Sons of the Scorpion
A terrible boon, and an even more terrible price.
Out in the Great Dune Sea, in a region of shifting sands and nauseating heat far East of Al-Jaran, lies The Scorpion and Its Children. Revered by some as an Aspect of Silvanus, this massive creature, easily the size of an adult dragon, waits, often mostly buried in sand. With claws the size of small houses and a venomous barb large enough to blot out the Sun, the Scorpion-Father is undoubtedly one of the oldest and most difficult to understand entities in Shar. It does not seem to need food, water, sleep, or companionship, and seems entirely unaware of the Daughters of the Scorpion who scurry over and around his vast bulk . In fact, the Scorpion-Father seems quite content to offer its blessings to those who come to it prepared with the most valuable prize, their own minds. And thus are born the Sons of the Scorpion.
In times of great peril, when in need of a protector, a village might send a one of its young men to the Scorpion-Father to perform the ancient ritual: a profane invocation which induces the Scorpion-Father to transform this human offering into a half-scorpion monstrosity.
Following their transformation, Sons of the Scorpion possess terrific Strength and Constitution. If their village needs defending from raiders, it can be defended. If a wild beast is threatening their crops, it can be defeated. If more food is needed to keep the young healthy, it can be taken by force. Though the creature that returns to the village is far more monstrous and repulsive than the one that had left home, it can serve its people faithfully... for a time.
You see, the Scorpion-Father's curse ravages the minds of his Sons, eradicating first their memories, and then their compassion for others. Though they may try to hold onto who they were before, the curse works quickly, and within a year those Sons of the Scorpion not dead by their own hands or by the hands of their families are generally ranging far and wide, eating wild beasts and terrorizing travelers for their rations.
This has lead to their dual and contradictory reputation as both solemn and crazed, sagelike and beastly, principled and psychopathic. Many of the young men who become Sons of the Scorpion do so for good reasons, and many try to take those reasons with them into the future. For a time, some even succeed, but eventually, the Scorpion-Father's curse takes everyone down a road that is drenched in madness and bloodshed.
In times of great peril, when in need of a protector, a village might send a one of its young men to the Scorpion-Father to perform the ancient ritual: a profane invocation which induces the Scorpion-Father to transform this human offering into a half-scorpion monstrosity.
Following their transformation, Sons of the Scorpion possess terrific Strength and Constitution. If their village needs defending from raiders, it can be defended. If a wild beast is threatening their crops, it can be defeated. If more food is needed to keep the young healthy, it can be taken by force. Though the creature that returns to the village is far more monstrous and repulsive than the one that had left home, it can serve its people faithfully... for a time.
You see, the Scorpion-Father's curse ravages the minds of his Sons, eradicating first their memories, and then their compassion for others. Though they may try to hold onto who they were before, the curse works quickly, and within a year those Sons of the Scorpion not dead by their own hands or by the hands of their families are generally ranging far and wide, eating wild beasts and terrorizing travelers for their rations.
This has lead to their dual and contradictory reputation as both solemn and crazed, sagelike and beastly, principled and psychopathic. Many of the young men who become Sons of the Scorpion do so for good reasons, and many try to take those reasons with them into the future. For a time, some even succeed, but eventually, the Scorpion-Father's curse takes everyone down a road that is drenched in madness and bloodshed.
Comments