Droghas

The droghas is a creature which lives in lakes and creeks. Although it mostly keeps to itself, anyone who gets close enough to the water's edge may find themselves violently grabbed and dragged underwater by the creature.

Appearance
It is very rare to see the droghas itself, and entirely unheard of to see the creature and live. It appears as a dark mass of tangled weeds, with the only visible part of the creature being the large, white globes that serve as its eyes. Droghas vary in size, but usually have long, hidden tendrils deep underwater that sense motion in and around the lake.

Behavior
A droghas spends most of its time in a stupor, and does not stir until it senses motion. When it does, it wakens and waits until whatever is moving comes near the water, usually some thirsty animal. Then, with frightening speed and strength, its tendrils reach out from below, constraining its prey and dragging it underwater until it drowns. After devouring its victim, the droghas returns to its stupor.

Sometimes, if enough time passes without an adequate meal, a droghas will rise up out of the water and begin to wander the nearby area. When doing so, it has to forcibly rip itself away from its tendrils, and growing new ones can take many moons. It has no real defenses on dry land, and so will seek out a new body of water as quickly as possible.

Habitat
Droghas are usually only found in clear water, although there have been sightings of them inhabiting swamplands as well. Since it takes so long to grow its tendrils, and since they become intertwined with the land, once a droghas has settled it will usually remain where it is for as long as possible. Although they aren't actively aggressive, if a droghas settles near people, it could lead to several deaths before being discovered, and due to its nature it is very hard to kill - it often takes an entire village, and some may well be drowned in the process.