#girtablilu

[candragloomblade]

Girtablilu from Monster Girl Encyclopedia.

Hi-Res, Lineart and Step-by-Step will be available for my patrons on the begin of next month.

NSFW-version you can see on my Boosty and Patreon. Enjoy!

[malanatero]

[yamdraws]

[zakirsiz]

[waenmanikan]

A recently completed commission piece for Chloé

A scorpion centaur which I recently found out is called a girtablilu

Thanks again Chloé, was great working with you

[dwollsadventures]

Bug-men, while a popular motif in modern media (mostly due to Japanese influence), are not as represented in ancient art and folklore. Even the common image of the insectile fairy is derived from Victorian sources. Which makes the Girtablullû*, or "Scorpion Man" an old, odd exception. It is the only demon in the Mesopotamian sphere which has the features of an invertebrate. All other demons take from desert animals, considered the epitome of wild and dangerous by their standards: lions, snakes, bulls, eagles, and even onagers. The idea that scorpions were viewed as equally dangerous is interesting. 

The earliest representations of girtablullû are simple, like stick-figures. Each has a scorpion's tail, the only thing found in every depiction, and what looks like stylized scorpion claws in the place of hands. As time went on they developed into purely human hands and were never seen again. Wiggermann believes that the claws were a cosmic tools, that the anthropomorphized scorpion was a being who manipulated the celestial bodies with its claws, moving the sun and moon and stars. Despite its change in appearance girtablullû never lost its solar connections. Within time the scorpion demon became very similar to others, like ugallu and Pazuzu; a human with bird-like legs and a scorpion tail. One shows girtablullû with what looks like ass ears, a common motif in demon artwork meant to denote that they come from the desert, a place of evil. 

Then, something odd happens. Girtablullû begins to be depicted with a large, circular lower body (covered in scales?), with two bird or lion legs and a scorpion's tail behind. Even stranger is when they're depicted with this odd body arrangement, but with only a human head. From here they also receive the horned cap of the gods. Why the shift in appearance? It's possible that this was their attempt to draw a "scorpion-centaur", but if that was the case two ostensibly vertebrate legs doesn't make much sense. Scorpions are everywhere in the region, even today, so they don't have a lack of references to draw from. Pushing that question to the side, their last appearance in mythology, except when they're shown with all the other demon offspring of Tiamat, is in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Two, a husband and wife, stand at the gates of Kurnugi beneath the cedar mountain of Mashu. Here the god exits from Kurnugi every morning and when he returns at night the girtablullû close the door behind him. They are sky-scraping, terrible monsters beyond the power of mortals. Two memorable lines declare, "terror is awesome and their glance is death". Interestingly, the movement of the sun god Shamash (to the Akkadians and Babylonians) is awfully similar to the Journey of Ra, where every night Ra enters into the Underworld to die, become reborn, and exit from every morning. Though they are monsters of Biblical (Gilgamesh-ical??) proportions, they still work for the sun god. Despite being so terrible they were defeated by Marduk and now serve the gods. 

*the actual name of the being is what I use, with -lullû being a suffix used to denote a creature who is human above the waist, as seen in Kulullû and Urmahlullû. The name has been corrupted over the years into girtablilu, which is far more common on the internet. As well as another name for them, aqrabuamelu. I'll use the older version to remain consistent with all the other demons.

-- I wanted to avoid the incredibly realistic scorpion centaur a lot of other artists have gone with. Interpreting it literally probably isn't the right idea, but it also produces a really strange creature in the process, something that looks mythical and wholly un-naturalistic. Which is what I'm going for. For some reason I keep seeing people put my monster artwork in folders like "Spec Evo" and stuff, which is like. How. How did you think that. 

Girtablullû is positioned in a way that obscures everything but one of his legs. As well, the scaly? body is extended and there's a deliberate ambiguity as to whether or not that's his actual skin or clothing or what else. Next time, we go unda da sea.

[comradeprozac]

[dailycharacteroption]

Treestrider (Hunter Archetype)

 When one thinks of arboreal species, one cannot help but think of primates. No matter which broad category you look at, they are social creatures that have mastered the treetops or the undergrowth, and it only makes sense that there would be those that recognize and emulate their strengths.

Whether they were raised by a troop or merely venerate them, today’s subject, the treestrider, represents a hunter that bonds with the ways of apes and other primates, gaining some of their mobility and their combat fierceness.

Calling back to the early days of this blog, when we talked about the ape shaman archetype for druids, we can recall that the reason apes are revered in various cultures is their cunning and sense of community, things we see in ourselves. However, at the same time, we can also see our own viciousness reflected back on us from our nearest relatives as well.

 As one might expect, these hunters bond with apes of various species, though I could argue for other primate-type companion stats like megaprimatus or baboon.

Rather than channel the animal foci common to other hunters, treestriders instead use that energy to enhance both their and their companions ability to climb and brachiate through the trees, moving with surprising speed through foliage above the ground.

While not martial artists by any means, These nature warriors learn to master the first, allowing them to fight even when unarmed.

More powerful treestriders can take their travel through trees to supernatural territories, teleporting vast distances through the trees.

A fun archetype for a rainforest-themed character, this might be what you’re looking for if you wish to focus on treetop maneuverability and an animal companion with relatively superior intelligence and tool use, though this is obviously quite limited in the broad scheme of things. The improved unarmed strike feat is neat, but without level-based progression it’s a backup weapon unless you focus heavily on combat maneuvers and flanking with your companion. Overall I’d focus on arboreal ambushing and teamwork with your animal companion.

 Like I said before, there is a case to be made for using other ape and primate-type companions for this archetype, but then, you could also use this as a template for other narrow animal-themed archetypes as well.

As for the treestrider itself, much like the ape shaman I mentioned earlier, you can really play up the full spectrum of what apes represent in culture through how you roleplay this character. The playful fun-loving antics, the cerebral contemplation we love to see in ourselves, and the brutal savagery we wish we could forget.

  Yansad Heights is a rainforest mountain range known for it’s tall trees and taller mountains. There, vanara and their air-influenced sylph kin rule in peace. Those that live near to the treeline bond with the apes, moving through the trees like their air mages soar through the cold skies.

 A derogatory word for humans in the elvish language translates to “ape-folk”, but if the Ruhka people know about this, they don’t seem to care, for their greatest hunters live alongside their fellow primates, and are known for their lighthearted pranks against those who travel through their territory. Heaven help the fool that threatens their people, though.

 Though they are best known for living in deserts, there are also girtablilu living in rainforests as well, watching over overgrown temples just as their desert counterparts do. However, the threats the scorpionfolk face are very different, such as the savage charau-ka ape people and their ape companions, who try to force them on the belief they can use the ruins as a position of mystical power.