The largest crustacean of the open seas, growing up to 2 meters and as heavy as two men. A renowned Lumare delicacy.
Description
The Blue Pearl lobster is a colossal cobalt-blue crustacean growing as large as two meters and as heavy as two men combined, renowned as a rich delicacy amongst Lumare Royalty for staying blue even after cooking, a centerpiece at any banquet.
Because of their immense size, eating these titans would typically require a warhammer to crack their shells. Thus, the only realistic way to capture and eat these beasts is during their molting, when their shells are still soft. This takes place during mid-to-late summer through early autumn, which has become the annual season for Blue Pearl lobster hunting.
Because of their thick shells, massive size, and ability to crack even the thickest bones like they were sticks, these tank-like beasts are highly dangerous to encounter while swimming. There are even reports of seasoned dive-hunters being killed by them after their harpoons glanced off like hitting solid rock.
Because capturing a blue pearl lobster is such a logistical nightmare, requiring a team of seasoned (and strong) fishermen to risk their lives and equipment, and cages of high-grade adamantite-steel, a single average-sized live lobster can fetch anywhere from 5-20 GLU (5,000 – 20,000€) depending on where you buy it.
Behaviour
The blue pearl lobsters prefer cold, temperate rocky coasts and fjords, which offer plenty of underwater boulders, sea stacks, and kelp forests to hide within (ironically preferring the fjords of Caloran, the capital of the Kaligo Empire), but can also be found near continental shelves and underwater caverns across the world.
They live anywhere from 10 meters below sea level (juveniles) to 400 meters below sea level.
Because they are so tanky, they have practically no predators (save for some apex predators like Sea Tyrants), they are surprisingly docile. But… make no mistake of thinking they are harmless; if you come too close and try to physically tear them from their resting place, they will absolutely grab hold of your arm or ankle and pulverise your bone like it were a twig. If you’re lucky, you won’t lose your limb entirely.
Diet
The blue pearl lobsters eat various mollusks, urchins, carrion, bottom-dwelling fish, and other crustaceans (yes, even other smaller blue pearl lobsters).
Misc
The largest blue pearl lobster’s claw alone was reported to weigh over 40 kilos. That specimen, measuring two meters from tail to claws and weighing a whopping 152 kilos even during its molt, was sold for an insane 10 ALU (100,000€).
Fishermen take pride in capturing a blue pearl lobster, often using its carapace as a fine display piece to show off to other fishermen, or even making custom armor and jewelry out of its thick shell.
- Lifespan: 160-230 years (theorized up to 300)
- Population: 54M
- Length (average): 0.9-1.3 m
- Length (maximum): 2 m
- Weight (average): 12-40 kg
- Weight (maximum): 152 kg
- Claw crushing force: 5-7.5kN (Average) 20-28kN (maximum)
The World Stones 