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Name: Kanabar Hul, The Harvester
Designation: Non-sentient
Homeworld: Selvaris
Language: None
Average height of adults: 4 meters
Skin color: Ranges from green to brown and gold
Hair color: None
Breathes: Type 1
Strengths:
[+] Amiable: Despite itss natural non aggressiveness, the Kanabar Hul is capable of being mentally shaped to take on a more belligerent attitude
[+] Fast: While not normally one to hurry, with the proper motivation, this beast can move incredibly fast over small distances.
[+] Hardy: Among the insects of the Yuuzhan Vong, this one has developed in similar respects to damage resistance. While it has the common weaknesses of the exoskeleton at the joints, the main plates are capable of withstanding multiple hits from lightsabers, slugs, and blasters. This resistance stems from the natural battles that occur between it and roaming packs of amphistaff and/or vonduun.
[+] Can sort of fly: The body of the Kanabar Hul has outgrown the expanse of the wings, meaning that while it can glide short distances, it can't take to flight in the slightest.
[+] Natural defenses: The Kanabar Hul has a multitude of natural defenses, including front forearm pincers that can crush through vonduun shell and back leg spines, which they use as they prop themselves up on their main hands and stab either forward or back.
[+] Adaptive to varying communities: Despite it's normal fields and open areas, the Kanabar Hul is capable of climbing vertical faces and cliff sides (developed for nesting habits and habitat formation). This allows it to get into areas other, more land bound, creatures would have difficulty to reaching.
[+] No force: As always, and a bit redundant, but this beast is like most of the Yuuzhan Vong in that it exists outside the force.
Weaknesses:
[-] Non-aggressive: In natural systems, this beast is complaisant and pleased to merely tend to its crop (when it's territory isn't broached).
[-] Not a marathon: This insect is developed for short bursts of speed, not capable of running long distances without reverting to its naturally sessilel nature.
[-] Territorial: In some situations, this is a boon. However, it's anger towards intrusion on territory extends to all creations: vong and non vong alike. Makes for difficult tending to the crops.
[-] Vongsense: This particular beast is susceptible to control by those accustomed to the use of vongsense. While a rare trait, this is an incredibly significant weakness should the monsters be used in a war time effort.
[-] Quick to tire: Due to the natural sedentary nature of the Kanabar Hul, they are quick to tire and this can only be remedied through the feeding of spoiled lambent fruits. However, even through feeding, that doesn't necessarily mean the general lazy attitude of the insect can be overcome for that time period.
[-] EXPLOSIVE personality: Given the right circumstances and failure to properly digest lambent fruits, the Kanabar Hul has been known from time to time to explode, sending pieces of chitin in all manner of directions.
[-] Noticeable: These things aren't going to be sneaking up on anyone. Next to the size and the glowing spots, resulting from lambent ingestion, this a creature meant for the vanguard or in the fields.
Distinctions:
-Chitinous exoskeleton, making it extremely resistant to damage
-Capable of small bouts of fly, spanning open distances in a gliding sort of maneuver
-Incredibly powerful front forearm pincers
-Accurate stabbing spines used for defense and territorial attacks
-Large, face like body, which has been developed to distract from the main and much smaller head
-Easily spotted through it's vibrant glowing, resulting from ingesting of lambent fruits.
Average Lifespan: 15 - 25 years.
Races: None
Estimated Population: 25,000 and climbing with increasing expanse of shaping on Selvaris
Diet: The Kanabar Hul feeds on various other, smaller insects, and spoiled or dropped lambent fruits.
Communication: Largely body language and non verbal twitching. They have forms of aggressive acts, such as rubbing pincers together or bearing teeth and knocking their jaws (which unhinge). Along with this, fluttering of the wings is seen as a form of excitement or territorial behavior, which precedes a sprint or attack.
Culture: The Kanabar Hul enjoys very little interaction with members of it's own species. Only in the rare case of procreation, estimated to occur on a 5 year cycle, the Kanabar Hul avoids the nuisances of it's species. This has lent itself to a practical format for lambent field harvesting, to which they have developed and grown accustomed. In these situations, the fields are quarantined into areas or territories in which they 'patrol', finding housing in burrows dug through the mountain side (similar to crawdad holes in bogs and emergent wetlands).
Technology level: None
General behavior: The Kanabar Hul is the newly developed work force of the lambent field crops. As such, they exhibit drone like behavior, tending to the crops in territorial droves. However, through training and proper development and shaping, the Legion has found methods of harvesting the large bug into something of greater use. Because of the territorial yet non aggressive nature, the Kanabar Hul lends itself well to 'breaking' as it is called, allowing for the use as directed war beasts under the control of the Legion.
History: Vong forming of planets often has odd and unexpected consequences, similar to introducing invasive or non native species with undetermined impacts on the native flora and fauna. The Kanabar Hul is one such example. While the Shapers of the Legion Yun'Do are not sure if these monsters existed prior to the shaping of Selvaris, they know for sure that they exist now and consider the species to almost be a pest. Almost.
During the early morning dew, droplets of water still upon the blade, prior to the full rise of the sun, the Kanabar Hul descends from their burrow upon the mountain face. A seclusive beast, one of almost complacent temperament, it moves into the various lambent fields and begins scouring the wind rows and harvests for spoiled or dropped lambent fruits. Like a drone on autopilot, it moves back and forth through it's predetermined territory, picking up the waste of the harvest or whatever fruit is left behind. Along with this, it delicately uses it's fore pincers to consume vermin in the fields or insects upon branches. A natural herbicide, more organic than anything currently used on the free market! And as the moon rises, so do the Kanabar Hul, returning to their burrows to rest for the next days harvest.
However, while this has benefited the lambent fields, it has also produced issues with the native tenders who harvest the fruit. Tender beware, entrance into the predetermined territory is an act of war against the Kanabar Hul and as such, through showy display of aggression and fluttering of wings, the Kanabar Hul will attack and rampage. Many of the extolled have seen their life whither away in the face of such madness, calling upon the need of the shapers to harvest the Kanabar and refocus their bursts of anger. It was then that they realized how easily this beast could be manipulated, moved towards the goal of attacking on command or even being rode into battle, given the right shaping. It was at this time that the shapers of the Legion Yun'Do worked furiously to reduce the population of native Kanabar Hul, moving them into pits and securing them as war beasts. However, it's an uphill battle, as the community continues to thrive and through consumption of the Lambent fruits, wild lambent fields are appearing across open plains, entirely unattended.
To crack rocks, to defend itself against vonduun and amphistaff and other beasts of burden and war, the Kanabar Hul comes well equipped! First and foremost, it uses it's front pincers to break stone and burrow, and crack the shells of the vonduun. Against amphistaff, it lifts it's body upon strong mid rib arms, striking out with elongated and sharpened appendages, precise and deadly. Not unlike a maelstrom, the Kanabar Hul shows tremendous fury for short bursts of time and is entirely capable of defending itself momentarily. But with such expenditure, the vibrancy of it's glowing orbs retract and it must feed again as it re-energizes for the next harvest. Due to the wide range of it's habitat and almost a daily migration, the Kanabar Hul is capable of climbing and ascending most vertical surfaces, digging out holes and gripping with the mid arms. This is a requirement given the secluded locations of their burrows, often scaling vertical cliff faces to find appropriate homes.
Shaping and control can be done through either physical manners and body language, or through the employ of a grafted Tall-Yor.
Notable Player-Characters: None
Intent: To create a new species, capable of helping maintain the Lambent fields of Selvaris. Can also be used in wartime efforts as either a stand alone defense or a steed, in which case it would be limited to PC's and commander and above of the Legion Yun'Do.
