The Stranded Ruins
Someone on Tumblr asked me if goblin sharks also evolved in the shark world I'm creating, so I was inspired! 🦈✨
They certainly developed a culture, but their civilization remained hidden in the aphotic zone. Titled as guardians of the abyss, they became known as the Aphoteans.
The existence of the Aphoteans is an enigma. Almost nothing is known about their culture, except for scattered legends and records of ephemeral contacts.
It is only when their monolithic works are stranded on the surface by geological forces that the sharkfolk can get a glimpse of their reality.
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In an inhospitable tropical paradise, a hammerhead shark and a mako shark are on an archaeological expedition to a large Aphotean ruin that has been washed ashore after successive earthquakes over the ages. The hammerhead shark is shining its flashlight on a large mural on the walls of the ruin.
The ruin appears to be a large tunnel decorated with murals depicting two Aphoteans (descendants of the Goblin Sharks - Mitsukurina owstoni) who appear to be summoning a mystical essence through an underwater chimney and condensing it into a spherical gem; the purpose of the ritual is unknown.
Although there are representations of astronomical objects throughout the ruin, it is believed that these people never saw the celestial dome, which may mean that these symbols may represent something else.
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I wrote a little more detailed about them on my Tumblr if you're curious! I hope you like it, I ended up getting carried away with this hehe
