Ravener

Raveners are horrific predators that burrow through the earth with frightening speed and precision. They are twisted, serpentine creatures whose armoured bodies are several times the size of a grown man’s, and yet they move with a lightninglike speed that can see their victims slashed apart into bloody chunks, having never seen their assailant. Vulnerable only to massed firepower and heavy weapons, the Ravener’s prey stands little chance if caught alone or off guard, as they often exploit their ability to burrow through almost any substance to surprise their victims, sensing their way by vibrations as faint as a beating heart, through many metres of intervening material. Often Raveners strike deep behind a battle line or in strongholds thought impregnable to outside assault, and worse yet for those that must face them; Raveners rarely hunt alone, but are instead often encountered in broods of half a dozen or more creatures. In several recorded cases, when such a brood breaks in to a shelter or underground bunker, they have inflicted utter carnage in minutes, ending the lives of hundreds in a few scant moments of screaming, blood-soaked fury. While Raveners do appear similar in size and basic design to Tyranid Warriors, with the major exception being their serpentine tail rather than legs, they are in fact very different beasts and bred for a very different purpose. Possessed of little more than animal intelligence, unless directed by the Hive Mind they will wilfully chase fleeing prey or become distracted by fast moving targets disregarding all other concerns. The role of a hunting beast however is one they excel at, and they possess extraordinary senses for tracking foes, able to feel the slightest tremor made by passing footfalls even kilometres away and see into dozens of light spectrums, even following the pulsing waves of a vox transmission to its source. This makes it very hard to hide from a Ravener, and it is especially dangerous if being directed by the Hive Mind and its senses used to guide the bulk of the swarm toward the location of its prey. Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect of the serpentine Raveners is their ability to appear in almost any location and usually where their foes least expect them. By burrowing through even some of the hardest substances, they can worm their way into heavily fortified structures, squeezing through opening much smaller than themselves and slinking off to hide in dark places to await the time to strike. This known tactic of the Ravener often prompts Imperial commanders to send their men on patrol looking for Ravener “nid holes” which might be hidden in subterranean tunnels or deep cellars. Needless to say, should an Imperial Guard patrol find such a “nid hole,” more often than not it is their dying screams which alert their comrades.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Tyranides