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At a glance
The Catachan Devil is the most feared predator on Catachan, a world where almost everything is trying to kill you. It is a giant scorpion-like arthropod with a long, segmented body, many pairs of legs and a venomous barbed tail that curves forward over its back. A fully grown Devil can reach thirty metres in length and carry up to thirty pairs of legs. It moves through dense jungle with frightening speed and silence, and it kills almost anything it catches.
The Catachans respect the Devil more than any other creature on their world. Killing one is a rite of passage. Their famous combat knives are named after it, and so are some of their deadliest soldiers. When a regiment of the Astra Militarum raised on Catachan calls itself the Devils, it is claiming the reputation of the beast that taught their ancestors how to survive.
The Imperium has tried to make use of the Devil's killing power. It has never managed to tame or train one, but Devils have been deliberately introduced to some Imperial worlds as a defence against invaders. Inevitably, some have escaped. There are rumours of Devil nests in the undercities of hive worlds and in the jungles of colonies far from Catachan.
Anatomy
A Catachan Devil's body is built from a chain of segments, each carrying a pair of legs. As the creature grows, it adds more segments and more legs. Its head is small and pointed, with luminous green eyes. Its long tail ends in a poisoned barb that it uses to sting prey into stillness.
The killing tools
- Claws: its forelegs end in razor claws that shred flesh.
- Tail barb: a venomous sting that arcs forward over the back to strike prey in front of it.
- Mouth tentacles: short tentacles around the maw carry arrays of stinging cells that paralyse victims.
- Extendable mouth: the jaws can extend outwards, and the lateral mandibles are lined with bony hooks rather than teeth, tearing meat from the bone.
Older males develop grossly enlarged front claws, like those of a giant scorpion. Catachans call these beasts Fiddlers, and they are the deadliest of all Devils.
Behaviour & nests
Catachan Devils are territorial, yet surprisingly social. They live in nesting groups that include several large adults and a few dozen younger creatures called Devilspawn. Devilspawn are smaller and weaker than adults, but they can burrow underground and ambush prey from below. Both adults and young blend into the foliage silently and swiftly, and they are almost invisible to the naked eye until they strike.
When a nest is threatened, the whole group comes together to defend it. Rival Devils, colonists, other predators and even Imperial Guard tank companies have been attacked by entire nests. A Devil nest that feels its territory is threatened will hunt the intruders relentlessly.
How a Devil hunts
A Devil hunts by stealth, speed and venom. It glides through the undergrowth without a sound, closes on its prey, and strikes with claws and tail together. The venom causes paralysis, and the stinging tentacles around its mouth finish the job. It then extends its mouth and uses its hooked mandibles to rip the meat away. Victims are often still alive when it begins to feed.
Origins & theories
Xenobiologists have argued about where the Catachan Devil came from. It resembles some Tyranid organisms, especially the Ravener and the Ripper, and some scholars claim that it descends from Tyranid vanguard organisms that were left behind and evolved to survive on their own. Others believe it is simply a product of Catachan's savage ecosystem. No proof either way has been accepted by the Magi Biologis, and Catachans do not care. To them it is simply the Devil.
The Devil was first encountered by the Imperium during the Great Crusade, when it caused serious problems for Imperial forces. Heavy war machines were brought in to deal with the beasts, and super-heavy tanks such as the Glaive proved their worth there. Even so, the Devils were never wiped out. They remain part of Catachan's ecosystem to this day.
A predator of the green hell
Catachan's jungles are packed with lethal life: carnivorous plants, venomous insects, barking toads, flesh-eating vines and diseases that kill in hours. The Devil sits at the top of this food chain. Almost nothing on the planet hunts an adult Devil except another Devil, and the creature's need for huge amounts of meat drives it to range widely through its territory. Catachan settlers learned to read its signs early: a sudden silence in the canopy, flattened undergrowth in a long winding track, leaves stripped from low branches by the passage of its many legs. Those who ignored the signs rarely lived to learn from the mistake.
The Devil and the Catachans
Catachan's people grow up surrounded by predators, poisonous plants and diseases, and they learn to survive almost from birth. The Catachan Devil is the most famous of these dangers, and it shapes the culture of the planet in many ways.
- Rites of passage: killing a Devil is a mark of adulthood and courage.
- Weapons and warriors: Catachans have named both their most fearsome knives and their deadliest soldiers after the beast.
- Regiments: Catachan regiments often take names associated with the beast, and their reputation as jungle fighters is linked to it.
- Lore: stories of Devil hunts are told around campfires, and the scars from Devil attacks are worn proudly.
Famous Catachans such as Sly Marbo learned their craft in jungles where Devils hunt, and the Catachan way of war, built on ambushes, traps, silence and patience, mirrors the Devil's own methods.
The Devil beyond Catachan
The Imperium has introduced Catachan Devils to other worlds as a defence. The idea is simple: invaders who land on a world infested with Devils will be weakened before they reach the defenders. The reality has been mixed. Devils cannot be controlled, and they attack Imperial citizens just as readily as invaders. Escaped Devils have been reported on hive worlds and colonies across the Imperium, where they nest in sumps, ducts and ruins.
The danger is not only the adults. Devilspawn burrow and hide, and a single nest can produce many young. Once established, a Devil population is extremely difficult to remove.
Fighting the Devil
- Never move alone in Devil territory.
- Watch the ground for Devilspawn burrows.
- Use flamers and heavy weapons; lasgun fire barely slows a large Devil.
- Avoid nests; a disturbed nest attacks as a group.
- Call for armour; since the Great Crusade, heavy tanks have been the surest answer to a hunting Devil.
Trivia
- A Devil grows more segments and legs as it ages, so its size reveals its age.
- Older males with enlarged claws are called Fiddlers by Catachans.
- Some xenologists believe the Devil is related to Tyranids, but this has never been proven.
- The Catachan Devil's name has been adopted for weapons, units and even individual soldiers on Catachan.
- Despite many attempts, the Devil has never been domesticated.
