V

VOID STALKERS

The terrifying apex predators of Eden's mutated Hatari jungles, these massive feline hunters have evolved bioluminescent hides that blend perfectly with the jungle's perpetual twilight. Their signature fangs, longer than a human arm, can pierce through almost any type of armor. Eerily silent despite their enormous bulk, they stalk prey unheard and unseen, their mottled hide shifting patterns to match their surroundings as they move. The most prized trophies in Eden are Void Stalker pelts and their phosphorescent void glands, which fetch astronomical prices in Medha's underground markets. Hunting parties that pursue these beasts employ dozens of expendable beaters - usually indentured clones or local villagers pressed into service - who form human chains to flush the creatures from their lairs. Master huntresses like Marah the Scarred lead these expeditions, knowing the grim calculus of their profession: for each Void Stalker taken, at least some of their best hunters and dozens of beaters will die. The hunts themselves are methodical massacres; beaters advance through the undergrowth, making noise to drive the predator toward waiting marksmen, while the creature systematically picks them off one by one. When the Void Stalker finally reveals itself in a lethal pounce, hunters have mere seconds to target its vulnerable spots before it tears through their ranks. The venom sacs and luminescent hide of a single specimen can secure a settlement's prosperity for months - a price paid in blood by those who never see their share of the profits.