Skelks

A reptilian creature covered in dark green scales. The adult male Skelk is tall and lean with wide shoulders and well defined arms that end in long, clawed fingers. His head is elongated and his teeth are pointy and sharp. 6′3″ in height with a 4′6″ tail is typical of the species with the females being a few inches shorter. Both males and females are hairless.

The Skelks inhabit Marren, a planet in the Cove system. Their 1000 year war with the Mastacors ended when Sprilla was destroyed. In the face of mass death and destruction they declared peace and invited the live peacefully on Marren.

The Skelks and Mastacors are descended from a common ancestor. Though there are many differences between the two in appearance, they have many things in common, especially when it comes to offspring. Both species have children that are hatched from eggs. When they are young, the hatchlings do not look anything like their parents, or like the lizard creatures they will eventually grow up to be. Their bodies are more human-like, with gray skin and hair that covers their entire head. During this stage of their life, adults are able to communicate telepathically with a child while they are sleeping. Once a hatchling goes though the Groening, this connection is broken and cannot be reestablished.

Author’s Note:

I was walking  down 2nd Avenue in Manhattan when the plot for Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow came into my mind and soon after I decided that if i was going to really change things up, then I would need a new villain. General Gauge was born and the more I thought about him, the more important he became to the future of the series. This coupled with a few other major plot points in the book, which I don’t want to spoil, necessitated not only the creation of the Skelks but also an engaging backstory.

There is no doubt that the Skelks were subconsciously influenced by the Skrull in the Marvel Universe but the similar names was completely coincidental.