Briarmouth

The briarmouth (or hoka, as the Seta people call them), is a slender, long-beaked fish with a mouth full of sharp needle-like teeth that dwells in Kilpo Bay. They are near-surface swimmers and hunters, often leaping above the water to dive back in at schools of small fish. While they are not aggressive, their sharp beak does pose a danger to humans, especially as it is fragile — puncture wounds from a leaping briarmouth can lead infection as part of the beak snaps off inside the wound. Needlefish are attracted to lights at night, so fishermen should be careful not to stand near the edges of their boats if they’re using lanterns in the evening.

Briarmouth are edible but extremely oily, so are rarely eaten except by the Seta. Ofemus’ Fishhook down by the docks serves briarmouth for the curious eater.

The Seta use kites trailing strings made from spun spider silk to skim along the surface of the water and ensnare the hoka. Traditionally the kites were made from large leaves and bamboo, but modern fishing kites are often made from thin layers of bark from the Palao tree (commonly called the Snakeskin tree, because it constantly sheds its bark in peeling curls).