Stridermander
Stridermanders, called strovion (meaning skittering wolves) by the vesk, are dangerous predators from Vesk-3 that prey upon their close relatives, the skittermanders.1
Appearance
Like most of Vesk-3's lifeforms, stridermanders have eight limbs: four long, graceful legs capable of quickly running and climbing through rocky caverns, and four muscular arms capable of restraining prey. A feeding tendril emerges from their abdomen and is long and strong enough to lift a vesk into the air. Stridermanders can alter the colour and texture of their fur to blend into the environment. Their whelps are solitary, small and rodent-like.1
Ecology
Stridermanders split off from skittermanders following a planetary disaster millions of years ago. The stridermanders' ancestors fled underground, and grew fast, large and vicious as they competed over dwindling supplies. When the stridermanders returned to the surface, they became the predators.1
Stridermanders feed by restraining their victims and draining their fluids, leaving the rest of the corpse to be slowly eaten later. They prefer eating skittermanders but are willing to attack anything their size or smaller. They are clever but animalistic and only intelligent enough to use simple obsidian tools and hunt in packs.1
Skittermander legends speak of stridermander tyrants, which are bigger, more vicious, and capable of fooling senses and clouding minds.1
Habitat
Stridermanders build their nests in Vesk-3's deep forests and caverns. They remain a danger, even after their numbers were greatly pruned by the Veskarium. Their whelps have since stowed away on starships to several other worlds, where they quickly reproduced and became apex predators. The vesk see them as worthy game beast, and have exported them to serve as guards and in dangerous sports.1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 . Alien Archive 3, 105. Paizo Inc., 2019