Delphon

Delphons, or songsharks, live in the River Oceanus, swimming through the planes of Elysium, the Beastlands, and Arborea. It is said that bashers seeking secrets relating to the nature of the planes and the multiverse in general should dive into the River Oceanus and swim through the thick melodies of these mysterious singing creatures.

Delphons resemble sharks with long, powerful fins, and sleek, silvery bodies. A few individuals have differing coloration, found in brilliant reds, deep blues, and vibrant greens. Delphons often carve complicated and beautiful tattoos into their flesh by rubbing against sharp rock formations along the side of the river. Like sharks, they have wide mouths filled with sharp teeth.

Combat: Although a delphon can use its mouth to bite (1d8) or its streamlined head and powerful tail (1d6/1d10) to bash and strike foes in melee, these attacks are not its most devastating. The song of a dolphin is so alien and mysterious to other creatures that it has profound effects on them. If an intelligent creature hears the keening voice of a delphon, a saving throw versus paralyzation is required to avoid the effects. If the saving throw is failed, roll 1d12 to determine what happens to the listener.

Those that make a successful saving throw hear nothing more than odd, discordant music. Creatures that avoid the negative effects of the song gain a bit of planar knowledge about travel on Oceanus, the relationships between the planes (especially those that Oceanus touches), or places on and around Oceanus. In game terms, characters that fail the saving throw but roll a 12 on the die may ask the DM one question pertaining to Oceanus and its environs. Some such questions include: the location of the nearest gate to a neighboring plane; how to reach the Isles of the Blessed in Thalasia; whether or not the River Oceanus is truly beginning to “leak” over into Ysgard through the Gates of the Moon; or how to avoid the natural hazards of travel on Oceanus.

Nonintelligent listeners are always charmed by the delphon’s song. Eventually, intelligent beings that spend time around the dolphins grow immune to the strange consequences of their songs, learning to more fully understand their deep and complicated meanings.

The delphons know many of the secrets of the River Oceanus and its multiplanar and multidimensional nature. Because of this, as they swim through its waters they can dart in and out of the various planes that the river reaches, returning whenever they please, unfettered by what would seem to be normal laws of movement. This means that the delphons can effectively plane shift at will to any plane that Oceanus touches (Elysium, the Beastlands, and Arborea). In combat, a delphon has a 25% chance to simply avoid any incoming attack by passing through the extradimensional nature of Oceanus and reappearing somewhat else in its waters, returning to make an attack or take some other action the very next round.

Habitat/Society: Delphons are extremely gregarious creatures, usually found in clannish packs. These individuals are almost always related, supporting and aiding each other but also occasonally associating with other delphon clans. There seem to be no leaders or superiors amid their numbers, every individual holding the same rights and authority. Because each has an equal say, though, delphon debates are common, with songs of disagreement filling the air near Oceanus. Obviously, other beings should avoid such delphonic conclaves for fear of the songs’ effects upon them.

Ecology: Delphons feed upon the other fish in Oceanus, often charming them with their song and then moving in for the kill. Fortunately, the river teems with life, and rarely are delphons so hungry that they need to attack drylanders who stay too near the river’s edge, ply its water with boats, or enter its depths directly.

It is not unreasonable that an intelligent creature such as a human or an elf who has somehow mastered enough of the delphon’s songs to understand and imitate the sounds (albeit crudely) could befriend the creatures and make allies of them. Such a partnership would be greatly beneficial to the land creature, for delphons are able to take other swimming creatures with them when they move through Oceanus (even from plane to plane).

On the Beastlands there is an old (perhaps crazed) githzerai hermit who claims to have mastered all of the delphons’ songs. The Singing Gith, as he is known, tells thusly the tale of his first meeting with the delphons:

“’Twas on the river’s [Oceanus] edge on Arborea. Bunch o’ dwarves with no business a-bein’ there jumped me to get at me jink. I holds no love for givin’ me gold to thieves back then, you see, so I give ’em a fight. Well, they’s small but tough, and they gives me a thrashin’. They take me jink and throws me in the drink (hee hee).

“In them days, I was no swimmer. Now I swims just grand, but then, not so much. I was a-headed for the deadbook, no doubtin’. Then one o’ the songsharks comes a-singin’ his song. The music fills me ears faster’n the water is a-fillin’ me lungs, and I finds m’self lovin’ the melodies and understanding the meanin’. Twas talkin’ about the harmony o’ the planes and the connection of all things – includin’ me and it.

“Then, sure as you’re a-standin’ there – sure as Sigil – it lifts me with its powerful head an’ pushes me up to the surface. I had heard the tales o’ berks going barmy at hearing the delphon’s song, but me, I was lovin’ every note and understandin’ it all. Now they’s me friends, and no truer friends has a blood had. I learned to sing their song with ’em and to ’em and they understands me as good as I understands them. They tells me the dark of everythin’ and so I know more than anyone ’bout just ’bout everything, see? Hey, berk, come back here, I be a-talkin’ to you…”

Few believe all the stories of the Singing Gith.