Bengusi

Bengusi stands, both literally and figuratively speaking, apart from Bengu. Armoured by a robust, spiny shell, they walk on two legs, upright but in a hunched posture, their forelimbs having become heavily muscled arms, each with three fingers and a thumb.

Rather than holding on to little tokens, they tend to find themselves something a bit more robust. A ship’s anchor is a common pick, and their strength is such that they wield these as weapons whenever they’re engaged in battle, as well as using it as a focus to channel their magical might.

Despite their imposing nature, they’re beneficent creatures who go out of their way to help calm the seas and rescue those caught in its wrath. The fact that they’re now slow in the water as well as on land doesn’t seem to inhibit them too much as they invoke their mystical power, uttering low, guttural yet musical sounds as they do so.

Their power is such that Bengusi doesn’t need to go hunting. Instead, it seems to simply ask the sea for what it needs, and the sea provides. This makes them particularly valuable to any seafarer, as a strong, deep bond with a Bengusi means that their ships won’t run aground or run out of food supplies, although freshwater remains an issue.