a slign
One of the intruders from the Under-seas had come to be so well known among the Orcs of Gundabad that it had earned from them a name – the slign. A slign was a dark, slimy, snake-like creature, ranging from five to twelve feet in length, and two to four feet in thickness. It was amphibious, able to propel itself in water by a broad tail, and to move on cave surfaces, even climbing to ceilings, by means of suckers on its belly and on two tentacle-like forelimbs, each two to four feet long. The most peculiar feature of the slign was its visual organ, a single eye mounted on a stalk above a wide mouth filled with dagger-sharp teeth. A slign was solitary, and might hunt in one of two ways: by remaining immersed in watery ambush, with only its eyestalk protruding above the surface, or by suspending itself on the roof of a cave, perfectly camouflaged and waiting patiently to drop on an unsuspecting victim. In either case, the slign's combined efforts at constriction, strangulation with its tentacles, and venomous bite frequently proved fatal. Although the Orcs hated and feared the slign, they had never been able wholly to exterminate these cavern haunters.
References[]
- Retrieved from Realms of Arda; original reference: [ICE MERP 2012]
- REF.: Web archive (archive.org): Realms of Arda