Cha'thrang

What you at first mistake for a mound of reeds and dead vegetation is suddenly revealed to be a large, tortoise-like beast with a number of hollow, tubular protrusions on its dirty brown shell.

Combat
A cha'thrang preys almost exclusively on flying creatures, lying motionless for hours on end until a suitable target passes overhead. The cha'thrang then expels tethered darts from the hollow tubes studding its shell with a sudden burst of air. While many of these darts are fired at once, only one has a chance of hitting the target. Once it has hit a target, the cha'thrang digs in and attempts to control the tether. When the flying creature tires and lands, the cha'thrang retracts the tether as it crawls towards its prey, where it uses its melee attacks to finish the kill. Creatures hit by the darts are also subjected to the cha'thrang's lime toxin.

Description
Cha'thrangs are large, shelled predators, similar to giant tortoises, that hunt flying creatures. Due to the numerous reed shaped protrusions on their shell and their dun coloration, cha'thrangs are often mistaken for patches of dead plant growth. The protrusions on the cha'thrang's back are actually hollow appendages that allow the creature to shoot long barbed tethered darts at any creature passing overhead within range. The creature's shell is created by an alkaline lime secreted from its back that further holds the shell in place. This same lime also creates a thin, sinewy fiber that tethers the creatures darts and coats them in an alkaloid toxin.

Cha'thrangs travel in groups of three called trines, usually composed of two females and one male, but will adopt other cha'thrang that they meet, later breaking off into further trines. The creatures have problems mating because of their shell structures and often die in the process. Females lay annual clutches of 1-6 eggs, most of which are devoured by predators. Adult cha'thrang themselves can live for hundreds of years but often succumb to predators before this time.

Cha'thrang meat can be eaten if special preparations are taken to remove the lime under the shell. Its tethers can also be braided together to form rope.