Rhu-chaliks, also called void wanderers, are a species created as scouts by the Dominion of the Black. They are long-lived telepathic creatures that fly unaided through interstellar space to find new worlds for their masters.
Description[]
Anatomy & Physiology[]
Rhu-chaliks are small creatures, averaging three feet long and weighing about 30 pounds. Their bodies are ovoid masses of black, spongy tissue, with four thin tendrils protruding from the back and a single, lidless gray eye near the front. The tendrils are coated with an enzyme that causes brief bouts of terrible pain on contact with living creatures. The spongy mass of the body is highly compressible, and is immune to freezing and infection. In addition, the alien tissue does not require oxygen to function, and rapidly heals from damage, although rhu-chaliks cannot regrow missing parts.
Diet[]
Due to their total lack of orifices, rhu-chaliks cannot consume physical food. Instead, they sustain themselves on the thoughts and emotions of sentient minds. This feeding process causes no damage, and rhu-chaliks may feed indefinitely on a single mind, eliciting different emotions when they want a new "flavor."
Reproduction and Life Cycle[]
Rhu-chaliks are incredibly long-lived. They live long enough to make interstellar flights at sub-light speeds, and may live millions or even billions of years, perhaps as long as stars. They do not appear to reproduce naturally, and are likely manufactured by their masters.
Powers & Abilities[]
While not fighters, rhu-chaliks still have dangerous magical and psychic abilities. They are constantly protected by an invisible, magical force field, and are able to read minds and turn invisible at will. With more effort, they can also modify memories. Rhu-chaliks can bombard minds they have recently read with visions of their worst nightmares, and can copy the mind of a creature incapacitated in this way in order to beam it to their Dominion masters.
Notes[]
- Rhu-chaliks first appeared in the Lords of Rust adventure's bestiary, released in 2014. Their statistics reappeared in Bestiary 5.