Lord (veermok)

"Their dominant member was a dark-striped male, large and battle-scarred, to whom I gave the name Lord."

- Wilhuff Tarkin describes Lord

Lord was the alpha male of a troop of Eriadu Veermok which inhabited an area of the Carrion Plateau region of the planet Eriadu that centered around the hill known as the Spike. The Human Wilhuff Tarkin encountered Lord and his troop while completing the final task in a series of tests he was set on the plateau by his family. Tarkin, who had to survive a full day on the Spike, made himself known to another Veermok, who he named Shadow, and learned the troop's routines. When the day came for Tarkin to climb the Spike, he ascended while the veermok slept. When Lord found the Human he became angry, but was quickly distracted by a group of veermok who followed Shadow. Shadow's troops then turned on Lord and killed him, after which Tarkin killed Shadow, confusing the group and allowing him to escape.

Biography
"I glanced at Shadow in time to hear him issue a low, warbling groan, and at once the young males turned on Lord with teeth and claws set to one purpose. For a moment the old veermok champion seemed too confused to respond, almost as if the communal attack violated their code of behavior, some etiquette particular to the species. Quickly, though, he realized that he had to fight for his life, and he gave himself over to defending himself, killing three of the young males before the rest finally got the better of him."

- Tarkin describes Lord's demise

A male member of the species of veermok native to the planet Eriadu ruled as the dominant male of a troop of one hundred other veermoks in the Carrion Plateau region of the planet during the final decades of the Galactic Republic's rule. The troop's territory centered on a hill known as the Spire which was surrounded by savannah and patches of woodland. Each night the veermok and his troop would venture out of the hill caves they lived in and engage in a communal hunt, after which they would feast on their kill either where they caught it or back in their caves. During the day the males of the troop would move to the tip of the Spire and lounge there, only coming down at mid-afternoon for a drink from a nearby watering hole.

During the veermok's time as alpha male, his troop came under observation by Wilhuff Tarkin, a young Human whose family owned the plateau including the veermok's territory. As a male member of the Tarkin line, Wilhuff had been tasked with spending long periods of time surviving on the plateau and as his final test had been told he must spend a full day on the Spike. Knowing that the veermoks would be the main obstacle he faced in surviving his ordeal, Tarkin set about learning how to best them and while watching named the dominant male Lord. The Human observed Lord being challenged regularly by other males, but on each occasion the dominant emerged victorious, sometimes killing his foe but often letting them remain in the pack. While Tarkin watched, a younger male veermok with a following of its own, who the Human named Shadow, often followed Lord at a respectful distance and tried to learn from the dominant male. Lord would sometimes tolerate Shadow and his followers, who retreated if the dominant even looked at them, and sometimes chase them away. To prepare for his day on the Spike, Tarkin attempted to befriend Shadow and his followers, who usually chased him away if he entered their territory, and dug a series of pit falls on his escape route. Then on the day of his attempt, Tarkin made his way to the top of the Spike while the veermoks slept in their caves. When the other male veermok arrived and found Tarkin out of their reach, as the creatures could not climb the Spire, they became agitated and hopped around in agitation, waiting for Lord.

When the dominant male arrived he barked loudly at Tarkin, but before he could act further Shadow's followers began trying to ascend the Spike, some feinting attempts while others scrambled as high as they could. Lord attempted to control the younger males by swatting at them and drawing blood from a few. Shadow then issued a call which prompted his followers to turn and attack Lord, who was initially surprised by the trick, but began to defend himself and killed three of the males before he succumbed to the onslaught and died. Following the dominant's death, Shadow assumed leadership, but was almost immediately killed by Tarkin, who hurled a vibro-lance into the new leader's chest. Following the loss of two leaders in quick succession, the remaining veermoks no longer challenged Tarkin, and allowed him to escape from the Spire when he descended. Tarkin would later tell the Sith Lord Darth Vader the tale of he, Shadow and Lord while the pair hunted for a rebel cell that had stolen Tarkin's ship, the Carrion Spike.

Personality and traits
"Lord was teaching the weaker males, aware that he would eventually have to yield his position for the sake of the troop. The rest understood this and as a result followed his lead in all matters."

- Tarkin tells Darth Vader about the challenges against Lord

Lord was a large veermok with dark stripes and, by the time of Tarkin's observations, many scars. When other males challenged the dominant, he fought to train the younger individuals, aware that he would one day have to yield his position to one of them for the sake of the troop. When Lord first discovered Tarkin atop the Spike, he stared at him with fury and what the Human believed to be hatred for causing a problem so early in the day. The dominant veermok was then sent into a rage once Shadow's followers began attacking and he became desperate to restore order. When the other veermok turned on him he was at first to shocked to respond; in Tarkin's eyes it seemed the veermok couldn't believe that some kind of etiquette or code of behavior had been violated.

Behind the scenes
Lord was first mentioned in the 2014 James Luceno novel Tarkin.

Appearances

 * Tarkin