 The nature of the parasite is, by its definition, revolting. To be a thing that only subsists upon the works and efforts of another for its survival is rightly abhorrent, and the very thought of such should come with nothing short of derision, to those of us loyal to the truest maxims of the god emperor's worship. By his efforts and the efforts of literally uncountable humanity, has our species been raised to its rightful place as rulers amongst the heavens, but there yet exist others, others that cling to the shadows, squatting in the filth and praying upon whatever they may set their disgusting appendages upon. That we must acknowledge them is a necessity one truly loads, but if understanding may deliver their eventual end, then it is a price that I am fully happy to pay. To that end, know then that this is a record of the crawling shadows, the decaying filth that cling to existence where we cannot discern them, the Xenos species known as the Hrud. The Hrud, or Truglidium heruri by Highgothic, are technically classified by the Inquisition as a Xenos Minoris race, a lesser species amongst the span of the galaxy's vilest, but they remain despite this utterly unique in both their threat and their hideousness. What little is known about them paints a picture of an ancient and mysterious race whose mastery over eldritch biology allows them to carve a small but fastidious place within the proverbial galactic food chain. Our scavengers, remnants, filthy half things clinging to the fringes of better societies for the sake of their own paltry survival, but remain disgustingly persistent in their existence tens of thousands of years after humanity first encountered them. Records upon the nature and culture of this species are scant for reasons that shall become obvious as this record proceeds, but to begin it is best we examine the Xenos's base biology per the autopsy report of a Majos biologist, Charles Darvis of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Hrud do not possess a skeleton per se, with their endoskeletal structure instead resembling the human spine. Multiple vertebrae-esque formations are encased within muscular columns, allowing every limb to be extraordinarily prehensile. You do not function as a tentacle may, however, as the vertebrae can lock into position should load bearing arrangement be needed. The manipulatory limbs all end in a quadrilateral digit arrangement, negating the need for the opposable thumb present in species such as humanity, the aeldari or the orc. At the time of the Majos' autopsy, cause of death in this case is noted as being forced cyanide ingestion, one of the most disturbing facets of the Hrud body had already set in, post-mortem liquefaction. Upon point of death, Hrud's entire cellular structure begins an immediate and stunningly rapid disintegration. Owing to this, absolutely nothing could be deemed of internal organ function or arrangement, as the body cavity beyond the bone analogues had undergone liquefaction, including what was presumed to have been the reproductive womb located beneath the underdeveloped tail. However, the diligent Majos was able to conclude that there were in fact different degrees to the future faction, with the internal biology and dermis layer having degraded at apparently different rates. Conclusion drawn is that the Hrud have a functional biological core to their body that is deliberately surrounded with decaying matter, multiple layers of their own dead skin melded with artificially produced waste products and necrotic tissues of other perhaps more esoteric origin. In practical terms, it is postulated that this not only provides heating, as a disturbing organic composting effect occurs due to the sheer number of bacteria present, but also serves as a layer of biological ablative armor for protection. The latter aspect is further highlighted by the presence of external silicate plates upon the shoulders and upper arms of the subject, that have a far higher presence of aggressive bacteria and toxins than the already active necrotic outer layers. It appears that the Hrud are able to divert the most harmful of their toxic dermal decomposition products to these plates, wherein they liquefy and are channeled to the arms and digits, presumably for self-defense or perhaps hunting. The silicate resin present in these ridges also appears to form the casing of the skull, which in its form is roughly analogous to humans, possessing two ocular organs, a mouth or factory organs. These latter were liquefied, but the Majos noted that the nasal cavity they were present in was far smaller than average for a creature of its size, this indicating a poor sense of smell. Unaffected by the liquefaction, however, were the ocular organs, which while possessing none of the conical photoreceptors found in humans, had an enormous number of spiral rod stacks, all pointing to a being that possesses little to no color vision, but a literally inhuman sensitivity to light, with a visual range that may extend into wavelengths of the spectrum far beyond our own. In all, even a cursory examination of an admittedly rare specimen such as this reveals a clear conclusion. A life form immensely well adapted to subterranean troglodytic life, with a limited scent but superior dark vision, common amongst other nocturnal creatures, as well as an incredible range of 360 degree movement, as well as the ability to process and enhance its own capabilities with the decaying organic matter common in the darkest and foulest places of the galaxy. What none of this explains, however, is the most bizarre and indeed disturbing facet of Rudd biology, even for a species that cloaks itself in detritus and literally rotting matter. The Rudd is a creature that can control time itself. By means either biological, technological or a damnable fusion of the two, every Rudd affects a disturbance to the localized space-time in its volume, causing it to, for want of a perhaps better word, quicken. These vile Xenos affect