Cor Gerulus

Cor Gerulus (Translating to : Heart Carrier), commonly known as Gererus, is a deep water fish which is famous for carrying the object that we call "The Heart of the sea".

Discovery
Have you ever wondered where the "Heart of the sea" comes from. Why you can find it in several shipwrek-chests, or why the people of Rathnir and Eldham, and most likely Kylorne suddently can get it on their fishing hook? Here is the answer:

31. August 2022 the diver Bom Belezzani makes a discovery while diving outside in the warm, but deep waters of the North Aquine Sea. Seeing a rift in the seafloor he decides to do further investigation. Having drunk all of his water breathing potions he swims down following the rift further down than any human has ever been before, until the rift suddenlty stops. It seems that he has landed in a big, underwater cave. Covered by dark water, his breathing potions are beginning to lose their effect, and he will have to begin the journey to the surface soon. Suddently though, he spots a yellow light in the dark. Swimming towards it, he catches a short glimps of the fish, before he has to swim up again.

Apperance
Back in his house in Bannatyne City, sitting at his desk, Belezzani begins drawing the fish. He draws fast, first the slim,blue, shiny body, with a basic fish head but enlarged, black eyes. It also has a special transparent tail and fins, which all curve to the opposite direction than usual. Finally he draws the big,round, yellow sack the fish is known for. The sack also gives the body the abnormal shape, as it curves around the yellow light source. Although the sack is mostly yellow, it has a soft, light blue spot in the middle. On the sides of the sack facinf the body there are several big blue veins, connecting to the main body.

Anatomy
At around 1 meter long, 1 meter high and approcimatly 60 cm of width, due to the main sac, its quite a big fish. Although it has quite a strange appearance, its actually very hydro-dynamic, which makes it very easy for the for the fish to reach high speeds, without getting exhausted. With the help of its fins it can turn fast and unpredictable. Although it has big eyes, it can, just as humans, not see well without light, one of the reasons for the big glowing sack. The main reason however, is that within the fluid of the sack, is where the heart lies. The heart, a round cyan ball, produces the oxygen the fish needs to survive in the deapths, where it cant open its gills due to the great ampount of water preassure. When in more shallow waters, it can however use it's gills to breath. The oxygen from the hearth goes through the blue veins into the blood in a speed high enough to keep a steady bloodflow throughout the body.

Even though the fish as no external means of self defence, the fluid in the sack is higly poisneoius. Thus if the sack gets a rift, or the fish dies in other ways, the sack will explode, and anything in a 20 meter radius will get completely dissolved. The only thing that has proven to protect humans against this poisenous fluid are armors made of netherithe.

Diet
The Gerelus commonly eats krill and plankton, but can also in rare occasions eat yellyfishes. All the different types of food are shown on the drawing by Bellezani, who after seeing itfor the first time has done large amounts of researce on the fish. The reason the Gerulus can't eat fish is because they have to big bonestructures, which cant pass through the Gerulus' stomack and intestinal system.

Loot and Threat level
When succesfully killed the Cor Gerulus will 100% of the time drop a "Heart of the Sea". About 50% of the time it will drop either 3-5 "prismarine shards", or 3-5 "prismarine crystals".

When it comes to the Threat-level of the creature, it is specified as a Suzerain-class, following the scale in the Mythic Monsters Bestiary. This is because the great danger it involves killing the creature, as implied in "Anatomy".

Habitat
The Cor Gerulus mainly lives in the deep of warmer waters, mostly in protected caves or rifts, similar to the location Belezzani first saw the fish. Although it can accelerate to high speeds, it prefers to hide and sleep in the deep sea coral which you can find in these habitats. Although they do occasionaly swim op to the surface for brief periods to hunt for food when food down in the deep becomes slim.

History
Bom Belezzani and his research team have estimates that the Cor Gerulus has lived in the seas of Rathnir, Eldham, and most likely Kylorne for about 240 million years. They survived through most of the many cathastrpoes which it the lands in those years, due to it living in deep caves underwater. That number did however begin to thin when a fisher one day got what we today call a "Heart of the sea" on his hook. He got this after getting a Gerulus hunting for food in shalow waters on the hook. The hook rifted open the sack, and embeded itself in the heart, which the fishermann pulled up. With a ordinary fishing rod this would of course not have worked due to the poisenous explosion which will occur, but the fisherman used a "Luck of the sea III", "Unbreaking III" fishing rod. To this day it has shown that only witht hese enchantments (with 1 more if wanted), are you able to to pull these presius items up from the sea. Throughout the years more and more where fished up, and many ships used to have them onboard, as they where believed to give good luck at sea. Unfortunatly this has made the species critically endangeres, and there are only approcimatly 100 left.

Although many "hearts" where fished up through the years, most of them again ended up on the sea floor, as it appeared they didnt give any luck, and that ships in possesion of a "Heart" would sink just as often as any other ship. This also is the reason you often can find shipwreks with chests containing a "Heart of the sea"

The Research
From the day the fish was discovered to the day this is writen, the research on the fish has not been and easy one. 2 persons have died due to poisenous explosions, after trying to kill a fish under water with bow and arrow. Aswell as 1 person hurt after getting a hook in his eyebrow. Furthermore the fish has also become Bannatyne's national animal, since it was first discovered along it's shores.

Written by Bom Bellzzani (Bomalebo)