Cherry Scorpion
"Cherry scorpions are cheerful little ones. You'll be find as long as you don't sneeze." "What do you use them for?" "Companions." "Cute." "Bringers of death." "I'm pretty sure you can't use the same creature for both of those reasons." "And I'm pretty sure I can, because I do."
Basic Information
Anatomy
The cherry scorpion has eight legs and two pinchers at the start of its body. Behind it is a long, curved tail with a stinger at the end. Along its body there are between two to four venom sacks that can be delivered via the stinger. The creature is covered in an exoskeleton that sheds at certain times in its life.
Genetics and Reproduction
Most cherry scorpions are raised in a clutch of one egg-layer and several partners. Most clutches are found in caves or other rock formations as opposed to the lone cherry scorpions that keep themselves in the softer sand.
Color seems to be co-dominants, shared between the egg layer and all the other partners that came to take care of the eggs, but other than that it's unsure exactly how genetics and reproduction is handled by the species.
Growth Rate & Stages
Growth rates and stages are calculated by the amount of venom sacks a creature has, the length of it's tail, and the creature's weight. It has less "growth stages" and more "I've experienced times when food was plentiful."
Ecology and Habitats
The optimal environment is the balance of hot and cold in the Crimson Desert, and where the cherry scorpion makes itself a nice nest in the sand. Interaction mostly takes place at night, when the temperature is much cooler than during the day, and when they can "hear" the vibrations of other (tastier) creatures.
When a cherry scorpion wants to be a part of a clutch, it'll either seek one out to join (bringing a gift of food to the others in it) or it'll keep its food and stay in one place, sending out soft cries to let others know it wants company.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Cherry Scorpions need water, sand, meat, and coolness. With all four of those elements they will thrive. While water, coolness, and meat seem to have obvious reasons as to why they're needed, the sand is what the scorpion uses to sleep in, and know that its safe when it rests.
Biological Cycle
Since the weather in the area doesn't change much between hot and cold (no rains, etc.), there is no hibernation. Exoskeletons will shed themselves when there has been enough to eat, and the passage of time can only be seen through the nutrient-limited grow.
Additional Information
Domestication
Cherry scorpions are surprisingly easy to domesticate as long as the person finds a loner or takes the whole clutch. They can be easily trained to take meat and obey simple unspoken/nonverbal commands, such as: go to, come here, venom milking time.
Lifespan
6-9 years
Conservation Status
This species is seen as a pest and there are no measures taken for its survival. In fact, the Crimson Desert is used as as dumping ground for compost and bodies; the White Lotus Hotel staff call it "ecologically friendly" since they dump everything here, but it's more laziness + intimidation (not all the bodies dumped here are alive).
Average Weight
2 oz
Average Length
6.4 cm
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Many of the markings on a cherry scorpion are blendings of different red hues. Every once in a while a scorpion will pop up either completely black or completely white, but even these will have small patches over it with darker hues of white or lighter patches of black.
Patterns look to be unique among scorpions, and there doesn't seem to any connections between those born in a clutch vs. those born in another clutch.
Another part that tends to get lighter with age is the stinger on the tail.
Geographic Distribution
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