[THE HOLLOW DOCTRINE // ENTRY #044 // CLASS-B ENTITY FILED]
Codename: COVEN MAW
Designated Threat Class: Level 3 – Apex Swarm Engine
Confirmed Kill(s): 17 (5 by Chrome Hunters, 12 by military forces via high-loss operations)
First Encounter: Post-Collapse Year 6
Primary Field Contributor: J. Korran [Hunter #27]
Visual ID / Morphology
Length: Approx. 25–35 meters long
Appearance: Multi-limbed, serpentine body structure; bone-plated exoskeleton with ribbed venting along the flanks
Head Structure: Trilobed jaw plates forming a vertical maw with embedded sensory pits
Distinctive Feature: Body displays corpse mimicry—can disguise itself as a mound of dead human or animal remains
Emission: Low-pitched keening sound, mimics human distress to lure prey
Heat Signature: Difficult to detect—thermal sinks in body mass can suppress temperature for up to 12 minutes
Movement: Fast in tight spaces, erratic on open ground; uses "rolling coil" technique for surprise attacks
Behavioral Notes
Coven Maw is not solitary. Despite its size, it rarely operates alone. It's a hive beacon—attracts smaller Hollowed to clean up after its kills.
Highly intelligent. Has demonstrated terrain manipulation, strategic ambush use, and battlefield memory. Will retreat if injured.
Feeds on spinal fluid, harvested by retractable mandibles. Victims often found hollowed from within.
Uses vocal mimicry to reproduce the last screams of its victims. This is not just a lure—it's communication with others of its kind.
Standard Course of Action
DO NOT ENGAGE IN GROUP FORMATION — The Maw targets cluster formations first.
Never approach from the front. Its frontal sensory web is highly sensitive.
Recommended Entry Point: Rear segment—above thoracic coil. V09 or incendiary blade into spinal conduit cluster.
Time to Kill: 0.5 to 2.5 minutes if executed cleanly. 12+ minutes in open terrain without air support.
Do not attempt conventional suppression fire. Exoskeleton will deflect most rounds. Use baiting maneuvers and vertical angles.
Risk of Regeneration: Moderate. Segmental regeneration possible within 2–3 minutes if left partially wounded.
Level of Danger:HIGH
Avoid unless augmented with Sandevistan-class reflex enhancement, mobility upgrades, and optical targeting suite.
Noted for high Chrome Hunter mortality in early engagements. 3 Hunters lost before kill protocols refined.
Known to induce acute psychological trauma in survivors due to the "scream echo" effect.
Jason's Encounter Log Excerpt (Condensed):
"Rain hitting steel. Overpass slick. Maw was coiled in a pile of corpses—twenty or more, fresh kills. Squad was dead before they knew it was breathing."
"Activated Sandevistan. Moved before its eyes could flicker. Targeted the third rib vent. Dropped a V09 mono-blade through the conduit. It spasmed, split apart like a bag of bone and meat."
"Didn't make a sound. Didn't have time to."
"Extraction team pulled fragments from the kill zone. No survivors but me. Took 0.8 seconds."
"Efficient. Clean. But I dream in that silence now."
Personal Addendum [Encrypted Notes from Jason Korran]
"The Maw isn't just a monster—it's a ritual. Everything about it feels wrong. Like it was built to mourn the things it kills. I don't think it hunts for food. I think it remembers what it was before the Hollowing. That's what scares me."
"Don't fight it unless you have to. You won't be the same after."
Notes from Jason:
"It doesn't chase you. It hunts you like you've already died. And when it screams… it's your voice it uses."
– Jason "Steel Vane" Korran, post-engagement log (survivor: solo)