Introduction and notes[]
“Deer” was a catch all term on Serlendor for all antler bearing animals but the largest of them was the “Primus” Deer, prized to Serlendor hunters due to the difficulty in bringing them down. When a hunter was able to kill one he or she was able to feed an entire family for weeks, while the antlers often became family heirlooms. As such there were strict laws about overhunting these beasts though it can be safely assumed they went extinct when The Kashidaan Cluster was lost to Hive Fleet Erebus in 745.
Biology[]
A Primus Deer was truly immense standing at over two meters with antlers that stretched out to almost three and weighing in at 800 kg when fully grown their size making them immune to most small arms except under concentrated fire. However this hardly ever proved worth it as continued shooting would ruin the hide and meat, the reason they were hunted to begin with.
In addition to their antlers they also possessed thick bones and heavy musculature, enabling them to charge at high speeds and struggle against their rivals without taking serious harm. The oldest recorded Primus Deer was roughly forty years old, however it was also noted that this example was unique, others grew old and died at roughly thirty years of age.
Behavior[]
They were not exactly social animals keeping mostly to their own fiercely defended territories, but during the rut season they became incredibly aggressive defending their harem of females from anyone or anything they saw as an intruder. During this time they would battle rival males, using its enormous antlers to grapple its rivals to the ground or until the rival deer gave up and left.
A wounded Primus Deer would lash out at whatever injured it, willing to sacrificing its own life to kill its target. They are reports of enraged Primus Deer denting Chimera hulls and impaling Orks on their antlers and this behavior would lead the9th Serlendor infantry Regiment to mount antlers on their lead Chimera Skull and Bones and adopt a stylized Primus Deer head as their unit symbol.
Deer Stalker rifle[]
The hunting of the Primus Deer led to the creation of the Serlendor “Deer Stalker” hunting rifle, capable of bringing down any of the larger deer species or an average sized Ork with a single shot. However it traded power for magazine size, each magazine carried only four shots. It quickly became the standard issue rifle of Serlendor snipers as a result, with those snipers wearing deer hide leggings and a necklace made of antler as marks of their status.