DT Compatibility: ✅ This mod is compatible with Dawntrail.
Poji'Ma Headpiece
Version: 1.0
Gear by kulkulaph
;)
Author's Comments:
This is an item I created from scratch for a roleplay campaign I am running with friends, affected players would have to perform a coinflip at random intervals throughout the mission, and would have to advance the Poji's devouring stage in the mod settings. Past stage 5, the player would be cocooned inside the Poji and other players would have to free them. Theoretically, in my campaign, this did NOT come to pass (luckily).
They feature the aforementioned five stages of progress, use as you like!
These are, of course, not part of the actual lore, but I wrote a little blurb for them anyways as I wanted them to be an immersive enemy despite being custom made:
The following is an excerpt from the ‘Bestiary of Central Eorzea’ written in 1502:
Poji, also known by its full name “Poji’Ma”, is a creature that is as strange as it is unsettling.
While not the most graceful of its kind, the Poji’Ma stands taller than many of its cousins at ~12-16 ilms of height, featuring smooth scales of hues ranging from green to blue, and up to 5 pairs of eyes which frame its vertically oriented maw.
Its territory reaches from Dravanian borders, through Coerthas, down to the abandoned Yafaem Saltmoor, in the former of which Coerthans know it as a pest and nuisance. Here, it prefers damp and dark areas to congregate in groups of about two dozen on average. Because of its incredible sensitivity to light, one is unlikely to encounter a Poji’Ma in the open during the daytime hours, though they might wander at night.
The reason for the Poji’Ma’s unsavory reputation is its attraction to gravesites and burial grounds along with the amphibian’s parasitic nature, which compels it to attach to any unsuspecting victims at least double its size. While this might sound counterintuitive to the unknowing, the purpose of this becomes quite clear when observing the Poji’Ma’s ritual of consumption, and reproduction:
After successful copulation, male and female Poji’Ma alike will tend to small clusters of up to 10 eggs. Past their sharp teeth, deep within their maw are pockets dedicated to this purpose, keeping the eggs safe and at a comfortable temperature until their day of hatching.
The larvae hatch with neither limbs nor eyes and will rely completely on their parents for about 4 weeks, during which the larvae will develop a new pair of eyes ~every 4 days for the first 3 pairs, with the fourth and fifth taking well over a week to fully develop along with their limbs.
To provide the nutrients necessary for this rapid growth, the parents will pursue prey more aggressively during this time.
Humans, beasts and livestock alike are viable targets for the Poji’Ma, especially during the child-rearing phase, dead or alive.
Most notable is the amphibian’s feeding behaviour, which, as far as observed, does not differ when consuming deceased or living prey.
Once latched onto its prey with its maw, the Poji’Ma’s skin undergoes a change, churning and
Rippling faintly with effort as it slowly creeps forward, enveloping more and more of its prey in a time frame of one to several hours. During this time, we observed that an enzyme controlling the flexibility of skin and cartilage spiked in the Poji’Ma’s blood.
Following this, the Poji’Ma will find a secluded wall, ceiling or incline to latch onto while it allows its larvae to feed on the captured prey within its body, before beginning to digest it.
While not confirmed, researchers currently believe that the Poji'Ma can tightly shut the pockets within its maw, preventing stomach acid from hurting its offspring during digestion.
Upon an unsuccessful feeding, Poji’Ma larvae are sometimes observed sticking to its victim. This happens rarely in older larvae, suggesting it to be maladaptive, instinctual behaviour of the young larvae to stick close to warmth.
Bright light conditions rendering the creature near blind might add to the young Poji’Ma’s incapability to differentiate parent from prey.
Despite still missing one pair of eyes upon reaching adolescence at 4 weeks, the young Poji’ma will start its independency by leaving the immediate safety of its parents, though it will avoid straying far from the colony.
Poji’Ma surprise with complex social behaviours for amphibians by being able to recognize, and even mourn its hatchmates and parents. Observations of Poji’Ma attacking their kin exclusively under daylight conditions suggest their heavy reliance on visual information.
Furthermore, we have witnessed some particularly sociable specimen remain relatively docile towards human hosts they had initially mistaken for a parent - still, we heavily advise against any attempts of domesticating this dangerous predator.
While the Poji’Ma undoubtedly poses a threat and nuisance for many, its blood enjoys great popularity among alchemists and pharmacists for its tissue and muscle relaxing properties.
