Giant Scorpion
Giant Scorpions are insects which have been afflicted by the Blight to grow immense and malevolent. They are usually larger than a farm-wagon in size, with great pincers capable of shearing a man in half, or even large enough to battle a giant.
The scorpion's tail drips an acidic venom which glows slightly with an inner light when it is dark. The light does not resemble anything wholesome, being closer to the witchlights visible above marshes or the illumination of a will-o-wisp. Those struck by the stinger begin to scream in unendurable agony as black streaks appear under their skin, following the paths of their bulging veins as the poison courses through them.
Glossy black or brown carapaces protect the scorpion from attack, and both the smashing strike of the tail and the crushing force of the pincers have been known to break stone. The colour of the carapace blends into the desert where the scorpion lives, and they often partially bury themselves in the sides of sand dunes or on the edges of oases to ambush passing prey.
Giant scorpions have been known to wait in ambush beside a watering-hole used by trade caravans. Striking after the caravan has settled for the night, they will slay several of the caravan's staff and probably several camels or horses, before seizing as many victims as they can carry and scuttling off into the darkness. Several caravans have begun to hire mercenary giants in response, particularly those travelling to or from the Cyclopean Shores, where most giants live. These giants often carry a pair of swords with hooks on the back edges of their tips, allowing them to hook the stinger or pincers out of position then strike in turn. They are often lightly armoured, wearing leather armour at most, as the scorpions' natural weapons can defeat any armour they could wear - mobility and protection from the heat are more important.
The scorpion's tail drips an acidic venom which glows slightly with an inner light when it is dark. The light does not resemble anything wholesome, being closer to the witchlights visible above marshes or the illumination of a will-o-wisp. Those struck by the stinger begin to scream in unendurable agony as black streaks appear under their skin, following the paths of their bulging veins as the poison courses through them.
Glossy black or brown carapaces protect the scorpion from attack, and both the smashing strike of the tail and the crushing force of the pincers have been known to break stone. The colour of the carapace blends into the desert where the scorpion lives, and they often partially bury themselves in the sides of sand dunes or on the edges of oases to ambush passing prey.
Giant scorpions have been known to wait in ambush beside a watering-hole used by trade caravans. Striking after the caravan has settled for the night, they will slay several of the caravan's staff and probably several camels or horses, before seizing as many victims as they can carry and scuttling off into the darkness. Several caravans have begun to hire mercenary giants in response, particularly those travelling to or from the Cyclopean Shores, where most giants live. These giants often carry a pair of swords with hooks on the back edges of their tips, allowing them to hook the stinger or pincers out of position then strike in turn. They are often lightly armoured, wearing leather armour at most, as the scorpions' natural weapons can defeat any armour they could wear - mobility and protection from the heat are more important.
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