#skorpius

Name: Skorpius [SKOR-pee-uss]

Class: Monster

Subclass: Terrian, Heavyweight

PPL Category: 4 - Very dangerous and hostile to peoples

Forger: Mankind’s Disgrace, Divine of Hate

OVERVIEW

Skorpius are monsters forged by Mankind's Disgrace, the divine of war and hatred. They are shaped like giant scorpions with man-like torsos sprouting in place of the head. Hard chitin plates cover their bodies like natural armor and they're armed with 6 legs, two strong pincers, and a venomous tail.

These fearsome creatures can weigh between 500-700 pounds at adulthood. They are capable of speech, but their ability to reason is extremely limited. Skorpius are not capable of empathy or love for others. Everything they do is to serve themselves.

 LIFE CYCLE

Skorpius are most common in the Serkel Desert. They can be found dwelling in any ruins, but usually they live in special dungeons built by Disgrace’s slaves. At night the skorpius leave their dungeons to hunt for food. They are exclusively carnivorous and will eat any meat they can catch, whether it's from beast or people.

There are no female skorpius. In order to breed, these monsters kidnap women from rural villages and drag them back to their dungeons, where they inject them with their venom. The venom impregnates and puts a spell on the victim, magically binding them to the dungeon so they can't escape.

Over the course of a month, the victim will become sicker and sicker until she lays a red egg and finally dies. Shortly after, a juvenile skorpius hatches and feasts on her corpse. He will take over the dungeon upon his father's death.

If a male is injected with this venom, he will not lay an egg but still suffer poisoning and eventual death. Skorpius venom is highly toxic and even contact with the skin will cause burns. The only way to cure a victim is to soak them in ice. As their body temperature drops, the poison loses its potency and becomes inert.

Unfortunately, ice is hard to come by in the desert. Cold temperatures are also harmful to the skorpius themselves, which is why they never roam outside of hot regions. Conversely, they’re tolerant to extreme heat and can even survive direct contact with flames.

 CULTURE

These monsters are a plague upon Yerim-Mor Kingdom's rural populace. They are universally hated, but hunting them must be done with great care, as they are still children of a powerful divine and few want to invoke his wrath.

Disgrace created the skorpius as an act of terrorism. In recent times he's gone even further by recruiting the monsters into his army, spreading their presence to new areas outside the desert.

TRIVIA

-This creature plays a major role in the short story, Tomb of the Skorpius

-Most of their bodies are covered by hard chitin plates. Their scorpion-like bellies are their weakest point, but hard to access since they stand so low to the ground.

-Their natural lifespan is about 30 years. In old age, their red color dulls to gray and they become too frail to fight off younger skorpius who challenge them. Their populations are self-limiting, as younger generations instinctively kill off the old.

-The skorpius’ bloodlust is so overpowering that they are even known to kill their own allies to sate it. This hyper-aggression is considered the biggest flaw in their design. Even Mankind’s Disgrace cannot lead a battalion with too many skorpius in it, or else they will turn on eachother.

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Masterpost

Questions?