Vermin Horribilis
The Vermin Horribilis is a list kept by Imperial Navy annalists that documents all of the creatures one might find lurking in the vents, ductwork, or otherwise between the decks of starships. It is continually being updated.[1]
Creatures on the list might be a brand new kind of mutant found only aboard an individual ship at the time of discovery; a species of fauna native to a death world or hive city that has since spread throughout the vessels of an entire battlefleet; or something as humble as the list's very first entry, the Terran rat.[1]
The list includes creatures such as hullghasts - failed mutineers who've since mutated; Gloomhaunts, Maw-flukes; Sinophian Boreworms; Xothic Blood Locusts; and numerous other parasites who are able to survive with little food, light, and water.[1]
Infestations of such creatures can cause supplies to spoil; the spread of disease in the ship; and seemingly random disappearances of crewmembers, so it's important for shipmasters to be able to identify what might be causing these issues if they come up and possibly head to a dockyard to have the ship pumped full of poison to eradicate the beasts.[1]
Sources
- 1: Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus II: The Imperium's Shield, pg. 51
