Maungurs were predatory beasts that were only known from Rishii legends.
They were said to inhabit the extreme polar regions of the otherwise mostly-warm planet Rishi — and within that region, they stuck to the warmer valleys, avoiding the highlands where the Rishii people lived. Only in the warm season would they venture to the higher altitudes. However, for unknown reasons, the maungurs avoided wandering into the more temperate latitudes of the planet.[1]
The maungurs walked bipedally and stood at three meters tall, but instead of paws or hands, their forarms ended with whips of strong, flexible cartilage, called kithaji or limb-tails. The Rishii said that one hit from a kithaj could eviscerate a being, indicating that they must have ended with tiny claws or sharp hooks. Their skin was thick and brown or black. Their lower arms and legs had tufts of red hair, and black spikes dotted their spines. Their mouths ended in a sharp, grey beak. Their main food was the herbivorous khi'r.[1]
The Rishii both feared and revered the maungurs: the name of the species signified "a spirit of violent, senseless conflict that can't be reasoned with." Maungurs were relentless hunters, and once they had prey in sight could stalk it for days or weeks. When the Rishii feared a maungur attack, they would abandon their home nests rather than risk a direct confrontation. Yet the Rishii also considered the maungurs holy. They avoided speaking about them directly, and to kill one would be a grave offense. Some non-Rishii colonists settled in valleys known to be the haunts of maungurs. Some of these colonies reported nighttime attacks, but they all were able to drive the attackers off; this might contradict the Rishii legends about the creatures' tenacity.[1]
Sources
"Creatures Preview" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 4 (First mentioned)
