Kalmari

Kalmari were beings from Acheron that were sometimes summoned as guardians. They entered and possessed the forms of creatures when on another plane.

"Two unblinking, yellow eyes glowed within the cloud of dark vapor. Beneath the eyes a huge gap parted, revealing rows upon rows of needle-sharp teeth. From this maw came the sound of a thousand snakes hissing in a stone room."

- Finder Wyvernspur

Description
Being possessors, kalmari were rarely seen outside of their home plane in their natural form. When they were, however, they appeared as moving black mist or smoke with few definable features. The gaseous trail behind the main, amorphous mass was 3 feet (1 meter) long, and acted as a prehensile tail, causing it to appear as a massive inverted drop of liquid when it reared up. Inside its misty body could be seen two glowing yellow eyes, which it could move anywhere in its body. By far the creature's most notable feature, however, was its massive jaws that when opened took up most of the kalmari's 'torso'. Most of the space within these maws was taken up by teeth.

Personality
Kalmari were noted as being stubborn, which was what appealed to most spellcasters who summoned them to perform duties as guardians.

Combat
Kalmari fought with whatever means that their host bodies had at their disposal. In their natural forms, though, they attacked with their gaping, tooth-filled mouths, with which they could swallow victims whole, and they used their tails as whips and to coil around their foes like a constrictor snake.

Kalmari were completely resistant to spells cast upon them, and could only be hurt by powerfully enchanted weapons. Even with such weapons, they could only be banished, not slain. Only one method was found that could reliably slay a kalmari. Kalmari were unable to digest magic and regurgitated all magical items worn by the creatures that it swallowed. Should an offensive magical item, such as a magic weapon, or an item capable of casting damaging spells be swallowed and regurgitated by a kalmari, that item would then be able to be used to bypass that specific kalmari's magic resistance and slay it.

Society
Kalmari were poorly documented in the Realms. They were known to be native to the plane of Acheron, but were on occasion summoned to other planes. In order to exist on a plane other than Acheron for more than ten minutes, the kalmari had to possess a body native to that plane that had jaws and was capable of sight and movement. This creature did not have to be alive for the kalmari to possess it, but if it was alive, then its host must be a willing one (though such a host could be compelled or coerced by magic or force to become willing). Any significant wound that the host suffered would cause the kalmari to break free of the host with the sound of a thousand hissing snakes. If a kalmari spent ten minutes in its natural form on any plane other than Acheron, it would be sent back to its home plane.

Sages theorized, but could not prove, that kalmari reproduced through fission.

History
The Red Wizards of Thay and their allies were known to summon kalmari as servants, but it was also, incorrectly, thought that the creatures were both native to Thay and related to intellect devourers.

The wizard Cassana created a wand that could exert complete control over the creatures that she summoned. She had a 'pet' kalmari, whom she controlled with this wand, and lent to the Iron Throne to help close off the Shadow Gap and monitor the movements of Alias.

A kalmari was also said to have served Tyranthraxus as a bodyguard.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Curse of the Azure Bonds
 * Novels
 * Azure Bonds