The towering titans of the deserts of Somati have a long, rich history with the eolo. These creatures were once said to be the heart of the first eolo to have died within the desert, promising to bring richness and life to the sands, and many believe that perhaps that is the reason they are well known to travel close to the oasis of tropical life within its center.
The creatures can grow up to over four hundred feet tall, but usually only reach around two hundred before they begin to migrate towards their final resting place. Their migrations happen when the creatures reach around five years old, as the Walker Graveyard is also the area in which they spawn their young. They have one clutch of eggs in their entire lifetime, and when the eggs reach the point that they are about to hatch, the walkers begin their migrations.
In order to hatch, the eggs must be buried within warm soil or sand, and when they begin to hatch the life force that is held within them seeps out, blessing the land with greenery and fertility, which is where the Festival of Renewal has come from. The eolo take the eggs of the walkers that come near their city and plant them along the outer edge, which expands the living land and harkens in a new cycle of fertility and life.
Desert Walkers are well known because of this cycle with the eolo, but what is not normally known to those that do not reside within the sands is that they are considered one of nature’s most important scavengers. These creatures will seek out dead or dying beasts, their acids spraying onto them so that they can break down the meats and get at the bones and marrow. They live specifically on the minerals, marrow, and proteins they are able to get from these meals.
They are also known to have a separate pouch within their stomachs that they use to hold precious materials, as the creatures are drawn in by shiny objects, choosing to eat and hoard them. Some believe the reasonings for that are that they are able to break down the metals and ores and reinforce their outer shells, their legs growing stronger and the plating on their backs growing harder to penetrate. Others believe that it strengthens the acids that they are able to use when attacking.
Some simply think that the creatures just like things that shine under light.
Desert Walkers are more akin to insects than they are mammals or reptiles, their six legs, carapace, and internal structures highly resembling things such as beetles or other bugs. If they were to be classified as an insect, they would be considered the largest insects in the world. However, due to the fact that their bodies do not have three main parts, they only have two, they have yet to fully be classified as such.
Desert Walker babies are born near the size of a house cat, burrowing up from the soil they were born in and immediately feasting on the carcass of the parent that died near them. If they do not feast on the carcass they will immediately begin to seek out other dead materials, as they need to eat within hours of hatching otherwise they will begin to die of starvation. As they age, their metabolism will somewhat slow, but only once they begin to eat precious materials. They begin their migrations out into the desert after four months of being born, drawn to the sands in the sunlight almost instinctively.
Desert Walkers are known in the wild to be a traveler’s best guide, as they are able to seek out water veins and even precious mineral veins easily, and as such are not harmed or attacked unless they are migrating near a city. Some eolo tribes even take precious minerals or herbs out into the desert specifically for the walkers, as it could increase their chances of migrating near their cities, or simply being near enough to lead those within the city to ore veins or water veins.
Desert Walkers are one of the more celebrated creatures in the deserts, and if those not of eolo blood were to attack or harm one out in the wild, they could potentially face a life of servitude or a simple execution. Walkers are needed to keep balance within precious ecosystems, but more than that they seem to be a way the world naturally refreshes itself. These creatures are not to be attacked, even if they attack a caravan or group within the sands. If that were to happen, you would simply be viewed as having insulted or upset the creatures, and you deserved to have your property destroyed.
The walkers are fairly passive creatures, even when it comes to a mating season. Many eolo have been spotted being able to climb atop them when they rest, or simply finding the younger ones in the sands and feeding them straight from their hands. But, should they have to defend themselves, they are able to not only use their massive size against their enemies, but their potent acid that they are able to spew every few seconds.
There is one rare thing with desert walkers that is very hard to see in life. Every once in a while, if a walker eats the flesh of a creature that has already begun to rot, there is a low chance that they come into contact with an entity that is parasitic in nature. It eats away their brains until their bodies simply die, but it is able to still move their bodies, as that is the way it is able to reproduce. It will force the body to travel towards the Walker Graveyard, as that is the most likely place where it will be able to spread to more walkers.
If one finds a walker that seems to be unwilling to defend itself, blindly staring ahead as it walks on, one is allowed to kill these creatures. But, a warning is to be given. Do not ever cut into the heads of these creatures, as the parasite has once or twice been shown to be able to transfer to eolo, humans, yui, sirin, and frea. However, they do not seem to be able to spread to ceth.
If someone is infected with the parasite, they are able to reproduce within the bodily fluids of that person. It can be spread that way. Should they be infected, there is no cure, as it will spread to the brain within weeks, but is undetectable before it takes over. Should you find someone infected, it is in the best interest of local populations to take them into a secluded area and dispose of them, but do not come into contact with their bodily fluids as best as you can, and should you come into contact you need to immediately soak yourself in alcohol before the eggs are able to make it into your body.
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