the very fabric of reality, utilizing intentionally or not the flow of time itself to speed up the decay of that which is close to them towards entropy. It would appear that, given the evidence of Majos Darvas and isolated reports from other sources, individually the only being affected is the Rudd itself. They have been recorded as being impossible to visually discern while living, appearing instead as either a murky blur or subtly shifting shadow during movement, or being literally invisible to the naked eye while stationary. This visual effect has been theorized by members of the biologists and the Ordos Xenos as being the direct result of their chronological displacement, that due to the quickening of time around, or I suppose in them, that the visual spectrum of humanity simply cannot discern their image as they are existing in too many places along their own timeline to properly interact with. By the ancient combat records of the fourth legion iron warriors, before their fall to the dark gods, we know that this produces a noticeable heat bleed, as one supposes the relationship between thermodynamics and entropy being violated in such a local and extreme fashion must create a large amount of energy that simply must go somewhere. The energy dissipating as heat was recorded by the iron fourth as being the only reliable way of discerning their presence visually, utilizing equipment to enhance a soldier's range of vision. This bleed is however only noticeable if one is looking for it, and given the Rudd's natures as scavengers and lurking things, they readily and effectively utilize their lack of visual presence to remain completely undetected should they choose. It should be noted that the habitats favored by small numbers of these creatures, such as manufacturers, starships, mines, or waste facilities, are often dark enough and produce so much heat by product that it would simply be impossible to detect them without the most strident of investigations. Indeed, the persistent bogeymen myths and urban legends present galaxy-wide can often be attributed to the Rudd, especially aboard ship, where superstitions are common amongst the rating populations below decks. These crewmen are often heard talking about the bendies, shadowy figures in the depths of the ship, known for their occasional heaving and perennial existence just out of one sight. Given both the aforementioned talk of Rudd biology and their migratory habits yet to be discussed, that these rumors are in fact the result of the parasitic Xenos infestation is undoubtedly the case. Where the danger of the Rudd's chrono field is seen most terrifically is when they gather in numbers. As noted, an individual Rudd's effect upon localized space-time is minimal and usually personal, but this effect compounds and does so exponentially. The heat is generally the first sign of a large group of Rudd, as the temperature in the area spikes noticeably from their energy bleeds as they amalgamate. This is then followed by what can only be described as a form of entropic field, which by combat accounts can be readily focused to terrible effect. Whatever is caught in the field is aged to the point of its chronological end point with stunning rapidity. Metal corrodes and oxidizes. Machinery breaks almost immediately as its parts fracture under the rending of their lifespans. Chemicals spike uncontrollably as different constituent parts age at different rates, causing uncontrolled reactions. But upon flesh is the most visceral toll reaped. For organic matter passes through its biological lifespan in minutes, even seconds. A hail and hearty youth may become an adult and then a crippled geriatric in the blink of an eye, their muscles withering and skin becoming liver spotted, all before their bones simply turn to dust as liquid necrotic tissue sloths off them. The effects of this field have apparently no full counter-measure, save for the death of the rod causing it. The adeptus mechanicus has yet to deploy a stable technological equivalent beyond combat rigged stasis devices with a minimal long-term efficacy, and while one does not suppose to presume that it is beyond their reach or the omnisias, the complete collapse of the field upon death has proven to make the study of it incredibly difficult. Likewise, the capture of herud in sufficient quantities to affect a better study of the combined field effect is impossible, as they simply decay to dust whatever and wherever is used to capture and contain them. The maddening obscurity of the xenos extends further, causing one to naturally question why this has no effect on their own habitats and technology. While their outer layers of necrotic tissue are doubtlessly a byproduct of the chrono field, herud have, again by records of the iron warriors, been shown to be fastidious burrowers, creating glass smooth tunnels of all sizes below ground, knitting together to form vast warrens. What is curious is that their entropic nature does not appear to damage these tunnels. Indeed, per great crusade era Astartesvid captures, they even create not unsophisticated areas in these tunnels, forming often vast subterranean cities, with everything from living quarters to libraries. That the touch of their own nature does not corrupt this can, I suppose, only be accepted for what it is, an inconsistency that points to a mastery over their own biology. Evolution, if they are indeed the product of it, would long ago have done away with the species who could not control such a thing, as the rud are still demonstrably biological and require many of the things all biological entities require, such as sustenance. It is all being said, as the rud population of these cities grow, so too does the entropic effect of their presence, and while their own structures appear immune to its grasp, the surrounding earth is not. As has been demonstrated numerous times throughout the imperium's history, a rud warren will usually reveal itself through a sudden upcharge in unchecked seismic