Vrizz eel

The Vrizz eel was a mysterious predatory anguilliform native to the underground waterways of Varga.

Biology
Little was known about the Vrizz eel. Its body ranged from only 2 meters around the time of birth to close to 20 meters when fully grown. The largest specimen ever killed was just over 30 meters.

Vrizz eels were dark in color, though they had milky white eyes. Their otherwise sleek bodies were covered with telescoping sharp spines. The eels could rapidly extend these spines at will, impaling prey or hapless zoologists.

History
Prior to the arrival of the Golden Empire, even the existence of the Vrizz eel was unknown to anyone on the surface. Royal mining and well-boring efforts tapped the previously buried underground water supply more deeply than the native Hykantar had ever managed. In doing so, some crews attracted the attention of the eels themselves.

Initial attempts to study the vrizz eels resulted in numerous fatalities. Attracted by the challenge, many hunters journeyed to Varga to seek out Vrizz eels, though the cunning with which some eels engaged and ambushed the hunters led some zoologists to speculate that the Vrizz eels might actually be semi-sentient. Vrizz eel meat was an extremely expensive delicacy, both due to the lethal danger involved in obtaining it and the difficulty in preserving it on scorching Varga.