Editing Stenchbeast of Strank


[[Image: Stenchbeasts_of_Strank.jpg]]

In the fetid wastes of Strank lives the infamous Stenchbeast of Strank, a creature so pungent in aroma that it has become a byword for anything foul and odorous in the Calixis Sector. While most consider it to be nothing more than a metaphor for filth and the fuel for many a crude, lowbrow joke, the truth is horrible. Stenchbeasts have a corpulent human–like form and, if capable of standing erect, would be nearly three metres in height. Normally, they wallow on all fours in the dark waters of the swamps in which they dwell, grunting and bellowing to each other as they feed on tender water plants and small animals too slow to escape from them.

Anatomy
Covered in rolls of fat, it’s a wonder they can move their vast bulks, but they are swifter than they appear, and a charging Stenchbeast can be a fearsome sight indeed. Their once–human faces are bloated and bestial, with pig–like eyes and heavy jowls. Their hair is lank and greasy and grows in thickets along the neck, spine, and lower abdomen.

The hide of a Stenchbeast is a maze of cracks and fissures, each split showing multiple layers of rotting flesh underneath. The outer layers of skin often slough off in great sheets, only to be consumed in turn by the Stenchbeast itself. This cycle of decay and renewal results in the horrid stink that gives the Stenchbeast its name and sector–wide renown. Each creature emits an eye–watering reek capable of eventually defeating even the most advanced respirators.

Self-Defense
When attacked, a Stenchbeast usually tries to rush its attacker, attempting to bowl it over so it can trample it into the muck and mire of the swamp. While its teeth are too small to be of any use, a Stenchbeast still retains a semblance of human hands, which it uses to push a foe under the water’s surface, seeking to simultaneously pummel and drown its opponent.

Origin Theory
According to Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Felroth Gelt, one of his royal retinue, Sarangaas, was lost during an investigation of rumours of strange rites being performed in honor of the Ruinous Powers on Strank. The inquisitor theorized that once these beasts were humans of the First families, the nobility of Strank who are descended from the original settlers of the world. These families made a pact with the denizens of the warp in exchange for gifts of eternal life to never fall ill, age or die and to remain masters of Strank throughout the millennia.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category: Chaos]]