General
Adornments have always been sought after by jewelry enthusiasts, and while some of these ornaments are encrusted with the most expensive gemstones, others have more accessible crystals. One such gem of a beautiful purple comes from the crystal crinoid, a sea creature popular with sailors and jewelers alike. Adapted to live on the sea floor as well as in shallow waters, the crystal crinoid is a slow creature, crawling or swimming very short distances. The crinoid feeds solely on plankton and does not prey on other animals, nor do other beasts prey on it. This creature’s body is made almost entirely out of crystal, and what little flesh it has is encased in hard, purple gems. Although the adult crinoid’s body is so hard it is impossible to break, the stalk that keeps it attached to the sea floor while in the hatchling phase is soft enough to be broken into small pieces, perfect for encrusting jewelry.
Egg
This egg is so evenly shaped it could easily pass as a jeweler-cut amethyst.
Hatchling
After they hatch, the crinoid hatchlings attach themselves to the ground or rocks with a thin stalk that keeps them fixed on the sea floor. They sway in the water and extend their arms to catch plankton, their crystal body protecting them from predators. Cases of crinoid hatchlings having their stalk snapped by a nearby fish are rare, but when this happens, they will drift around aimlessly until they reach something else to attach to. The stalk is not as hard as the hatchling’s rest of the body, meaning it could break easily from natural causes. The hatchling will quickly regrow it, securing itself a safe place on the sea floor. The broken stalks are light and float to the surface, eventually being caught by fishermen.
Adult
Crinoid adults are caring parents even if they do not need to feed or protect their hatchlings. They stick around their young, swimming and crawling around, keeping an overall eye on the surroundings. Once the hatchlings lose their stalks, the crinoid adults return to exploring the sea floor again. They lay eggs often, which leads to a constant supply of stalks for the fishermen. While the adults have no care for the discarded stalks, they protect themselves with painful stings if they get fished by accident along with the stalks. They are not poisonous, but the crystals composing their bodies are so sharp they will leave nasty cuts. If caught with the intent of having their crystals removed, the crinoids will remain latent until they reach salt water again. Since no tool known to man can break the adult's crystals, the crinoids will eventually be released back into the water. There, the adults will create more offspring and more stalks for crafting beautiful jewelry.
Notes
Obtained from: Shop, Donation Shop: 2 shards
Breeding: No
Renaming cost: 2000 gold
Release date: October 15th 2024
Element: Neutral 
October 2024 Midmonth Donation Pet
Sprite art: Mysfytt | Description: Real