Wikipedia:WikiProject The Elder Scrolls/Dreugh

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Dreughs (pronounced /dreg/ or /druʌχ/) are fictional creatures in the game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind , "The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall" and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion The dreugh has a seemingly humanoid upper body, covered in an orange/red crustacean-like exoskeleton, with four pincer ended arms. The lower body of the dreugh features four tentacles which the creature uses for aquatic propulsion. Their heads are adorned with a crown of armored horns, varying in length and number, around a man-like face.

These creatures can be found in nearly any body of water, from the open ocean to isolated reservoirs in caves.

Dreugh wax, which can be scraped from the inner shells of dead dreughs, is very valuable, white, pasty substance commonly used to make fortify or restore strength potions. Also, dreugh armor and weapons can made from dreugh hides glued together with dreugh wax.

During a lesson by a young Sotha Sil in "2920 Sun's Dawn", it is revealed that for one year of their life, Dreugh go through a process called Karvinasim. During this process, they gain organs that allow them to walk on land. Land Dreughs, found in Oblivion, are examples of Dreughs undergoing Karvinasim. After Karvinasim ends, dreugh "meff", or consume the organs needed to walk on land, and vomit them out in a ball called Grom.

There are some parallels to be made between dreughs and cliff racers. Both can be quite a nuisance to players and have a distinctive cry that alerts players to their presence. The issue with Dreughs is that movement is hindered in the water and it is impossible to use ranged weapons or spells on aquatic foes, so it is inconvenient to kill them. This can be remedied by a water walking spell or potion, however, which may be why they aren't considered as aggravating as cliff racers.

Some legends hold that dreughs are a sentient race, descendants of a great underwater civilization that flourished before the First Era in the Iliac Bay area. Almsivi texts and shrines support the sentience of dreughs. In both the "36 Sermons of Vivec" and "The Pilgrim's Path", the dreugh were said to have been led by an avatar of Molag Bal called the Ruddy Man. When Vivec spared the Ruddy Man's life, he forced the dreughs to give up their skin for the betterment of the Velothi people.