Mythic Monsters-Echeneis

This is part of the A-Z Blog Challenge. Herein I will be presenting a new monster that hopefully has not been seen before in any RPG game. These will be drawn from stories and mythologies found in a variety of real-world cultures.


Echeneis

It had been three days since the ship had last moved. Word among the sailors was that it was due to a Echeneis stuck on the bottom of the vessel. When the fish did not leave after the first day, a few of the sailors that could swim entered the water to drive it off. To our horror there were more of them in wait and the sailors were ripped apart in a frenzy. This morning we waved off another sailing ship so they could avoid the creatures. How we are to survive is unknown.

The Echeneis is based on a real life fish, the echeneis nacurates, and are also known as Remora or colloquially as Sharksuckers. It is a shark-like creature with a set of suckers on its head with which it attaches to things, other creatures and ships. They can mostly be found in warm seas near shorelines and coral reefs.

The Echeneis entered the world of mythology when they gained the ability to attach themselves to a ship and cause it to stop all motion, as first mentioned by the ancient Greeks. This problem is further compounded by the fact the Echeneis travel in packs and they swarm over anyone that enters the water.

Abilities
-Stuck: If an Echeneis attaches itself to a target that target can not move. This is a mystical effect.
-Swarm: They swarm over their targets. As such they should be encountered in large packs and sheer numbers will give them additional bonuses.

Adventures
-A seamancer, working for a band of pirates, has managed to gain control over a pack of Echeneis. As such, he has the creatures stop their target ship, preventing it from fleeing, and then the pirates swarm the decks. If the pirates find themselves outclassed, they use the Echeneis to keep any pursuing ships stuck until they can get away. The party has been hired to stop the pirates.

-The party has been hired by a seaside village to drive off the Echeneis in their area. The creatures are more of a nuisance here, rarely attacking the ships, though the stray Echeneis will attach itself to a fishing vessel coming back in at the end of the day for a short time. The characters will have to find a way to work underwater and then find the nest of Echeneis.