Bhr'garhn

From EUCity Database

The Bhr’garhn were genetically engineered creatures created by the Yuuzhan Vong. Using captured massiffs, some shapers mixed their genetic material with the huge creatures known as Fire Breathers. The bhr’garhn was intended to be used as an anti-personnel weapon, smaller than the Fire Breather but larger than the Fire Spitter.

Characteristics

Like the massiffs they were created from, the bhr’garhn are of the same size and have a toughened layer of skin. In addition to this, their hide has been altered to be resilient in extremely high temperatures. The spines on their back consist of an organic metal, which gives it a more intimidating presence if nothing else. Extra genetic manipulation has also given it enlarged ears, and a horn on its nose for melee combat.

The most notable feature of the bhr’garhn is its ability to breathe fire. While not as powerful or focused like the Fire Breather’s, the bhr’garhn’s flames is slightly more spread out, and has an average range of over two meters. If concentrated enough, the fire from these beasts can burn various objects at a exceedingly fast rate, and melt armor with an equal pace. When a bhr’garhn breathes fire, the flame sac within its gullet will glow orange a few seconds before release. This gives its enemies a fair warning of the imminent danger.

While they are not sentient creatures, bhr’garhn have a long-term memory used to carry out given instructions. With the enhanced senses provided by their massiff counterparts, bhr’garhn could travel alone or in pairs to hunt their enemies on occupied worlds. They are also able to tell when they’re on a planet or on a space vessel. This became detrimental to the Yuuzhan Vong as the beasts preferred to stay on land. The bhr’garhn would become dangerously agitated when they’re off a world and attack anything on sight. However, they will become calm again when returned to a planetary surface.

History

In the early years of their invasion, the Yuuzhan Vong captured a few freighters containing many different wild animals, among them were some massiffs from both Tatooine and Geonosis. Taken to an unknown but recently conquered world, a number of shapers tried different alterations to the massiffs to service them and their gods. One such result was the bhr’garhn, a new flame-spewing creature to act against enemy infantry and ground-based vehicles.

While it was hoped that the bhr’garhn would be used on a long-term basis and broad scale against the New Republic, the creatures’ deadly fear of space travel forced the Yuuhzan Vong to use them at certain worlds. As this limited their time of moving about in the galaxy, the times they fought against their masters’ enemies were few and far between. Despite these complications, the bhr’garhn proved to be very useful in the battles they took part.

One of the notable conflicts they were involved in was the Conquest of Ostefen. The flames of the bhr’garhn burned many forests there, exposing the New Republic resistance for them and the Yuuzhan Vong to attack. Various sorts of combat speeders took on the beasts, but only those vehicles fast enough were able to survive and eventually retreat. The rest, especially the soldiers who fought on foot, were quickly torn apart by the bhr’garhn.

As the final year of the Yuuzhan Vong War began, the New Republic, now known as the Galactic Alliance, joined the Empire in a combined effort to retake Ostefen. The bhr’garhn and their Yuuzhan Vong handlers would fall to this assault, but the lethal animals ensured that their victory was a costly one. Again, many speeders and infantry were nearly wiped out, unlike a contingent of TIE Crawlers, which were completely destroyed. The forests that the bhr’garhn burnt down left large open fields, which later proved to be their undoing. Out in the open, the creatures’ numbers took a sharp drop when numerous Imperial walkers, including the gargantuan AT-ATs, pounded them with one barrage after another. From this and a number of bombing runs, not a single bhr’garhn, or Yuuzhan Vong for that matter, was left alive on Ostefen.

Following the end of the war, it was initially believed that whatever bhr’garhn remaining were transplanted to Zonama Sekot. Decades later, a small number of these beasts were found unattended, but surviving well on the volcanic planet Shola.

Behind the Scenes

The bhr’garhn were inspired by Baragon, a fictional Kaiju from the Godzilla films.