Creature:Beast of Eberus

General Information
The Beast of Erebus Empire is a large, ruthless and utterly tyrannical one that spans multiple galaxies across the Fallen Sector of the universe. The Beasts in the 95th Fallen Galaxy inhabit the planet Erebus, named on their arrival. The leader of this force is the Tyrant Terrorjaw, and his second-in-command is Warlord Mephades. Their one ambition in their long lives are to destroy and enslave. Everything after Warfare is secondary to them, and they are incredibly good at warfare. Beasts of Erebus are also known as Erebusians, or simply as Beasts. They are Warriors by nature, and destroyers by nature.

Height, Weight and Lifespan
Aviri typically range from 6-8 standard feet in height, with minimal variance. They are more wide than tall, however, with the diameter of a Beast being about 9 feet.

An Erebusian tends to weigh around 2000 kilograms, and tend to stay that weight for their entire lives, as their bodies are constantly at work keeping them at a great physique.

The effects of space travel, as well as their intensive physical and mental fitness practices, have had an effect on the age of a regular Beast. The average Beast has a life expectancy range from about 1750-5000+ years (Galactic standard). Assimilated Erebusians (ie Creatures that have been morphed by Erebusian science into Erebusians) live for only 1250-2000+, due to the lack of physical and mental health that regular Erebusians possess.

Mouth of the Beast and Diet
Beasts of Erebus have a mouth with both canine and crocodilic qualities. They are long and bony, with no fur on them at all. They are lined with small, razor-sharp teeth numbering in the hundreds. Their teeth are constantly growing, so Erebusians have to keep maintainance or end up with a broken jaw. Like snakes, they smell with their tongues, able to pick up scents from miles away. Their diet consists of raw meat, usually in the form of aliens or slaves from empires they have conquered, but they really have the need to eat, and can last 6 galactic standard months without food or water. Despite this, however, they maintain an incredible appetite, being able to eat their own weight in food.

Speech is rather difficult for most Erebusians, preferring an assortment of growls and barking. When able to speak, their words are low and growling.

See: Language.

Eyes of an Erebusian
The Beasts have no eyes to see with, relying instead on their antlers as sonar antenna. They can also "see" radio waves as well. A Youngling does not have such sight, because their antlers are incredibly rubber-like, and distort their sonar sight to a point of blindness.

Erebusian Gender
Erebusians have no definable gender, although they all lay live young, so they can be called female in a sense (Although calling them female in their face is definitely not advised). When a Beast spawns a Youngling, it's fur tone does get slightly lighter, with Elder Beasts often being very light grey or even white. All Erebusians, however many Younglings they have spawned, all look nearly identical, if not for scars and blood stains.

Reproduction and Nursing
Erebusians have no reproductive organs, but breed through a form of mitosis. They digest food, generally raw meat, until the stage where a comatose Youngling in a purple embryo-like sac slow grows from beneath the Beast's torso. Depending on how much food the parent digests, gestation tends to last six or seven months. After that period, the Youngling drops from it's sac and crawls out from beneath it's parent's body and goes in search for food. A Youngling's antlers are more rubber-like than bone, their sight incredibly impaired. They rely on their sense of smell to guide them, and because the gestation often finishes during one of the parent's meals, food is fairly easy to find. By the time an Erebusian reaches the age of fifty, they are fully grown.

Alignment
Erebusians are pure evil. They are sadistic, cruel, and highly aggressive. They only work together if forced by a superior to do so. Otherwise, they will often taunt and fight each other, but never to the death. When they see another species they haven't conquered or enslaved, they instantly despise that race, and strive to conquer or enslave it. Only in the face of their superiors are they the organised force of terror that they are infamous for being. Erebusian Core worlds are orderly, while outlying planets are often in a state of civil war, unless they have someone else to fight. However chaotic they may be, though, every Beast follows the chain of command and every Beast knows his place in society. And he despises every minute of being in the place. Usurping superiors is common in Erebusian society.

Language
Because of some evolutionary fault, Erebusian mouths have difficulties in producing coherent speech. The Erebusians who are in charge speak to the best of their ability, resulting in a low, cruel growling speech. Otherwise, if the Erebusians cannot speak (Which is the case for more then 90% of Erebusians), they resort to growls and barks, much like a canine. They have two primary languages, Erebusian (Growling and gargling, their primary primary language) and Hades (An assortment of Morse code-like clicks done with the tongue, used by Elder Beasts), with Galactic Common used by military commanders and slavers.

Education
The Younglings of Beasts are gathered, after they finish eating, from across their homeworlds and taken to the planet's largest arena. There, they are trained in the arts of combat and fighting, and are given cybernetic eyes to make up for their sonar blindness. They learn everything about warfare, politics, slaving, and more from the Elders who teach and train them. They each take turns fighting one another, but never to the death. By the end of 20 years, they are nearly half way to reaching adulthood. By that stage, they are Warriors, and they are taken from their Youngling arena to the planet's Grand Arena, where they fight slaves and creatures. Many Younglings die in the process, but this is to ensure only the strongest survive. By the age of 50, they are adults, and are given adulthood initiation rites (Usually trials in combat and hunting) by their Elder. If a Youngling at this time manages to kill the Elder (Which most often try to do), they are immediately placed in Elite squads within the army as a reward. The Elder, if engaged in combat by Younglings (Or several at a time), he must never kill them, but beat them to a bloody pulp. If by the end of the rites the Elder is still alive, the Younglings, now fully fledged Beasts of Erebus, are thrust into the military. From their, they either rise through the ranks of the army or leave and join the ranks of rogue slavers and pirates.

