In the closing days of the Sino-American War, amidst the escalating demands of the conflict
and dwindling resources on the homefront, each side grew desperate to end the stalemate.
In the United States of America increasingly unusual research projects were undertaken.
What had in the pre-war era been considered nothing more than “mad science” or the
fodder of pulp fiction, were now seen as worthy investments, on even the merest of hope they
might bring victory.
Most would never be deployed to the battlefield, too impractical or costly, while the few that
did would fail to prevent the escalation of the conflict and the nuclear exchange that
followed.
But in the wastelands that emerged from the ends of the Earth, many of these projects
found new functions.
They were worshiped by those ignorant of their true nature, or became the centerpieces of
prominent communities, while others still were used to end petty rivalries, and finally
allowed to achieve their original purpose.
But the legacy of one of the boldest plans to end the Sino-American remains unique.
It exists today having evolved well beyond the dreams of its long-dead designers, as
nothing less than a new form of life that might replace humanity as the dominant species
in the wastelands.
There are few things left in the world that raise greater fears amongst wanderers and
adventures than a secluded ruin shadowy cave, for while 9 in ten are likely empty, the last
may contain… a Deathclaw.
Originally derived from the genetic material of various animals, and three-horned chameleons
in particular, Deathclaws were intended to take the place of human soldiers in the most
deadly of battlefields.
No records exist of their use in the Sino-American War, and it is likely that they never left
the development stage.
Even so, prototype creatures that met the requirements of the project were successfully
created, and they appear to have escaped confinement during Chinese nuclear attacks on American
facilities.
Their artificial resilience, adaptability and ferociousness made them perfectly suited
to the Wasteland, and they quickly spread across the North American continent.
Even within the mutated ecosystems of Post-War America, Deathclaws are clearly an unnatural
species.
They are generally reptilian in appearance, with a rough, scaly hide, and prominent curved
horns, yet they also possess certain human qualities.
They are bipedal and able to walk on two legs, with 5 clawed fingers and opposable thumbs
on each hand.
On average, they grow to 20 feet tall, with some becoming far larger.
Their musculature gives them immense strength, superior speed and incredible resilience when
compared to nearly every other natural form of life.
They have been known to rip armored humans into shreds, chase down automobiles while
on all fours, and regularly survive attacks with blunted or edged weapons.
Only firearms or energy weapons are reliable against their hides, though even these methods
can not guarantee a kill.
Even specially outfitted hunting parties clad in powered armor and equipped with pre-war
armaments are not always successful against a Deathclaw.
What makes Deathclaws especially dangerous and successful hunters however, is their intelligence
and social behavior.
They display cognitive and problem solving abilities roughly on par with a human eight
year old, though some have been estimated to nearly match that of a baseline human adult.
Even Deathclaw young display an unusually high learning capacity and are capable of
abstract thought and reasoning.
Their intelligence has allowed for the development of a complex social structure, and made the
Deathclaws cooperative pack hunters.
Each pack is led by an alpha male and female, and becomes highly territorial once they have
selected a particular hunting ground.
Once a pack claims a territory, they become nearly impossible to forcefully remove.
Killing the alpha male or female typically results in their replacement from within the
lower hierarchy, while killing both pack leaders is not always enough to dislodge the group.
In most cases however, Deathclaws prefer to settle areas well away from human settlements.
Relentless human expansion across the wastelands has ensured contact between the two species
even though both prefer to avoid one another.
Though Deathclaws do not actively seek out humans as prey, they are relentlessly aggressive
when provoked.
They have earned a reputation amongst Wastelanders as the most deadly creature one is likely
to encounter, and afforded a great deal of respect and wariness as a result.
This is not always enough to deter those eager to hunt the Deathclaw, either to remove them
as a potential danger, or to acquire and then trade their enormously nourishing, delicious,
and valuable eggs.
Some however see the Deathclaw as an unfinished tool, and have attempted to further elevate
the species so they might understand and follow certain commands.
The only known successful attempt was made by the Enclave in New California, though these
so called “intelligent deathclaws” soon rebelled and were judged to be too dangerous
to be left alive.
If certain accounts can be believed, then before they were destroyed these Deathclaws
exhibited an ability to speak, and even peacefully coexisted with humans inside an underground
vault.
In the early decades of the post-war world, residents of the Wastelands considered the
Deathclaw to be a supernatural, legendary creature.
Though few were ever seen, isolated settlements traded stories of these monstrous creatures,
conferring upon them the role of devils or avenging ghosts.
As Deathclaws continued to spread across the wastelands, their true nature has slowly become
better understood.
They have entered the common consciousness, not as a malicious evil leftover from the
Old World, but as just another dangerous element of the wastes.
Yet to see them tear apart entire settlements, or emerge unscathed from the most vicious
of blows, it is easy to fall back into the old superstitions.
Many continue to believe that the Deathclaw are nothing less than demons that found their
way out of hell when that hell was unleashed on Earth.
Perhaps, in some way, this is not too far from the truth.