Rootspasm Tadpole

Rootspasm Tadpole

Ring: Echowilds

Echo Classification: Grief-Pool Residual

Physical Description:

A translucent, larval creature with a bulbous, semi-luminescent body. Instead of veins, thin bioluminescent roots pulse beneath its skin, writhing in time with unseen emotional tremors. Its oversized eyes are milky and glistening, eternally tear-filled. Though aquatic, it moves as if reacting to deep psychic spasms more than current or light.

Observed Behavior:

Flickers with sudden spasms, especially when near emotionally burdened Seekers. Tends to remain at the center of griefponds, coiling into itself in spirals that match breathing or heartbeat rhythms. Sometimes twitches in response to soundless memories.

Echo-Environment:

Shallow wetlands where mourning rites failed or ancestral emotions linger unresolved. Common in dreamferned pools fed by tear runoff or old memory roots.

Spiritual Effect:

Triggers dormant grief, ancestral echoes, or suppressed mourning. Some Seekers report spontaneous weeping or recall of forgotten funerals. Holding the gaze of one is said to reveal sadness you didn’t know you carried.

Ritual Association:

Used in rites of mourning release, especially among the Echo-Walkers. Their spasms are interpreted as the soul's attempt to root through grief.

Mythic Lore / Incident:

“He stepped into the pond and froze. The tadpole twitched. Then he collapsed—crying in the voice of a woman he'd never met. His grandmother, we later discovered. Her name came out of his mouth like it had always been there.”—Witness account, Griefpath Rite, Echowilds Spiralwalk