Kalic Daws
I've seen too much....
- Intent: Create a creature for Echilon.
- Image Credit: Sand Viper by Nutchapol Thitinunthakorn
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Echilon
- Name: Sandknight
- Designation: Non-sentient
- Origins: Echilon
- Average Lifespan: 45 years
- Estimated Population: Planetary
- Description: A fearsome looking, armor plated herbivore that lacks eyes, and has a predatory look. They are a common sight of Echilon's Arid Rim.
- Breathes: Type I
- Average Height of Adults: 2 m
- Average Length of Adults: 14 m
- Skin color: Tan plates with orange skin.
- Hair color: None
- Distinctions:
- Armor plating: The Sandknight gets its name from the armor plating that coats its body. This patting is thick, and most other creatures on Echilon are unable to break it. The armor also forms a portion of its teeth, and protective spikes on it's head and neck.
- Tail club: As a second form of defense, the Sandknight has a tail club which it can use to attack predators. The tail of reptilian is capable of sending the club fast enough to damage a landspeed, and break the bones of larger predators.
- Sharp claw: The creature possesses sharp claws, making it easier to for it to dig and tear away the tough fungal root of the Arid Rim.
- Powerful jaws: The Sandknight has powerful, predatory looking jaws with sharp teeth and tooth plates. Despite the predatory appearance, the teeth and jaws are used to break through the tough outer layer of fungal root in the Arid Rim.
- Bare skin on head: Oddly enough, one of the weak points of the Sandknight's armor is the orange skin on its head. This exposed skin is actually part of its way of seeing, and allows it to hear the echolocation echos of its whistles. It is noted that the armored beast also has fully developed ears, meaning that this auditory system is dedicated to location.
- Races: None.
- Force Sensitivity: Rare
- Powerful build.
- Armor plating.
- Club tail.
- Echolocation
- No eyes.
- Head and gut are weak points.
- Not the quickest creature.
- Diet: Herbivore
- Communication: Whistles
- Technology level: None.
- Religion/Beliefs: None.
- General behavior: A fairly large, solitary herbivore, the Sandknight is a beast that fears very little. The reptilian creature can usually be found roaming the deserts of Echilon's Arid Rim, digging for the desert fungal root that supplies them with both food and water. Like most of the animals on Echilon, the Sandknight lacks eyes, and relies on echolocation to find its way around the world. This echolocation is supplied by whistles the large herbivore emits. These whistles are also how the almost ancient looking beast communicates. Not much is known about these creature's mating and youngling rearing, as they have never been bread in captivity. How breeding works, however, comes in seasons, and if an individual feels like it is being followed, it will not partake in it. During this season, male will "sing" in an attempt to attract a mate. If successful, the female will go on to lay 2-3 eggs that she buries under the dirt. After a year the eggs hatch, and the juvenile Sandknights begin life much like their parents, digging for roots.
One of the first creature discovered on Echilon, the Sandknight was first thought to be an armored predator of some kind. It took researchers a longtime to finally realized the threatening looking beast was actually an herbivore, and a root eating one at that. After discovering the beast was a herbivore, there were many attempts to domesticate Sandknights, and attempt to breed them in captivity. While there has been some success in domestication, there has been no success in captive breeding. Tracking of the creatures has also lead to no hints, leaving researchers on Echilon in the dark on much of the life. Despite this, the successfully domesticated individuals have been used as mounts and in hunting for fungal root. It should be noted that their use as mounts has been... shaky at best.
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