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Serqeti
Introduction The Scorpion Demons (otherwise known as 'Serqeti') are a demonic race of scorpion-folk who were able to assume into humanoid forms and were once scorpion spirits condemned into hell. I will use the term 'Serqeti' and 'Scorpion Demons' interchangeably as they are the essentially the same.
Contents 1. History and Origins 2. Racial Traits and Abilities 3. Culture, Society and Politics 4. Gender Diversity 5. Mating/Courtship and Offspring 6. Other Notes
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1. History and Origins Origins The scorpion spirits were once believed to be children of the scorpion Egyptian goddess, Serket. Their ancestry traces way back into million years ago as one of the very first life forms created by the gods. Spirits are animal or elemental beings who are able to cultivate their powers and qi (life energy) into divine levels and assume into humanoid forms. When spirits become corrupted and wayward, they turn into demons.
As time went by, some of the scorpion spirits turned to the path of evil because of greed and corruption offered by the fallen angels. Serket, angered by her condemned children's actions, cast them down to frozen parts of Hell as demons. The very first few scorpion demons formed tribes and factions to protect themselves from other hellish enemies. Though many Serqeti have walked the path of corruption, some still yearned to redeem themselves and become spirits again.
The Black Thread War Many years the scorpion demons lived under the rule of their own queens and chieftains of their tribes, with attacks and small wars from other demons trying to claim their rule over them. Until the day, Shadow Deity, the Aspect/Infinitum of Shadows and negative energy, declared war on Heaven, Hell and Earth. His cult, the Brotherhood of the Black Thread, was led by the Great Serpent demon-god, Apophis and recruited the darkest of gods and archdevils to rally against those who opposed them. Their influence was great, to the point of unstoppable.
Among the cult was Abbadon, the Fallen Angel of Destruction and a Chinese god who managed to conquer and oppress all the Serqeti tribes under their rule. Unable to accept their independence stolen, the scorpion demons waged war against the fallen angel and god. However, many tribes have accepted their rule and joined their faction to fight against their sister tribes. Thus tribes were split into two different factions - One on Abbadon's side, another allied to fight against him.
During the war, a legendary assassin murdered the god and pushed back Abbadon's grasp from his tribe. This gave hope to many tribes who sought to free themselves from Abbadon's oppression and became a turning point between the two factions. After thousands of years, the Black Thread War ended with Shadow Deity sealed away by the gods. However, the civil war between the two faction of Serqeti tribes remains. Abbadon's rule over the scorpion demons still held strong.
The Serqeti Tribal Civil Wars and Now
Civil Wars between Serqeti tribes
are still ongoing even to the present. Many tribes warred not
only because of freeing themselves from Abbadon, but also for
land, resources and beliefs. Until then, another huge war is
prophesized. |
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2. Racial Traits and Abilities
Asides from their demonic traits (e.g. sharp teeth, ability to cast demonic sorcery, soul-draining, sharp ears, etc), the Serqeti are well apt in death, dark, mirror and shadow sorcery. Specially for the assassins, the ability to use shadow sorcery enables them to cloak in darkness and render them invisible. The Serqeti have also been experts in wars and battles over the years of defending themselves in Hell and combat is something mandatory to learn to protect themselves. Serqeti females have shown brutality in their strengths and battles, and the males are deadly and fast.
It has also been said that the scorpion demons are immune to certain toxins and poisons. Their endurance in battles are unmatched and they will not go down without a kill. Even a pregnant Serqeti female could fend herself with no problems and show no mercy in a fight.
Sometimes, they have shown to morph their hands into pedipalps for combat as well or transform their skin into exoskeleton for resilient protection.
Their 'true forms' are either in a form of their real scorpion selves or a giant monstrous form as seen here ( Clicking this link opens a new window.). The scorpion demons are also cannibalistic as natural, asides from feeding on insects. They also feed on flesh and souls of other demons and humans.