Editor’s note: While we wish for this re-release of the Central Eorzean’s Bestiary to stay faithful to the original, we find it necessary to mention that the information on the Poji’Ma’s territory has become outdated. The dawn of the Seventh Umbral Era saw to the Poji’Ma’s extinction from all former regions, including Dravania and Coerthas, limiting its reach to the Yafaem Saltmoors.
Enjoy this silly creature!
They feature the aforementioned five stages of progress, use as you like!
These are, of course, not part of the actual lore, but I wrote a little blurb for them anyways as I wanted them to be an immersive enemy despite being custom made:
The following is an excerpt from the ‘Bestiary of Central Eorzea’ written in 1502:
Poji, also known by its full name “Poji’Ma”, is a creature that is as strange as it is unsettling.
While not the most graceful of its kind, the Poji’Ma stands taller than many of its cousins at ~12-16 ilms of height, featuring smooth scales of hues ranging from green to blue, and up to 5 pairs of eyes which frame its vertically oriented maw.
Its territory reaches from Dravanian borders, through Coerthas, down to the abandoned Yafaem Saltmoor, in the former of which Coerthans know it as a pest and nuisance. Here, it prefers damp and dark areas to congregate in groups of about two dozen on average. Because of its incredible sensitivity to light, one is unlikely to encounter a Poji’Ma in the open during the daytime hours, though they might wander at night.
The reason for the Poji’Ma’s unsavory reputation is its attraction to gravesites and burial grounds along with the amphibian’s parasitic nature, which compels it to attach to any unsuspecting victims at least double its size. While this might sound counterintuitive to the unknowing, the purpose of this becomes quite clear when observing the Poji’Ma’s ritual of consumption, and reproduction:
After successful copulation, male and female Poji’Ma alike will tend to small clusters of up to 10 eggs. Past their sharp teeth, deep within their maw are pockets dedicated to this purpose, keeping the eggs safe and at a comfortable temperature until their day of hatching.
The larvae hatch with neither limbs nor eyes and will rely completely on their parents for about 4 weeks, during which the larvae will develop a new pair of eyes ~every 4 days for the first 3 pairs, with the fourth and fifth taking well over a week to fully develop along with their limbs.
To provide the nutrients necessary for this rapid growth, the parents will pursue prey more aggressively during this time.
Humans, beasts and livestock alike are viable targets for the Poji’Ma, especially during the child-rearing phase, dead or alive.
Most notable is the amphibian’s feeding behaviour, which, as far as observed, does not differ when consuming deceased or living prey.
Once latched onto its prey with its maw, the Poji’Ma’s skin undergoes a change, churning and
Rippling faintly with effort as it slowly creeps forward, enveloping more and more of its prey in a time frame of one to several hours. During this time, we observed that an enzyme controlling the flexibility of skin and cartilage spiked in the Poji’Ma’s blood.
Following this, the Poji’Ma will find a secluded wall, ceiling or incline to latch onto while it allows its larvae to feed on the captured prey within its body, before beginning to digest it.
While not confirmed, researchers currently believe that the Poji'Ma can tightly shut the pockets within its maw, preventing stomach acid from hurting its offspring during digestion.
Upon an unsuccessful feeding, Poji’Ma larvae are sometimes observed sticking to its victim. This happens rarely in older larvae, suggesting it to be maladaptive, instinctual behaviour of the young larvae to stick close to warmth.
Bright light conditions rendering the creature near blind might add to the young Poji’Ma’s incapability to differentiate parent from prey.
Despite still missing one pair of eyes upon reaching adolescence at 4 weeks, the young Poji’ma will start its independency by leaving the immediate safety of its parents, though it will avoid straying far from the colony.
Poji’Ma surprise with complex social behaviours for amphibians by being able to recognize, and even mourn its hatchmates and parents. Observations of Poji’Ma attacking their kin exclusively under daylight conditions suggest their heavy reliance on visual information.
Furthermore, we have witnessed some particularly sociable specimen remain relatively docile towards human hosts they had initially mistaken for a parent - still, we heavily advise against any attempts of domesticating this dangerous predator.
While the Poji’Ma undoubtedly poses a threat and nuisance for many, its blood enjoys great popularity among alchemists and pharmacists for its tissue and muscle relaxing properties.
Editor’s note: While we wish for this re-release of the Central Eorzean’s Bestiary to stay faithful to the original, we find it necessary to mention that the information on the Poji’Ma’s territory has become outdated. The dawn of the Seventh Umbral Era saw to the Poji’Ma’s extinction from all former regions, including Dravania and Coerthas, limiting its reach to the Yafaem Saltmoors.
Enjoy this silly creature!
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