Horax/Legends

"Something's startling these creatures." "And it's not us." "I feel it too." "A disturbance&hellip; I've got a bad feeling about this."

- Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi upon their arrival on Nelvaan

Horaxes were large reptilian creatures native to the Outer Rim planet of Nelvaan. They could grow over fifteen meters tall and were extremely dangerous. Solitary and territorial, horaxes only gathered in pairs for mating purposes or to fight over territory. The scales of the horaxes' tails were used by the Nelvaanian locals to make a special elixir, the scent of which could drive horaxes away for an entire year. During the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the horax population began to decline due to climate change caused by a local siphon generator operated by the Techno Union. In 19 BBY, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker killed a horax after being attacked, disrupting the initiation ritual of a young Nelvaanian boy in the process.

Biology and appearance
Horaxes were large reptiles native to the Outer Rim planet of Nelvaan. The quadrupedal creatures were capable of growing to heights of over fifteen meters, thanks to the low gravity of their homeworld. Their powerfully muscled frames were covered in thick, knobby, blue skin, and they had reddish-orange eyes. The mouth of the horax contained many very sharp teeth, the most prominent being the four enormous saber-like fangs that protruded from its maw. At the end of the beasts' snouts was a pair of shovel-like horns used to uproot entire trees and split open siltcrawler burrows, revealing entire hibernating colonies to be eaten. The tail of a horax was long and heavy, lined with sharp spurs, and concluded with a club made of dense bone. The tail was also covered in scales.

Behavior
The carnivorous horaxes were solitary creatures, choosing to live their lives alone. They were also not sentient and were very territorial, using their fangs, horns, and clubbed tails to fight each other for territory and only gathering in pairs to mate.

History
Some time prior to 19 BBY, the Nelvaanian inhabitants of the horaxes' homeworld discovered that a special elixir could be made from horax tail scales, the scent of which would repel the massive beasts for an entire year. It eventually became a customary coming-of-age ritual for young Nelvaanian boys to venture out into the forests and bring back a scale from the tail of a horax, granting them a place among the highest warrior ranks. During the galaxy-spanning Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Confederacy-aligned Techno Union built a laboratory that operated off a siphon generator that drained the vicinity of thermal energy. This plunged the planet into an ice age that caused many horaxes to die, reducing the population to scarcity.

In the year 19 BBY, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker were sent to Nelvaan in search of the notorious General Grievous of the Separatist Droid Army. Upon arrival, Skywalker, Kenobi, and their clone trooper forces were attacked by a horax, resulting in the death of all the clones. However, Skywalker managed to kill the horax, though in the process disrupting the coming-of-age ritual of a young Nelvaanian boy. After being taken to the locals' village of Rokrul, Skywalker was sent to destroy the Techno Union base, as the Nelvaanian Shaman Orvos had determined that Skywalker was the Holt Kazed, or "Ghost Hand." While traveling through a cave on the way to the base, Skywalker came upon some cave drawings, some of which depicted horaxes. Skywalker then experienced a Force vision of the future where the paintings told the story of a Nelvaanian male with a powerful arm destroying enemies, one being a horax attacking his village.

Behind the scenes
The horax made its first and only appearances in the 2003–2005 animated television microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars. It was featured in Chapter 22 of the show, and again in wall paintings in Chapter 24. Much of the monster was drawn by Mike Kim. The horax was first named in the audio commentary on the Volume Two DVD. The horax was included in the Wizards of the Coast Saga Edition roleplaying game.