As a scorpion demon grows older, he or she becomes more formidable spiritually and physically. The Serqeti views aging as something good and blessed. They could reach on divine levels as they become older and ancient. It is rumored that they could become as powerful as a god or archdevil once they reach of ancient age. Scorpion demons who are very old and reached a certain level of power, have the most luminous eyes of all.
Their humanoid feet are also different and less human. They are seen walking on their two toes (covered in exoskeleton) for better spring on leaping and jumping during combat. This also enables them to run very fast. Walking on flat feet proved to be very awkward for them, it's as uncomfortable as walking on tiptoes for a human.
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| 3. Culture, Society and Politics
Each tribe is ruled by their strongest female, the Queen. It's passed down to daughters though in certain cases, the Queen may choose a worthy heir to her throne. There are very few tribes that are ruled by a male but it's not as favored as a female leader. The scorpion demons only war for resources, expansion of land and their beliefs. Rarely do they ever war for reasons that are not in the best interests of their own tribesmen. Mainly due to the feminine rule, the Serqeti do not war for ambition, hatred or the need to conquer. Like most arachnid races, the scorpion demons are very matriarchal and show much favor for the female sex. Males are seen as the inferior gender, though many tribes are putting in reforms to promote gender equality. Still, the rather backward views and discrimination on males still linger. Females are stronger (and they are -way- taller too) than their male counterparts and are seen more suited for ruling and placed in commanding roles. Thus caste and social class systems between females and males are formed - Females usually take up leadership and heavyweight military classes while males are placed in more inferior or lightweight roles. Nevertheless, there are males who are able to step over the boundaries of the caste and make a rare exception in the military.
Their religion worships usually extend to Egyptian gods such as Serket, Osiris, etc and sometimes even Buddhism or Islamic beliefs. Seers, prophets and priests are highly respected. Sacred grounds and temples are untouched and favored, and often act as neutral territories for tribe meetings. The Serqeti often practice in cultivation of their powers and trying to redeem themselves through good deeds. However, there are more corrupted tribes and they worship Abbadon, the Angel of Destruction. The scorpion demons are based on
middle-eastern culture, mainly Arab, Tuareg, Persian, Malay,
Egyptian and other Islamic cultures. Their fashion and
architectural structures are also based on those cultures.
Depending on tribes, they either live in underground network
cities, nomadic lifestyle or mountainous cities. The Serqeti are
advocates of modesty. Scarves and veils such as ghutras, nihabs,
burqas are often seen worn by males. Females will usually wear
full body armors. |
| 4. Gender Diversity
Females Besides their larger stature, females have simpler natural face markings, usually above their brows or on their foreheads. They are also noticeably voluptuous and bodacious, apt for pregnancy and carrying a lot of offspring. Their beauty has also been said to rival the ones of most beautiful succubi. In the previous section, it has been mentioned that the females are rather matriarchal. Femininity is superior than masculinity, such as mothers are respected, daughters are more favored than sons, females taking up commanding roles, etc. Females take up the leadership caste and take on heavyweight classes such as warriors, commanders, soldiers, huntresses, etc Though in rare cases, an exceptional male could perform in those roles. Their privilege in society also enables them to have as many husbands as they want. The Serqeti females are very conservative and modest, they are often seen clad in full body armor or covered in long dresses. They also keep very long hair to denote their beauty.
