#iku-turso

[circuzsnapdragon]

I draw spooky stuff too :3c

[mydarkwearyeyes]

Iku-Turso - Pagan Beasts

New!

[ooc-sohvikset]

[thecreaturecodex]

Meritursas

“Iku-Turso” © Traci Shepard, accessed at Arcane Beasts and Critters here

[My complain with the iku-turso in Pathfinder is the same as my problem with the leshys. Cool monster, should have a different name. Iku-Turso in the Kalevala is huge, and the humanoid eel look owes more to China Mieville and the D&D kopru than anything in Finnish mythology. Although what exactly Iku-Turso is supposed to look like is a bit of a mystery. According to Wikipedia, “tursas” is an antique Finnish word for walrus, and “meritursas” is the current word for octopus. And in the Kalevala, Iku-Turso is given the title “many horned”. So a walropus with antlers, like TAS’ illustration above, is a pretty solid supposition.]

Meritursas CR 15 NE Outsider (native) This creature is a massive chimera of land and sea life. It has the overall shape of a walrus, with tusks and clawed flippers, but the horns of a mighty stag and the tentacles of an octopus.

A meritursas is a physical avatar of pestilence, a great sea beast that spreads deadly and debilitating diseases. They are sometimes referred to as the “fathers of nine plagues”, and some scholars believe that the contagion spell is modeled after a meritusas’ breath. Iku-tursos are drawn to meritursases and venerate them as if they were divine. The meritursases, for their part, welcome such attention, and often direct their flock to spread illness, rendezvous with daemon cults, and otherwise increase the net suffering in the world.

A meritursas is a terror to behold; lesser creatures flee from its approach. It usually initiates combat with its breath, which inflicts random diseases on creatures caught in it. Then, the meritursas charges into combat with its branching horns. Its tusks can inflict lethal blows, but if a creature is struck once and survives, the meritursas will usually move onto different targets, if its tursas affliction is spread. Meritursas want to create more iku-tursos, and so spread strikes with their bite as widely as possible.

Meritursases believe in a warped version of survival of the fittest. Creatures that can become infected with their diseases and survive the process are to be respected, and those that die are to be pitied. Anyone who becomes an iku-turso is blessed to join the program of testing the world. Creatures that are inherently immune to disease may be allies if they recognize the power of infection, and enemies to be destroyed if they do not. Paladins and clerics of gods of healing are a meritursas’ greatest enemies, and a meritursas will stop at nothing to slay one of these healers.

A meritursas is approximately fifty feet long from its snout to the tips of its tentacles.

Meritursas          CR 15 XP 51,200 NE Gargantuan outsider (aquatic, native) Init +5; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., Perception +22, sense disease Aura frightful presence (120 ft., Will DC 24) Defense AC 30, touch 8, flat-footed 28 (-4 size, +1 Dex, +1 dodge, +22 natural) hp 225 (18d10+126) Fort +18, Ref +7, Will +14 DR 15/cold iron; Immune charms, compulsions, disease, nausea, poison, sickened; SR 26 Defensive Abilities deep dweller; Weakness light sensitivity Offense Speed 20 ft., swim 90 ft. Melee bite +21 (2d6+7/19-20x4 plus disease), 2 claws +21 (1d8+7), gore +24 (2d8+7), 4 tentacles +19 (1d8+3 plus grab) Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (20 ft. with tentacles) Special Attacks augmented critical, breath of nine plagues, constrict (1d8+10), powerful charge (gore, 4d8+10) Statistics Str 24, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 21 Base Atk +18; CMB +32 (+36 grapple); CMD 44 Feats Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Sickening Critical Skills Heal +19, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (dungeoneering, nature) +19, Perception +22, Sense Motive +22, Swim +26 Languages Aklo, Aquan, Common, Undercommon SQ water dependency Ecology Environment cold and temperate aquatic Organization solitary or cult (1 plus 2-8 iku-tursos) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Augmented Critical (Ex) A meritursas’ bite attack deals x4 damage on a successful critical hit. Breath of Nine Plagues (Su) Three times per day as a standard action, a meritursas can breathe disease in a 90 foot cone. All creatures in the area must succeed a DC 26 Fortitude save or be infected by one or more of the following diseases (roll a d10)

blinding sickness

bubonic plague

cackle fever

filth fever

leprosy

mindfire

red ache

shakes

slimy doom

roll twice, ignoring future rolls of 10

The disease is contracted immediately, ignoring the onset period. Use the disease’s listed frequency and save DC to determine future effects, but the save DC of the disease is increased by 2. If a creature is affected by the breath of nine plagues again and is exposed to the same disease, it takes additional damage as if another frequency had passed. A meritursas must wait 1d4 rounds between uses of this ability. The save DC is Constitution based. Deep Dweller (Ex) A meritursas is immune to damage from water pressure and cold damage from water temperature. Disease (Su) A meritursas’ bite inflicts a strange, supernatural disease called tursas. This disease causes the victim's skin to grow painfully scaly, causes strange hallucinations, and eventually transforms the victim into an iku-turso. Tursas: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 26; onset 1 minute; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Wis damage and 1d6 Cha drain; cure 2 consecutive saves. As long as a victim suffers any ability damage from tursas, it gains the ability to breathe water. A creature reduced to 0 Charisma by this disease transforms into a fully grown and healthy iku-turso—it immediately forgets its previous life and abilities and seeks out the nearest iku-turso community to join it. A wish or miracle can reverse this transformation. The save DC is Constitution-based. Sense Disease (Su) A meritursas knows if any creature it looks at is suffering from a disease, is capable of spreading a disease, or is immune to disease. If a creature is infected or capable of spreading a disease, the meritursas automatically knows what disease that is.

