Praedas

**Praedas** are large, bipedal, carnivorous reptiles native to the harsh world of Axa IV. They are hardy and territorial hunters who have adapted to become the apex predators of the otherwise inhospitable planet. Many of the other hostile wildlife of Axa know to give Praedas a wide birth, as Crelrist stingers are seldom able to pierce their armored hide. They mark their territories with dung and travel in packs known as "Prowls", which are easy to spot as Praedas are large and loud. The titanic predators generally are attracted to the deep craters formed by warfare on the world for unknown reasons, staying in these areas far longer than any other.

## History

### First Discovery

Sometime during the Orkish Onslaught, several *grok* attempted to colonize Axa IV during its time as a harsh desert. The Crelrist wasps and other predators made first appearances to the vicious hunters, with the Praedas being encountered after a few weeks. It was noted that an entire warband was slaughtered by a single Praedas alpha and only a single scout was able to retreat back to their base camp, bearing tales of "Land Dragons" whose hides could not be pierced.

### Name Origins

The name *Praedas* is derived from the Elvari word *Puràda* meaning "Predator". It was initially dubbed as such when Elvaan *Kivrathi* (Elv. World Scouts) first found Axa IV. Before this, the Orks called them *Nond-Delrakk*, or "Land Dragons". Eventually Elvaan anthropologists dubbed the creature "Praedas" and classified them as the apex predator of the world after extensive probe research.

## Description

Praedas are very large, bipedal reptiles with a set of two front-facing claws on its feet and a third, sickle-shaped claw thought to once be used to help disembowel prey. Its arms and legs are thick with powerful muscles enabling it feats of great speed and strength, with four digits on its hands tipped with extremely sharp claws. It has a long, thick tail covered in ridges with sharp spines lining the top of it up to its back, which can retract when excited or angered. The tail ends in a sharp spear-like barb capable of penetrating thick Vorodium or inflicting bone-cracking hits when swung like a club.

The bodies of Praedas are covered in thick, black scales that are difficult to penetrate and are often used as effective body armors by those with the skill and courage to hunt them. They have shrugged off point-blank Orkish scattergun shells, URN rifle rounds, and even most blasters do little more than anger them. Armor-piercing rounds seem to have the most effect at penetrating their hide but seldom make it through the animals entirely.

The heads of Praedas are adorned with large, spiked crests with small, forward-facing horns used both to impale prey and duel with rival Praedas. Their horns grow larger with age and are groomed through these fights to keep them manageable. Their eyes are small with large, thin nostrils lining the center of their faces. Their mouths are split between four spiked mandibles that retract when roaring, eating, or smelling the air.

### Size

Praedas are one of the largest predators on Axa IV, born in a clutch of eggs with newborns being around the size of tall children. As juveniles they stand at around 5'10" to 6'3". Fully grown Praedas can be anywhere between 7' to 7'5". Praedas tend to be extremely heavy, weighing in at around 2 tons. During the Great War it was reported that a Praedas landed on an assault car and crushed it under its weight.

### Senses

Praedas have acute senses to alert them to the location of prey. While their small eyes offer poor eyesight, their senses of smell and hearing are very fine, able to detect the scent of prey from miles away. Their smell of blood can help them track the location of prey from as far away as 20 kilometers. However, as recent studies by specialists have shown, they struggle to parse the smell of prey when covered in the smell of ship gas or mud on Axa, with the former disrupting their senses enough to where Praedas will avoid starships if at all possible.

## Behavior and Ecology

Praedas have a social system based on Pack-mentality and a need for food and dominance. Many Prowls will come into conflict with one another over hunting territories, mating grounds, or access to water. Small battles of Praedas are not unheard of, with the losing Prowls being completely killed or driven away while the victories mark the territories as their own.