Murinian Void Whale

### **Location**

main population in the Leman Sector and in the Pearl Sector, minor presence in Segmentum Tempestus and Segmentum Obscurrus

## Physical Appearance

### **Eye colour**

no real eyes

Murinian Void Whales or *Locus Balaena Murinian* are a species of Void Whales in the Segmentum Tempestus native to the and the western regions of the Pearl Zone, a region surrounded by White Holes, the Leman Sector and the neighbouring Rynian Sprawl. Paentological findings date back their first appearance 15 million years before the Imperium. Murinian Void Whales are peaceful creatures ignoring the sentient xeno species living next to them and offer a massive treasure of minerals, rare materials and biomass if killed and processed and so keep an entire industry on Murinia running. A problem with them is that they can often come to close to space stations or space mining operations or can be possesed when they warp travell and with the arrival of the Tyranids are they seen as a source of danger if one is near a Hive Fleet. Margos Biologi estimate that already one speciesmen devaourd by a Hive Fleet could supply one with a squadron worth of new destroyer-sized bio-ships with additional danger thanks to the minerals and gases stored in a Murinians body.

## Biology

### Morphology

Murinian Void Whales have a lenght of 8 kilometres, a width of 600 metres and a hight of 770 metres. A grey skin covers their bodies able to protect the internal organs and stopping light projectiles.

### Anatomy

Murinian Void Whales have a 50 metre thick layer of a skin-scale mix blocking most of the radiation of the void thanks to its composition and rapid cell regeneration and cell replacement. The skeleton has a high densness and the bone material is mixed with rock and minerals taken in by consumation of asteroids. Some exemplares have after extensive consumation of wrecked vessels a near "steelified" skeleton. Large organs produce body fluids, process consumed materials or fullfill other vital tasks. Behind the brain of a Murinian Void Whale lays the Aether Cepter an organ responsible for communication through the warp and orientation in the same. It likely plays a crucial role in the processes which allows the Void Whales to enter the Warp for short jumpes.

Next to the Aethar Cepter lays an extension of the brain of the Void Whale responsible for the analysise of the datas coming from the sensory organs from the top. "Cream" storages protect vital organs and give additionally protection to crucial sections of the body. The cream descripes the processes materials intaken by the Murinian Void Whale and stored for future use. Observations show that the body of the Void Whales uses radiation from the space for several body functions like cell regeneration or energy production.

### Food intake

Murinian Void Whales eat asteroids processing their rocks, water and minerals to a special cream. Gases from gas giants and somethimes metal from destroyed vessels are further sources of nurisment. Radiation seems to be also used as a energy source.

### Movement

How the Murinian Void Whales move is unknown. Some hypotises say that they use Psychic energy to manipulate the space around them to move or that they can manipulate the gravity of celestial objects. Body movements may also help in moving around and are proofen to be responsible for changing their directions. Regadles how they move can the Void Whales reach a speed of 2g in real space. How they can Warp travel is unknow but they use short-jumpes for large scale travels regularly "jumping" over 25 lightyears.

### Kilians Void Whale

Kilians Void Whale is counted as a rezessive-strain of the Murinian Void Whale. Smaller, with only 1000 metres long, are they a relativly common variation from the main strain. For a Kilians Void Whale to be born needs the stem cell to have 7 specific rezessive genes, who subordinate themself and need the same rezessive gene to activate itself, although sometimes suffice 6 genes resulting in slightly larger exemplars. From genetical sight could they mate with a normal Murinian Void Whale but in practical sight are their sexual organs nonconsistant. The cataloging of them as a Subspecies is controversal however the Kilians Void Whale population is even without the births from Murinian Void Whales stable and has even grown in regions where their regular brothers nearly disappeared.

### Defences

Murinian Void Whales have several options to defend them. One is to use their skin to destroy objects landing on them. Or acid blood flowing through their veins killing infiltrators. Another weapon are their psychic and electromagnetic capabilities. Electric charges emitted from their head can cripple the electronic of near vessels and psychic clouds emitting lightnings made of pure psychic energy can easily destroy vessels under 600 metres and severly damage sections from greater vessels. Gravitation shockwaves can hit vessels 200 km away and can be either focused or spread like a normal wave.

## Behaviour

Murinian Void Whales are peaceful void creatures ignoring most of the void travel around them. Some exemplars even come up close to the vessels upt to a distance of 3 kilometres, while most of them have always a sizable distance between them and spacefaring-civilisations. Void Whales have no clear group behaviour, some travel in groups up to 11 specimens other while other travel in pairs of alone and changing of group or solo travel is common. Margos Biologi studying them have made out some form of "culturs" among them meaning that Murinian Void Whales, even when they are notorious solo travler, have several behaviour patterns unique to each culture. Some cultures communicate with complex psyonic impulses while other relay on paradigms. Group travelling can be more common or a low-level planning of the solo hikes of their members can be observed.

## Reproduction

Murinian Void Whales are hermaphrodites meaning that an individium has male and female reproduction organs. When two Void Whales mate with each other get both pregnant with the babies having a slightly different DNA than the other. They can partly prevent DNA damage through inbreeding thanks to a different cell division. The pregnancy can last from 10 years to 12 years until the eggs inside an impregnated Void Whale break open and four to five 100 metre long calfs are born. Spending 300 years at the side of their birthgiver operate the calfs more and more independent when they reach a lenght of 1 kilometre.

## Habitat

Murinian Void Whales life mainly in and around the Leman Sector and the Pearl Zone in which they get most of their "food" thanks to the local White Holes. Most of the population exist in an area in the size of 140.00 lightyears with 900 speciemens counted. Furthermore have they a spread into the whole Segmentum Tempestus with 350 exemplars and into the fringes of Segmentum Obscurrus with 120 counted so far. They prefare regions of systems with high numbers of asteroids and gas giants. Extensive void travel of vessels over the size of 2 kilometres can chase them off. Most entcounters are made with them in regions classified as Wild Space or near them. The Kilians Void Whale population numbers around 700 exemplars in the entire Galaxis.

## Sentient Life and the Murinian Void Whales

Civilisations and Mirinian Void Whales can life in peace thogether. The Void Whales are not aggressive and the Imperium of Man get its most minerals from planets. Margos Biologis often accompany especial large groups or individuals studying them. Voidsmen in their distribution regions see them as a symbol of resilience in the void and longlividy. However some Voidsmen work as Void Whale hunters hunting them for the minerals in their bones and their fat as burning material. Artists use their bones for art and items of daily use.

Most Xenos ignore them also mostly, except the Tyranids who would devauer them and the Orks attacking for sport and as food source. Local Eldar Craftworlds sometimes also kill one to get to new minerals and recycle their biomass.