Kharzavore

"Citizens of Gielinor, do not fear. We are the Kharzavores, a friendly species. We do not wish to harm you. We come in need. Our ships are currently taking your oil. It is a very large sacrifice to make, but we have something to give in return. Safety from other invaders. You must also welcome us, for we will be descending and using this planet as a base. We will preserve for dark times ahead. If you wish to decline or rebel, then prepare to be obliterated. Any diplomatic meetings are accepted."

- Galvan, Voyage Into Apocalypse

The Kharzavores were a race of conquerers. They were vaguely humanoid, somewhat resembling a spiked up reptilian ape.

The Kharzavores come from the moons of a gas giant named Kharzia. Early on in their evolutionary history by some unknown means they were spread to the other moons, away from their original one, causing their evolutionary paths to take different routes. When they were able to develop space travel and joined to become one single race again, their various abilities from each moon became part of one large gene pool, combining almost all the benefits they had gained. As such they are to breathe in nearly every known atmosphere, and can even hold their breath in a near or total vacuums for limited amounts of time.

Biology and Abilities
Kharzavores have such a large lung capacity, meaning they can breathe in almost any environment and even in space for limited times. They were large and brutish. They are a few inches taller than a human when on all fours and considerably larger when fully erect.

They can also use their spikes as weapons, able to detach them and fire them like poison darts. They walk mainly on fours, but can stand bipedal.

The Kharzavores also rely on oil, as they consume it to survive.

Varieties
Because Kharavores have evolved over a wide range of environments, and are quick to adapt, the race bears no immediately distinguishable uniform characteristics. The most commonly shared traits among Kharzavores are:
 * Large frill leading off the back of the head
 * Armour plating
 * Spikes almost everywhere
 * A scythe-like tail, with two other smaller tails splitting out from the side
 * Carnivorous diet, with a need for consumation of oil at least once a month

However, not all the Kharzavore variations bear these traits. Listed below are various styles that have emerged from the needs of various colonised planets:
 * Omnivorous diet, occasionally oppurtunistic (so it eats anything)
 * Row of large spikes on the top of the head and leading down the back
 * A posture more suited for bipedalism than the more common four-legged gait
 * Inability to stand up on two feet
 * Hooked claws on the hands and feet

Kharzavore strains
Some of the known Kharzavore strains are:

Technology
The Kharzavores started to dwindle in number, so they created their own fleet as part of an elaborate stratagem to preserve their species forever. The fleet is made up of battle freighters, manned by hundreds of Kharzavores.

They can invented oil harvesters. These are spaceships that are spherical and pod-like. When they approach ground, the harvesters can deploy long mechanical legs. Each harvester is equipped with four nozzles, which latch onto the ground and drain the oil in the near vincity. They can store limited amounts of oil, but their tech also lets them teleport excess oil back to the fleet.

Galactic scale
Kharzero Prime, Kharzia's sun, was actually an extremely rare phenomenon of compact nebulae - where a star goes supernova to develop a nebula, but the nebula falls in on it's own weight too, causing a very dense, highly active object to emerge. Due to it's gravitational potency it was one of the most important areas of the Stellar Freightways, because it was used to provide the slingshot effect capable of throwing starships near to the speed of light, necessary for providing important boosts, or activating Plasmascramjets. However despite it's popularity it was rare for ships to travel within a dozen or so light years of the system.

However, after the collapse of the Dak Shipping Guild after the Belt Wars, shipping between different alliances or federations in the galaxy became rare, and it took several millenia to restore the original trade routes. At this point, colonialism was at a new high, and several groups ventured into the Kharzero system, settling on the outer planets, safe from the huge radiation waves that routinely swept the inner system, occasionally touching the moons of Kharzia. (This is believed to be part of the reason why Kharzavores are extremely resistant to radiation.)

The species that colonised the outer system grew to fight each other, and for much of the Kharzavorian evolution the outer system was permeated with space battles which eventually became focal points of early Kharzavore religion. Indeed the Kharzavores were already in space when fighting at the fringes of the system ended. The Kharzavores, timid at first in space exploration made peaceful contact in the new alliance, and were not very important, but later came to dominate this federation and exploded out onto the stellar stage.

Kharzian race history
At some point in their history, Kharzia was drained of atmospheric oil. As the Kharzavores required oil not just for technology but ritually this was a devastating blow to their civilization. Although they experimented with certain other technologies, such as nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and solar power the Kharzavores found that in almost every case oil matched their needs more than any other competitor. As such, the Kharzavores built a fleet to travel to other worlds, and gain more oil.

But in fact, the Kharzavores needed the oil for a greater reason; they consume it and live on it. This is why they are desperate for it.

They made alliances with the Phobiac and the Tyrovah races, who assist the Kharzavores on their oil quest. The Phobiac, compound creatures which were extremely adaptable and very articulate, helped develop the modern Kharzavorian Oil Freighter - the oil extraction arms are inspired by Phobiac tentacle, and some of the largest oil freighters are given Phobiac names as they look very similar to scaled-up versions of their namesakes.

Appearances

 * Voyage Into Apocalypse ( first appearance )

Behind the Scenes
The Kharzavores were slightly based on the Mgalekgolo.