The tkun served the Yuuzhan Vong as a creature of sacrifice. This serpent, with its fur of a crimson hue, provided an alternative to the coufee during prisoner sacrifices, acting more as a strangling device than a stabbing weapon. Despite its compact form, the tkun possessed remarkable strength and could stretch to more than double its usual length. In sacrificial rituals, the tkun would tighten its grip in sync with the rhythm of a drum crustacean, ultimately crushing the throat of the victim and causing asphyxiation. Once incited, the creature would be unstoppable, requiring its own death to save the victim. The tkun's introduction to the Yuuzhan Vong's collection of beasts was relatively new, originating during the war to satisfy Warmaster Tsavong Lah's desire for a method of swift, effective, and "spiritually resonant" individual sacrifices.
Leia Organa Solo faced near-death by a tkun, deployed by the Warmaster on Duro, until her son Jacen intervened and saved her.