Spawning
With the fishermen of Shuttered growing ever more numerous and thorough, the larval stirges that the fish of the Keening Sea feast on are growing to maturity in ever-growing numbers (at the spawning grounds of the stirges, 31.15). At the end of spring, they rise from the coastal waters of the freshwater sea and the females plague both man and beast for several weeks until they have either drank their fill, died of starvation or been killed. Luckily, the stirges can be driven off by strong sunlight, rain, wind or smoke but when the weather is mild it is dangerous to be out of doors for stirges drink deeply and the great red welts that they leave burn for weeks.
There is a saying that a stirge never takes only blood and some who are bitten by stirges survive to find themselves mysteriously cured of the effects of disease and poison and stirge bites often seem to induce miscarriage, forgetfulness and madness. Claims that the victims of stirges sometimes receive the diseases, memories and unborn children (07.17.01) of those previously bitten have been dismissed as illogical, for how could such things be transmitted by a beast?
Connection:
- Some stirges also nest underground (08.06).
- There’s a nest of stirges in the Tower of the Bastard Prince (34.04)
- Lady Natala keeps a cage of stirges that her plump servants must feed daily. According to the Sanguine Lord’s lady-in-waiting, her pregnancy with the Jester Prince was passed to Lady Natala by a stirge.
Hooks:
- What do the male stirges eat?
- Why do stirge bites have so many side effects?