[legend-collection]

Iku-Turso

Iku-Turso, "the eternal Turso"; also known as Iku-Tursas, Iki-Tursas, Meritursas, Tursas, Turisas among others) is a malevolent sea monster in Finnish mythology, best known for appearing in the Kalevala. Nowadays Meritursas means octopus in Finnish, named after Iku-Turso, but originally tursas is an old name for walrus while the more common term is mursu.

His appearance remains unclear, but he is described with several epithets: partalainen (the one who lives on the brink, or alternatively, the bearded one), Tuonen härkä (the ox of Tuoni, Death), tuhatpää (thousand-headed), tuhatsarvi (thousand-horned). It was sometimes said that he lived in Pohjola, but that may be because Pohjola was often perceived as the home of all evil.

In some versions of the spell The Birth of Nine Diseases Iku-Turso is mentioned as the father of diseases with Loviatar, the blind daughter of Tuoni, the god of death. The Scandinavian giants (þursar, sg. þurs) had the ability to shoot arrows which caused diseases in people. This and the fact that þurs resembles Tursas gives credence to the idea that they may be related. Some runes tell that Meritursas partalainen makes pregnant the Maiden of Air (Ilman impi, Ilmatar). She later gave birth to Väinämöinen, which would make him a truly primeval creature. On the other hand, he is also mentioned as the son of Äijö (a name usually assigned to the God of sky). As a god of war

In the list of Tavastian gods by Mikael Agricola, he is mentioned as the god of war: Turisas voiton antoi sodast (Turisas brought victory in war). It has been suggested that the god in the list is same as the Scandinavian god of war Tyr; however, this theory is not widely supported today. In the Kalevala

He is mentioned several times in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. In the second cantos he rises from the sea and burns a stack of hay. Later, a giant oak grows from the ashes. The tree grows so large that it hides the sun and the moon and is cut down. From the ocean rose a giant, From the acorn, quickly sprouting, Mighty Tursas, tall and hardy, Grows the oak-tree, tall and stately, Pressed compactly all the grasses, From the ground enriched by ashes, That the maidens had been raking, Newly raked by water-maidens; When a fire within them kindles, Spread the oak-trees many branches, And the flames shot up to heaven, Rounds itself a broad corona, Till the windrows burned to ashes, Raises it above the storm-clouds; Only ashes now remaining Far it stretches out its branches, Of the grasses raked together. Stops the white-clouds in their courses, In the ashes of the windows, With its branches hides the sunlight, Tender leaves the giant places, With its many leaves, the moonbeams, In the leaves he plants an acorn, And the starlight dies in heaven.

Later, Iku-Turso is summoned by Louhi, the Lady of the North, to stop the theft of the magical artifact Sampo. Väinämöinen, the leader of the plunderers, grabs Iku-Turso from his ears and using magical words makes him promise to never return from the bottom of the sea. Wainamoinen, brave and mighty, Asked the second time the monster, To the people of Wainola, Seizes quick the water-monster, Urgently inquired a third time: Never while the moonlight glimmers Lifts him by his ears and questions: "Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, On the hills of Kalevala!" "Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, Why art rising from the waters, Why is art rising from the blue-sea? Wherefore dost thou leave the blue-sea? Then the singer, Wainamoinen, Wherefore dost thou leave thy castle, Iku-Turso gave this answer: Freed the monster, Iku-Turso, Show thyself to mighty heroes, For this, cause I left my castle Sent him to his deep sea-castles, To the heroes of Wainola?" Underneath the rolling billows: Spake these words to him departing: Came I here with the intention "Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, To destroy the Kalew-heroes, Nevermore arise from the ocean, Ocean monster, manifested And return the magic Sampo Nevermore let Northland-heroes Neither pleasure nor displeasure, To the people of Pohyola. See thy face above the waters I Was not in the least affrighted, If thou wilt restore my freedom, Nevermore has Iku-Turso Did not give the hero an answer. Spare my life, from pain and sorrow, Risen to the ocean-level; I will quick retrace my journey, Never since have Northland sailors Whereupon the ancient minstrel, Nevermore to show my visage Seen the head of this sea-monster.

[raatopaikka]

Original sketchbook sketches for Pohjolan Emäntä Louhi and Väinämöinen & Iku-Turso illustrations (2016)

[avelindel]

Day 8 of Chaotober21 a tense Iku-Turso with a goth color palette. There isn’t a definitive appearance for the Iku-Turso, so I pulled what I could from different tales. I imagined a very murky creature with long fur filled with seaweed and muck from living in the deep sea.

[the-chade]

Here are some creatures based on Finnish mythology that I designed for a school project :p