Politics of the Beasts
The structure of Erebusian society is incredibly difficult to see in the untrained eyes of researchers. They are geared purely for war, with little concern for rights or freedoms. War is first, and everything else is secondary, excluding science, which Tyrants and their colleagues pursue to advance their weaponry and society as a whole. Erebusians do not understand or care for outside politics or ideals.

Hierarchy
Hierarchy in Erebusian society in the Core worlds of their galaxies highly organised and structured, while in outlying systems rogue despots and small bands of slavers fight constantly for control.


 * Tyrant of the Void - The mysterious and enigmatic leader of the entire inter-galactic Erebusian empire, he commands his forces across the stars, leaving a destructive trail behind him. Every detail about him is unknown, but his title and position is legendary. It is common Beast belief that the Tyrant is an immortal god that will one day burn the universe. Other races would believe that the Tyrant is utterly insane in his schemes, but Erebusians worship him.
 * Galactic Tyrant - The leader behind the Erebusian force that occupies a specific galaxy. The Tyrant in the 95th Fallen Galaxy is known as "Terrorjaw", known for his grossly mutated and oversized mouth. Originally a master slaver from the 34th Fallen Galaxy, "Terrorjaw" was recognised by the Tyrant of the Void and gave him a position in the military as one of his high ranking generals.
 * Planetary Tyrant - The leader behind the Erebusian force that dominates a planet. They control everything on the planet, but ultimately listen to their superior Galactic Tyrant. The Planetary Tyrant of the 95th Fallen Galaxy's Erebus planet is Terrorjaw as well, as Erebus is their primary base of operations.
 * Warlord - Every planet under the Beast's banner has several Warlords, who organise the military and space fleets. They act as guards and advisors for the Planetary Tyrant. Terrorjaw's most trusted Warlord, and leader of the 95th Fallen Galaxy attack force, is a Beast called Mephades, a creature more savage than any Beast alive.
 * Elder - Each community of Erebusians has an Elder Beast that serves in the most elite echelons of the military. They are fierce and mighty, and Elders in the larger communities teach the Younglings.
 * Warrior - Their are no civilians in Erebusian society, only Warriors. They are the bulk of the military, highly versatile and deadly. They also gather slaves for the war effort.
 * Slave - The lowest place in Erebusian society, but not made up of Beasts at all. Conquered species are used as slaves to help with the war effort, and are conditioned into complete obedience. They are also often used in entertainment and gambling, as gladiators that fight to the death.

Warfare
The Beasts of Erebus live to fight. They've been doing so ever since their species fought in their historical Wars of Fire. In combat, they use their massive jaws and hands to tear apart their opponents, and use Grimfireweave (A form of very strong metal) ropes to catch slaves. While the typical Erebusian prefers to fight bare handed, they usually have high energy rifles and cannons that they have scavenged or seized from enemy empires. Of course, most military commanders and tyrants employ an even more simple tactic, which involves the complete obliteration of a planet through fire. They launch titanic machines which bore into the planet's surface, reach the core, and then amplify the heat of the core a million times over. The planet then, along with the machines and all life on the planet, simply incinerate. Countless worlds have been lost to this cruel method.

Warlord Mephades
"This Erebusian Tyrant has no real name. His insanity is what makes him so infamous in Erebusian lore, his cruelty and ruthlessness unmatched. A true sadist and warmonger, the one called Mephades is a true terror to behold." - Adventurer's Guide to the Fallen Galaxies, Oddli the Odd

"Burning Nevarn IV was too good a fate for those Nevarnion whelps. Of course, we might feel pity if we had thrown Mephades down there instead." - Anonymous Fire Fleet Gamma-Zeta Pilot after the obliteration of planet Nervarn IV

Mephades is a legend in Erebusian lore. His insanity and cruelty has carved him (Almost literally) a name in Erebusian history. Other Warlords and even Tyrants wouldn't dare face Mephades. He commands a scavenged ship engine known as The Core, which he has modified and given extra fire power. He is also one of few Beasts that doesn't partake in slavery, preferring to kill anyone and anything he may encounter on the battlefield. His weapons of choice are his oversized energy claws, which he uses with deadly precision. Despite his legendary status, he is treated as somewhat of an outcast, having dared to challenge the authority of the Tyrant of the Void himself, as well as his tendency to kill his own species. He is also one of the older Erebusians, having reached an age past 10000 years. His wisdom and knowledge is, however, completely shrouded from his mind, replaced with intricate schemes and stratagems for operating in a war. No one who has challenged, or has had the bad luck to encounter him on the battlefield, has lived to tell the tale.