An'Tak

Of all the xenoform races, none are as intimidating as the An'Tak. They are a monstrous race, standing at nine foot tall at least and almost as broad. Their leathery skin ranges from a light tan, through a burnt oak to coal black and are intermittently plated with hardened bone segments on their forearms, chest and legs. They are much stronger and tougher than humans, and often fitter and faster thanks to their turbulent evolution. Their favourite human import is of course alcohol, chiefly lager, which renders them drunk enough to start taking clothes off after about half a pint. An'Taks on Earth can always find work as hired muscle for some sorcerer or vampire as they are tough as nails and extremely vicious when they get going. An'Taks also pick up technical skills at a surprisingly fast rate, a scarcely tapped niche in most places.


Born in a brutal world full of savage animals and savager weather, the An'Tak fought and clawed their way to the top of the food chain as the emergent sentient race. They are a monstrous race, standing at nine foot tall at least and perhaps as broad. Their leathery skin ranges from a light tan, through a burnt oak to coal black and are intermittently plated with hardened bone segments on their forearms, chest and legs. Their muscles grow exponentially through adolescence, making all An'Taks extremely strong and fast compared to humans, which they relied on under constant threat from murderous wildlife through their evolution. As a result of this, they are expert hunters and second to none in squad-based tactics. Their ways are direct, subtle and brutal, and this carries over to their culture at large. They are certainly not considered bright by the standards of other races, especially compared to Shrekes, but they certainly have their own talents. As well as great fighting ability and muscle, An'Tak are fervent constructors and love nothing more than working either together to create something huge, or alone as a hobby to make something fantastic by themselves. Smallish towns with massive buildings both for habitation and industry are common on An'Tak plains.

An'Tak have been in contact with the occult community on Earth since at least Viking times. On Earth they mainly serve shady sorcerers as hired goons in exchange for loot which they eventually take back home. Amongst the human inventions that have become popular amongst An'Taks are guns, plumbing, electronics and lager. Since An'Taks have a severe overreaction to alcohol the lager they brew and distribute is much, much weaker than ours. This has the amusing effect of causing 'tough guys' who can drink gallons of the stuff in their world thinking they can out-drink any human and then collapsing after drinking less than a pint.

The only kind of magick An'Taks practice is a sort of shamanistic ritualism, practiced mainly by spiritual elders who are often heads of townships because of their wisdom and experience. Any kind of large ritual is often a community event, and most community events often include a ritual. Their magick is cheifly concerned with weather, animals, and introspection of heroes.

An'Tak are so tough perhaps because of what they are forced to eat. Their livestock includes many vicious animals, such as saber-toothed boars and mammoths that shoot fire from their nostrils, but none of these compare to the dangers (and succulence) of the Marakath'cha. Brutal, malevolent and always furious, these bovine monstrosities are as large as a human house, and about as smart. They try and kill anything they come across, except for potential mates, which they sometimes just kill anyway. Since they gorge themselves on the fast growing supernatural plant Kathbu'cha, they are capable of vomiting a tide of molten metal on their victims before they rip them apart. Reading the aura of a Marakath'cha reveals that it is a being of darkness. The meat from these beasts is highly prized, though not uncommon in An'Tak markets as hunting them is huge business. The milk of most livestock animals the an'tak cultivate, especially that of the Marakath'cha is abnormally high in calcium. This enriches the distinctive bony plates of their race. Milk in other worlds contains only some of the calcium present in An'Tak cooking, therefore An'Taks on Earth chug back cow's milk like there's no tomorrow. Considering that they're often mercenaries and it weakens their bony hide, there probably will.

The An'Tak military is straightforward and tribal. It is organised into four ranks: Footman, Soldier and Chief, and Warlord. Each rank contains mainly mundane fighters, with the odd couple of magick users, hunters and others known as specialists. Everyone within a rank is considered equal in the eyes of the army, though inequalities in skill are often accepted and used. Instead of being organised into squads led by a sergeant, An'Tak squads often number fifty to one hundred and are led by a council of three to six of the rank above. For example, a typical backbone squad of an An'Tak army contains 70 footmen, 5 hunstmen, 4 warriors and an acolyte shaman (which is ranked at warrior level) to form a squad of 80.

Footmen are normal An'Tak, who are part-time military, and part-time civilians. These are often militia, citizen defenders, territorial army types, or when times are tough, conscripts. This is also the training ground for full-time footmen who quickly become warriors. Guild huntsmen and smiths are also of this rank.
Warriors are career soldiers, who live to fight and serve. In peace times they are often found training, policing civilians or aiding construction work. During wartime they are placed in charge of footmen squads or in elite warrior squads that bring mayhem and death to the fool who dares stand in their way. Veteran huntsmen, smiths and acolyte shamans are also of this rank.
Chiefs are few in number, and direct the strategic efforts of An'Tak warfare. They are the most brutal warriors, the most cunning huntsmen and some are fully-fledged shamans. During theta wars and 2059, top engineers are of this rank.
Warlords lead entire armies of An'Tak, and are the sole 'despot' of most given armies, however some an'tak regions are so large and populated that there may be up to five acting as a council. These are some of the most powerful and terrifying individuals in existence; one An'tak legend describes a warlord of past times who came to blows with an angel and won after a long battle after which he tore its head off and placed it on a pike. This pike was mounted in the middle of a prominent city and can still be seen today with the skull hanging off it, immaculately clean. While the credibility of this may be doubted, warlords are warriors capable of taking on legions of lesser mortals, shamans that can raise islands and cover the world in storms, and hunters who can train and slay the most ferocious of extraplanar beasts.

The An'Tak tend to look up to humans, despite being much bigger. While comparatively weak and flimsy, it becomes apparent to An'tak that even the lowliest civilians are each as wise as a shaman, and there are a great deal more even wiser than that. They also admire human's fire and courage in the face of danger. An'Tak by and large are irked Phantoms as they are put off by their uppity nature and affinity for pointless finery, but will happily co-operate with them if it's the way the cookie crumbles. The few who can put their differences aside with the phantoms go on to become fantastic teams. Humans are often called to mediate Phantom-An'tak interactions within teams and otherwise.

The An'Tak do not get on at all well with the Shrekes. They are disgusted by the universally cowardly, sniveling and underhanded ways, and disapprove of the way they flout their perverted forms of magick. When forced to work together (a situation which is extremely hard to manufacture) they will both disagree about anything and everything, and will at some point end up coming to blows. An'Tak hold a mutual respect for the Juvaani, but find their ways too regimented and stiff.

An'Taks in the Hughniverse:
Korokar - A free agent engineer in the year 2059.