Axehead Frogs

LORE AND BIOLOGY

Axeheads are enormous amphibians with large, hardened spurs on their noses and chins, large protruding spines, and knobbly backs. They are not traditionally "beautiful" creatures, and don't have particularly sweet personalities, but to the citizens of Deadman's Cove, they are a sacred animal.

Axeheads are a keystone species - their numbers reflect the health of the environment. They lay hundreds of eggs, and while not all will hatch, the ones that do not survive will feed animals lower on the food chain. Their spines make them irritating to eat for most larger Megafauna, but they are an important food source for the massive snake-fauna that lurk in the shadows of the new world's swamps. (And keep those snakes uninterested in Folk!) The Axeheads themselves feed on excess insects, poisonous or otherwise, keepings populations in the swamps at a balanced level. The Druids of the Cove understand that the population numbers of the Axehead Frogs have repercussions that affect all things in their home.

It is a crime in Deadman's Cove to harm an Axehead Frog or any of its offspring. Not only are they at the center of many parts of the ecosystem, the fact that they are frogs makes many Druids feel as if they are cousins - an affront to these animals is an affront to the Cove Druids as well. Like Druids, they are tenacious and strong.

They also have an important role in controlling the populations of an important creature - the Stargazer Leech.

Stargazers, if their numbers become too numerous, will overrun the ecosystem and kill many creatures with their aggressive spawning cycle. The Axehead's spiny, knobbly skin is difficult for the Stargazers to latch on to, and the Axeheads find the leeches very tasty. Their stomachs are so acidic and tough that, even if they eat a Stargazer full of eggs, the eggs will die before activating and hatching. Because Stargazers are such a difficult nuisance in the swamps and a danger to all things, the fact that Axeheads can root them out and consume them means that they are invaluable to the survival of the swamps in yet another way. Even tadpole Axeheads will consume the voracious, tiny spawn of the Stargazer leech.

Druids, when culling Stargazers/having to deal with them, will bring the dead leeches to Axeheads (they have long grown accustomed to the Cove Folk) so that the frogs can have an easy meal.