activity, as the lifespan of the very world they exist upon is being accelerated, and unnaturally so. The clashing forces of time and geology produce frequently catastrophic effects. There have been instances where a rud population has reached such a critical mass that the planet itself will simply die, cracking like an egg as its core becomes solid. Its surface long since scoured of all life by the stripping of its magnetic field to the hyper passage of time. This event generally predicates the most catastrophic of all rud-centric events, the migration. Since a rud population has effectively a critical mass, the Xenos appear to be aware of this, and will often seek to preempt the death of their host world by undergoing a form of tribal schism. The only way we know that it is to be tribal in nature is due to the account of a prisoner captured by Inquisitor Rael Breas, a man who by his account had been held as a slave pet of the rud since his childhood. He referred, in great detail, to this schism as the paha in the rud's own debased tongue. Far from being simplistic or even non-sentient scavengers, he claimed the rud possessed deep and vital familial and tribal structures, and that their record keeping, of said, surpassed even that of the adeptus administratum. While one shall ignore such obvious and blatant heresy for what it is, this does corroborate the report of the fourth legion from 999 M-30, wherein survivors of a warren purge noted the violent reaction of the rud therein to the destruction of their library analog, reacting rapidly and decisively to secure what were presumed to have been their records. This all being said, these schisms appear to provide a means for a rud of essentially the same base genetic lineage to branch off and form new familial groups to facilitate these groups departure from the tribe. The captive confirmed that this occurs bloodlessly and rather practically, but the local tribe appearing fundamentally aware that should the paha not occur, it will cost them their home. While this account is fascinating in its own deeply uncomfortable fashion, it is clear that this process is not always undertook, although whether by deliberate choice or simple accident one cannot say. A paha may result in a controlled fracturing, allowing a small enough or several small enough subgroups of the tribe to depart the warren clandestinely and then continuing their parasitic path aboard either spacehawks or the starships of other species unnoticed by their new hosts, but it may equally result in the total loss of the rud planet in the violent and necessary relocation of the mass tribe. When this happens it is an event to shake the fabric of reality. It is still largely mysterious quite how rud mass migrations occur. It has been hypothesized that it is a yet unseen technology they in fact possess used to tunnel through the warp in a similar manner to how they tunnel through stone. Others suggest that owing to the sheer size of the mass tribe, the entropic effect can simply be wielded by the infestation as a whole to burrow through space time itself, negating the use of the immaterial entirely. They have been known in the past to accomplish this using their own starships, although visual evidence of this exists rarely. In many cases they appear to do so without the use of spacecraft, although again how this is accomplished is unknown. Regardless of the how, their destinations are known only to them and, per their parasitic tendencies, they will inevitably attempt to nest upon a previously populated world to better establish their new warren with technology scavenged and adapted from the world's original owners. Such a massive movement of Xenos, not to mention the effect on localized reality, is impossible to ignore and these events are catastrophic to local populations. Cascading time storms tear through cities prior to the advance of the infestation, reducing districts to dust at random before the main horde arrives, flickering shadows barely visible or cloaked figures clad in rags, wielding arcane plasma fusels that spit bolts of plasma matter hotter than suns. There is little to nothing that can stand in the way of such an event, as any military force sent against the Xenos finds its members aged past combat effectiveness in almost an instant. In the past it has even forced the evacuation of Astartes chapter home worlds, as in the case of the Star Phantom chapter in 101 m40. Thus the Rudd continued to be as unto a plague upon the galaxy, albeit one that is, thanks to their Xenos Minoris status, thankfully rare. They are not as lethal as the Aeldari or Drukhari, as omnipresent as the orcs, as all ruining as the Tyrannids, and they even lack the technology of the Necrons. But they remain in their own fashion a severe threat to the safety and security of the Imperium. What infuriates me the most about these creatures is how damnably well adapted they are to their disgusting survival. They scavenge sacred imperial technology and graft it onto their own frames for throne sake. They squat in the foundations of our cities, eking out their lives upon our detritus and effluvia, where it not for us they would have surely perished millennia ago. But what is worse is that their extermination, the most surely righteous fate of the alien, is next to impossible owing to their own hideous biology. How are we to destroy a warren when it can only be detected far far too late? How are we to prevent their propagation and migration when whole familial groups can simply stow away like criminals upon our own ships completely undetected? Their almost instinctual persistence is maddening. Are they even aware of the gifts of their biology? Are they grateful for how their foul frames permit their continued existence despite humanity's manifest destiny as sole inheritors of the galaxy? Unlikely. The alien is forever filth and these oh these far more so. Ave imperator gloria in excelsis terra. 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