Males The males are smaller, sometimes lithe compared to a female. This makes them very suitable for nimble and fast combat. Their natural face markings are bigger and more exaggerated than a female's, sometimes even sprawled over their faces. (See here for a good visual example) Their face markings are considered as a 'beauty mark' in their society and seen as very attractive for the females. (Assassins are very embarrassed by it) Due to their lack of strength and also discriminated for being the lesser sex, male scorpion demons take up lightweight classes such as archers, scouts, infantry, bards, etc. Sometimes more derogatory roles such as assassins and rogues. Since the Serqeti are very modest
demons, males who veil themselves or wear keffiyahs/ghutras are
seen as virtuous, pure and honorable. Not strictly mandatory to
wear, however. |
| 5. Mating/Courtship and Offspring
Females may also take a lot of husbands or own harems. Their mating is said to be rough and can be dangerous at times if a female is disapproval of a male, she may cannibalize him. A female is capable of giving birth to 3 to 8 children at a time and they stick close to their mothers after birth. Scorpion demon children are born with white exoskeleton and pale white hair, and very dependant on their parents. When they grow up, they will mould and gain darker colors as they age to adulthood. When they reach of age, they may become independent from their parents or guardians. |
| 6. Other Notes Assassins - A male-only class formed in clans and led by Assassin princes for taking up jobs on assassinating political figures and powerful demons for their clients. They are considered as a degrading job by the females. Seers/Overseers Requiems (More to come...) |
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Disclaimer: In no way I'm in supportive of extreme feminist or misandry views ;A; I'm sorry if any guys are offended and I certainly do not promote sensitive issues. That's the way my scorpion demons are and it's part of the story's conflict. Also many thanks to Machina/Inazuma for helping me out on the feet sketches! |
The
Serqeti's humanoid forms appear to have very pale skin, usually
of blue, green or sandy brown hues and giving off an icy look.
Their hair colors range from black, reds to earthly sandy colors
as according to their species. The sclera of their eyes often
glow very brightly and their irises are of different color.
Their face markings are solid black, varies from different
individuals, females tend to have their face markings above
their eyebrows or on their foreheads while males have big, more
exaggerated face markings to denote their 'attractiveness'. Face
markings on a male are often seen as a 'beauty mark' in their
society.
The
Serqeti, like normal scorpions, also possess their scorpion
tails (or the metasoma) and are seen all the time out curled up
slightly in a defensive stance. This is normal for a Serqeti to
always be alert of dangers. As they are scorpion demons, they
also can sting and inject venom. The lethality of their venom
range from 'killer-deadly' to only able to sedate people. It
varies from different species of their kind. Their tails are
made up of steel-hard armored exoskeleton and often used in
their kills (sometimes mating).
The
Serqeti are matriarchal and thrive on militarism
ideology. They form different tribes and are split into various
factions based on their beliefs, need for allies and resources,
and expansion of land as domination over for land in Hell is
difficult and tribes are ever growing. However, the two main
factions (each consisting about 5-10 tribes in alliance, though
not always the case) are one in favor of Abbadon's rule and the
other seeking to free themselves from his oppression. The
Serqeti Tribal Civil Wars are often waging among the two
factions and other tribes.
The
scorpion demons are also very religious demons and believers of
fate, retribution and karma. While their demonic heritage often
portray them as evil, the Serqeti are actually quite different
from other demonic races and have shown capabilities of being
good and righteous. It differs from tribes to tribes, based on
their beliefs.
A
female Serqeti averages about 6'1 to 7'5 tall. Significantly
stronger and taller than their male counterparts, the females
are the dominant sex of the race. While not overly muscular and
they appear to be more of athletic built, the female scorpion
demons are physically strong, resilient and their brute force
surpasses many men. They have shown merciless and brutality in
wars, and feared by many. However, their motherly instincts
proved to be more fitting and effective in leading their people.
A
Serqeti male only ranges from 5'0 to 6'0 tall, usually of lean,
athlete built and significantly weaker than the females. They
are considered the inferior sex of the race and mostly lived to
cater the matriarchal females. Unlike their strong, cruel female
counterparts, the male Serqeti are more apt in speed and
lightning fast reflexes. Because of this, they do not battle
upfront and rely on stealthier ways of combat. This also racks
up a reputation of Serqeti being a deadly race of having two
lethal combinations of fighting.
The
Serqeti don't usually mate or engage in a sexual relationship
for the sole reason of pleasure. The importance of mating and
marriage is only for reproduction and ensure their future
generations to keep their race alive. However, this also varies
from each individuals as they are also demons and they can also
be very loving couples as well.