Limmean Arrowhead Shrimp

Biology, Life Cycle, and Cultural Impact

Limmean Arrowhead Shrimp is a species of crustacean that lives in the oceans of the Imperial capital planet, Limmea. Unlike shrimps from Old Earth, Arrowhead Shrimps have a much more complex amphibious lifestyle that has made them a big part of Limmean culture.

While spending the winter on the bottom of the Endless Ocean, Arrowhead Shrimps migrate to the coastline for the summer. To effectively maintain their population, Arrowhead shrimps have two mating seasons. The first one happens in early spring, while the latter occurs at the end of summer. Between them, Arrowhead Shrimps usually stay in coastal waters to nurse their fertilized roe.

To attract a mate during the breeding season, Arrowhead Shrimps tend to climb on top of rocks and make screeching sounds with their mandibles and legs. For some people, these sounds can seem repulsive and distressing, while others find them melodic and beautiful.

These “Shrimp Concerts” became a big part of Limmean culture, as since ancient times, they were seen by local folk as signals for the change of seasons. There is an old tradition on Limmea to propose a Life Union to one’s beloved during the First Shrimp concert in the spring and receive an answer during the Second Shrimp Concert in the fall.

Arrowhead Shrimp as part of Traditional Limmean Cuisine

Since their initial discovery by the first humans on Limmea, Arrowhead shrimps became an invaluable source of protein for them. As of now, there are over 200 known dishes made of Arrowhead shrimps. The meat of mature Arrowhead shrimps is extremely nutritious but also stiff and chewy. Therefore, before consumption, Arrowhead shrimps are usually marinated for months with salts, sugars, and herbs inside barrels made of Coral Wood.

To ensure the high quality of the end product, these barrels are usually left outside during Limmean cold nights and later rolled down into cold cellars during the daytime. According to legend, the famous Limmean Shrimp Beer was created by accident when a lazy apprentice of a shrimp harvester did not hide barrels during a rainy day. As the rain stopped and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, shrimps started to brew inside their barrels, and soon all of them exploded into sweet, smelly purple foam.

The Purple Gold of Limmea

Unlike adult Arrowhead shrimps, their roe and larvae were not considered a viable food source at first. While looking like thin and soft purple worms, they were too difficult to procure from the bottom of coastal areas. Everything changed when Rajip Talek, an Araszin sultan in exile, had to survive for years while living alone on the shore:

Crushed by involuntary solitude, Talek got drunk once and passed out on the shore. As he woke up, a few Arrowhead shrimp larvae were peeking out of the sand in front of him. The former sultan thought they were sea parasites and immediately ate them in hopes to end his life. Surprisingly, those “worms” tasted great and did not make the sultan sick. Later, it became common knowledge that Arrowhead larvae are completely safe to eat without any preparations. Back then, Talek saw his survival as a divine sign and began plotting a coup.

After Rajip Talek returned to power in his Araszin realm, he ordered his servants to procure shrimp larvae for him. The sultan liked to eat alive Arrowhead shrimp larvae as a reminder of his epiphany, but soon the whole court started to believe that “tiny worms of the sea” can give power to anyone who eats them raw. This way, Arrowhead shrimp larvae became a prime delicacy on the Araszin continent.

With technological development, it became extremely easy to harvest shrimp larvae for mass consumption. The growth of this industry led to Arrowhead shrimps becoming almost extinct around 700 A.E. Given the importance of adult Arrowhead shrimps for Limmean cuisine, the ban on procurement of their larvae was the first document that was equally recognized among all Limmean continental nations long before the whole planet was unified by Unmesh Khan.

There was an exception to this legislation, though. Karrakota Islands refused to ban Arrowhead larvae harvesting. Consequently, soon this small island nation became the only place where the rich and powerful of Limmea could send their servants to gather shrimp larvae for them. Competition for the scarce supply of the delicacy led to armed skirmishes between mercenaries representing opposing masters. Historians call this period of Karrakota Islands the “Shrimp Wars.” Also, around that time, Arrowhead larvae started to be called the “Purple Gold of Limmea.”

Role in Imperial Economics during the First Era

During the First Era, the regulations around the procurement of Arrowhead larvae grew increasingly relaxed. A few noble families got to hold licenses to gather Arrowhead larvae around the Araszin coast. The domestic supply of shrimp larvae grew surprisingly lower than ever. This dynamic opened up for multiple rumors and speculations:

From predictions of the total extinction of Arrowhead shrimps to a wild theory that most of the shrimp larvae are being secretly sold to the Adversary in exchange for their technology and currency. As there is no publicly available data on Limmean ecology, nor any evidence of diplomacy between the Empire and Federation, there is no way to either confirm or debunk these theories.

Sources:

Imperial Informatorium