The Lerk (Lurker)

Artistic Inspiration
Artistically speaking, the Lerk is derived wholly from the swamps of Elanthia - its raveled musculature emulates the twisting roots of the swamp trees, and the texture of its skin is not unlike the curdled film of algae that coats the murky waters. The ribbed body of the creature is held high aloft on reedy stilt legs, and the head, inspired by that of predatory fish, is little more than a conical jumble of eyes and teeth. Because of the creature's tendency to stalk the very swamps that inspired its form, it has earned the nickname Lurker.

With maneuverability in the swamplands in mind - in addition to outright grotesqueness - the Lerk was designed with a stunted, narrow body and elongated limbs. This allows the creature to stride almost effortlessly through the thick mud and over the blackish tangles of roots that make escape for its prey a more difficult affair. Lacking a flexible neck, the Lerk resorts to its carnivorous jaws as a means of attack only as a last resort. Instead, its primary weapons are its long, angled arms, each ending in a hook-claw. These it wields like deadly scythes when descending on a victim.