Tantriog

Wherever exquisite cuisine is consumed, amazing songs are performed, or epic waves crest, there wait tantriogs. With a crab's foreclaws, turtle's shell, and back flippers, tantriogs are among the more unique water elementals. They ply the Boundless Sea constantly seeking new experiences, whether the next big wave to ride, a tasty delicacy to sample, or a piece of art to collect. They crave new sensations and often seek them out at the expense of others.

If one possesses rare art, lost lore, or fantastic surfing or cooking skills, a tantriog can be a wonderful companion. They're charming and friendly to those they find interesting, but their interest can be highly precarious, dropped the second someone bores them. Tantriogs may even betray acquaintances if it would give them another interesting story to tell. This makes befriending one a tricky proposition, as nothing can be taken for granted.

It's a mystery how tantriogs came to wear their current forms. Some say that, in the earliest days of the elemental planes, tantriogs were assassins of ice and mist who committed a crime so great that they're being punished for it to this day. Others claim tantriogs assumed their shape after losing a bizarre cosmic bet. One of the more popular theories about the tantriog's current form is that in the past, they used to be able to shift shape as easily as water molds to its container. In their endless boredom, they were trying out a variety of shapes when a sudden curse (possibly cast by faydhaans) caused them to lose their ability while transforming from a turtle to a crab, leaving them stuck between the two. It's said that any who can teach a tantriog how to relearn their morphing ability could earn the elemental's undying friendship. Whatever the case, the surest way to anger a tantriog is to ask them about their appearance.

Conversely, the surest way to befriend a tantriog is with compliments about their appearance or their skills. Don't be too fawning, though. Tantriogs don't like being tricked or made to look a fool.

IMPRESSING A TANTRIOG

A tantriog loves seeing a new sight or impressive exhibition of skill. Anyone who wants to stay in a tantriog's good graces needs to keep the new experiences flowing. For this reason, many tantriogs have formed unlikely friendships with gnomes, whose need to seek out new experiences provides common ground.