Fossil Horror
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Explorers unlucky enough to encounter them have reported one type of construct far more often than any other known Yu'Vath creation. Known as the Fossil Horror, it is a massive tentacled worm that has been observed far beneath planetary surfaces and even upon isolated asteroids. More is known of the creature’s habitat and its ability to wreak destruction than of its inherent nature or impulses. What information exists has been compiled from anecdotal reports of survivors as no specimens have been captured nor have any confirmed remains been recovered. The creations are thought to be more than twenty metres in length and at least four in diameter, though very few reports indicate encounters where a specimen has been observed in its entirety. Rather, survivors generally report that they observed the creature’s massive tentacles extend from smoothly tunnelled openings, likely made by the creature itself. In all cases, observers reported that the tunnels seemed devoid of life when initially examined. The attacks were generally preceded by an unusual grinding sound, like that of rock moving across rock. After that noise, the tentacles emerged and began to rend their companions.
The attacks are usually devastating, striking targets unerringly despite the lack of any obvious sensory organs. Members of the Magos Biologis have expressed an interest in capturing an active specimen for further study (though there is debate over if the term “alive” would be applicable). This is because a core part of the legends associated with Fossil Horrors is that life sign monitors do not detect them. This may be an indication that these creatures are constructs made entirely of inorganic materials; some legends support this, stating that the creatures are composed entirely of rock-like materials. At the same time, standard monitoring systems should be capable of detecting movement and warning the operator of activities not fitting in with normal, natural occurrences. That they do not seem to notice the movement of these huge creatures may mean that calibrations set to tune out normal changes in the local environment are too broad for creatures such as the Fossil Horror. This inconsistency is a significant concern for those working in areas where these creatures have been observed. Explorers learn quickly to rely entirely upon their physical senses for security rather than counting on the once-trusted mechanical assistance. Often extra guards are hired purely to stand ready in the tunnels, eating into profits but helping ensure faster and more effective response should an attack occur.
A few of the verifiable incidents indicate that Fossil Horrors were capable of summoning more of their kind. These accounts include reports of the creatures emitting an ear-shatteringly loud wailing sound, which oscillated among several low tones in an irregular and dissonant fashion. As many times this was mixed in with the screaming of assaulted victims, it was only recognised as from the creature when a lone miner recorded an encounter. Several minutes after such cries, tentacles from additional Fossil Horrors often emerge into the same region. There are few such reports, though, either indicating these were isolated incidents or the decreased survival rate associated with multiple Fossil Horrors. Another unusual facet of such legends is that they indicate these constructs may function in a co-operative fashion, a level of co-ordination unexpected among Yu’Vath artefacts. A few Xenographers speculate that this hallmark behaviour could even indicate that Fossil Horrors were once a slave race that perhaps had undergone additional modifications to become more mindless and brutal.
There is no knowledge regarding what motivates these constructs. They are capable of burrowing through any known strata, including at least one incident where a Fossil Horror burrowed through the armourplas shell of a mercenary drop-base to reach the unwary fighters asleep inside. This suggests that they may be driven to seek out specific items and are unconcerned with intervening terrain. As the Yu’Vath were known for their ability to undertake complex engineering projects, as witnessed by the cyclopean ruins littering the Expanse, it could be that these constructs are constantly involved in some sort of planetary construction or maintenance. Alternatively, the Fossil Horrors may engage in an unfathomable mining process or serve as an additional line of defence to guard Yu’Vath resources. To date, there are no records of successful communication with one of these constructs. Legends indicate that they are nothing more than unstoppable killing machines. This is inconsistent with some of the attack patterns and degree of co-operation seen in some of the reported incidents. There are at least two reported instances where multiple Fossil Hunters worked together to systematically collapse a facility’s power grid prior to attacking the humans located within. This suggests an unexpected degree of intelligence and social interaction.
While they readily eliminate sentient life when they encounter it, there is no evidence that Fossil Horrors feed upon the remaining bodies. As constructs, it is believed that these creations do not need to eat, relying instead upon some unholy Yu’Vath power source. Their victims’ remains are typically displayed in a gruesome fashion, perhaps as some sort of warning. Further, some believe that the patterns utilised in these horrific displays of blood and tissue may be consistent with the Xenos iconography observed at some ancient Yu’Vath sites. This suggests that the constructs might have a malicious intelligence, but this could also be an isolated function that their creators deliberately provided to these constructs. While this activity provides an effective deterrent to additional intruders, it seems an exceptionally complex solution. If they eliminate all life forms they encounter merely to fulfil a biological imperative, then that inherent nature has not yet been determined. Legends among voidsmen in the Expanse claim that Fossil Horrors exist to protect valuable treasures of precious ores and valuable crystals, left behind by the Yu’Vath for reasons unknown. Such deadly and powerful guardians must, as the logic goes, be guarding only the finest of riches. These tales invariably include countless deaths and the rich triumph of a sole survivor who recovers a portion of the treasures. However, there are no confirmed reports that directly support these stories. Most of these constructs have been discovered through the course of mining operations or massive archaeological expeditions, but there has never been any indication that what was found within were anything but regular naturally occurring ores or other unremarkable materials. If Fossil Horrors were assigned by their long-dead masters to protect refined or constructed assets, it seems more likely that those assets may have succumbed to the vagaries of time far faster than their unholy guardians.