Three meters of merciless rage and hate. Like someone took the angriest, most vile serpent and gave it knives for legs. Children of the Scourge itself.
Galen Rost, Selenian Sentinel
Also Known as: Ripper, Sracaire (Vic.), Ausneh (Tol.), Yirtici (Neh.)
Habitat: Any
Hazard Level: Extreme
Summary
Evicar are a rare and bizarre apex predator species well known for their deadly capacity, extremely aggressive demeanour, and deleterious effects on local ecology. These tripedal pack hunters fit into no known family or genus of animals and demonstrate hyper-predatory behaviour that suggests an unnatural origin. Evicar grow up to three meters in length and between one and two meters in height and have a tripedal body template. Their flesh is rubbery and durable and dotted with cartilaginous bumps and razor sharp barbs and serrated hooks. Their head terminates in a hook toothed lamprey like mouth, sharp horns and a dozen black insectile eyes mounted on either side of the mouth. Evicar also possess a razor-barbed tail they use for balance and attacking. Evicar are typically recognized by the carnage they leave in their wake, preferring to eviscerate and dismember prey before consumption, and often leaving prey disabled but alive in order to focus on ‘cleansing’ an area of any threats. Their anatomy, cruel cunning, and vicious instincts make Evicar an extreme danger; the sighting of a single specimen can set entire cities or settlements at arms.
Description
Sometimes described as walking vipers, Evicar anatomy consists of a serpentine body mounted atop a trio of three-jointed legs with razor talons on the end of each. Most of the Evicar’s flesh is smooth and glossy, typically ranging from black to deep blue. They have extremely sharp cartilaginous protrusions that form a ridge along the spine and tail and which they use both for defense and offense.
The face of the Evicar is a cylinder of teeth arrayed in multiple rows with large hooking teeth at the opening of the mouth and row upon row of smaller razor sharp teeth proceeding inwards. Evicar have an long tongue that is tipped with a pair of vemonous spikes. They use the tongue for smelling and the spike to inject prey with a debilitating neurotoxin.
The Evicar sense of hearing is acute and they are known to track prey by the sound of their heartbeat alone. The species also possess highly sensitive multifaceted eyes that seem to be capable of perceiving in multiple wavelengths.
Evicar display a variety of lethal abilities:
- Speed: Evicar are incredibly fast, able to cover enormous distances in a startlingly short time and vanish from range just as quickly.
- Agility: Evicar are able to move and maneuver on seemingly any surface, vertical, smooth, even inverted. They are also able to fit through spaces far smaller than their size might suggest.
- Stealth: Evicar are preternaturally stealthy and adept at finding hidden nooks and paths into secure areas.
- Intelligence: Evicar demonstrate a startling intelligence, able to recognize threats and deploy strategies and tactics to make their attacks more lethal. In particular they utilize hit and run tactics against large groups, debilitating and diminishing opponents while driving them into panicked action.
- Ranged: Evicar have the ability to ‘throw’ their cartilaginous barbs with startling accuracy by using their tail to whip them at targets.
Evicar possess an almost imperceptible scent, making them difficult to track, but those who have gotten close say that there is a distinctive charcoal odour about their flesh.
While Evicar utilize a diverse range of hunting and combat tactics, and even an individual specimen can utilize their abilities to take down creatures significantly larger, Evicar are most dangerous when working in pairs or groups. Evicar are adept at using group hunting tactics, distracting targets with feints, swarming dangerous prey, or even luring them into ambushes.
This lethal repertoire is paired with a rapacious appetite, both for food and violence. Evicar will kill and attempt to eat any entity that they encounter. This behaviour often leads them to utterly empty an ecosystem of life. One of the mitigating factors in their ecological impact is that the indiscriminate violence is undiscerning and the species has a propensity for cannibalism. Packs of Evicar are always temporary and once they have rapidly depleted their food supply then begin feasting on each other, eventually leaving a single Evicar which will hibernate or move to a new area.
Evicar reproduction is arcane and complex, with only a single Evicar needed to spawn a new clutch. Luckily they do so extremely slowly; most fertile Evicar breed at decade length intervals. This is further complicated by the Evicar need of particularly arid and moderate habitats for spawning.
Evicar appear to be able to survive and thrive in virtually any terrestrial habitat, though curiously, most stories suggest the species is aquaphobic and avoids crossing or touching water if at all possible.
To date, there are no records of an Evicar being successfully captured or tamed. The species appears to be too hostile, dangerous, and intelligent for either.
Evicar carcasses are highly valued; their hide is durable, flexible, and recognizable, lending the wearer a considerable bonus to intimidation. Armour crafted from an Evicar hide has a bonus of B5,S4,P4, and requires no special strength to wear effectively. The extremely recognizable hide also grants a +3 to Intimidate Checks
By all accounts Evicar are extremely rare and almost extinct, relegated primarily to well known stories and cautionary fables.
According to one legend Evicar or ‘Rippers’ were made by some dark Sige or Linguist of the first age with for the purpose of ‘cleansing’ an area of life.