Kroot

The Kroot are a species of nomadic, bird-like carnivores hailing from the forest world of Pech, most infamous for their unsettling practice of ritual cannibalism. By consuming the flesh of the slain, a Kroot kindred absorbs fragments of genetic potential, guiding its own evolution across generations toward useful forms. A tribe that feasts too long upon beasts may forget itself and slide into savagery; one that hunts with discipline can sculpt itself into a finer weapon of war.

Most widely known as auxiliaries of the T'au Empire, Kroot kindreds sell their spears to whoever pays best, and their loose Kindred bands range far beyond T'au borders. Master Shapers lead each kindred, hoarding lore of which prey yields which gifts and steering the slow work of their bloodline's ascent. They favour ambush from the treetops, loping through the wilderness where heavier armies flounder.

The wider galaxy regards them as little more than gene-thieving scavengers, and the servants of the Imperium name them abominations to be purged. Yet the Kroot endure, patient and adaptable, carrying the memory of a thousand devoured species in their blood. Whether they were uplifted, seeded, or simply the accident of a hungry world, none can say. The Kroot remember only the hunt, and the endless promise of the next meal.