Angthang represent to ships come from the disturbance it makes as it come to the surface or the whirlpool created as it descended below.

*Because fish are attracted to the vicinity of the Angthang fishermen will sometimes fish over the creature, despite the risk to their ship and their lives.

*The Angthang is in some cultures considered a demi-god.

Plot Hooks

-The PC's are hired by someone powerful to find a tooth of the legendary sea-monster. How will they do this?

-The ship the PC's are travelling on is threatened or attacked by a Angthang.

-An Anthang has actually crawled ashore on it's immense flippers. Attacking a fisher village, if the PC's investigate they will find out that someone in the area is holding a Angthang infant captured.