CLASS: BIOCONSTRUCT
BIOLOGY: Within its bulbous craniobody, a Malignus steadily grows its own feeding implements from metallic elements in its diet, replacing them as they slowly rust in its own caustic bodily fluids. It may house anywhere from three to twelve tightly coiled, wickedly armed tentacles, each reinforced with internal metallic cables and densely packed rings of muscle strong enough to drive one of its saws, hooks, knives or clippers through even the toughest bone plating. The creature digests meat directly within its baglike head, drawing chunks of flesh or whole, small animals inside with its tentacles and throbbing like a massive heart as it churns its gastric enzymes. BEHAVIOR: Only capable of movement in awkward, bird-like hops, the Malignus prefers to lie in ambush, perching itself in rafters or even burying itself in loose soil. Many Malignus may gather in these "minefields," discarding collected bones and other inedible materials in a community pit at the center. Malignus aren't otherwise particularly bright, but their knowledge and interest in the mutilation and preparation of meat can become passionate. They take great pride in their individual butchery skills and enjoy showing off the many "tricks" they acquire through trial and error. APPLIANCE: Malignus are most commonly assigned as indoor security systems, but they make fine butchers if the diner doesn't mind the occasional tang of rust. With their powerful and highly extendible limbs, they are also adept at fishing - though they personally consider most "water meat" to be little more than "baby food." IMPLEMENTS: the Malignus needs little more in combat than its collection of metal tools and the incredibly strong, elastic tentacles behind them.   Contents copyright Jonathan Wojcik
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