Pyrianta

In Pyrosi myth, the Pyrianta is the stand-in for death. It often appeared as an emissary for a coming doom or as a reason to explain a sudden disappearance. “The desert beast had taken them”, so they’d say. As it is the moniker of death, many still fear it. Drow children are advised not to venture too far out into the dunes lest they trouble death and its many, many, spines. Their mythological presence is mostly ignored by outsiders but the threat they pose is not. Even without the morals of old, they’re one of the few beasts that even seasoned soldiers tend to avoid crossing.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

The Pyrianta is an enormous scorpion. It possesses a stinger the size of a lightbulb. Though its toxin is less potent than some of its smaller cousins, it’s designed to puncture past even leather with a jab. The venom of a Pyrianta affects all in a very consistent way. It induces pain along the injection point and acts as an anticoagulant. Pyrianta can then slice open parts of their prey with their claws and spikes to induce further bleeding. These wounds won't clot under the venom’s effects, **lasting up to a minute**. Through this, Pyrianta exhaust their prey and leave them bled out on the desert. *Their venom is exceptionally fragile, once the Pyrianta is dead the proteins that make it up will rapidly debind and render harvesting it pointless.*

Despite their many legs, Pyrianta aren’t particularly fast. They’re unimpeded by the movement of sand but struggle to keep pace with other animals. Their claws are exceptionally strong and able to maintain a grip upon a victim once they’ve sprung an ambush. The crushing force of their claws are able to break small bones and sever digits, making it difficult to get free of. They’re well armored too to resist potential counterattack, their chitinous plates being about as durable as studded leather. If all else fails they can cause a sand slip by digging into the dunes, getting their prey marooned rather than themselves.

Pyrianta are carnivores who prefer prey they can hold onto. Porqicat, Drakling, and juvenile Twoback and Tahrun are all on the menu. They eat via injecting a carcass with digestive fluids and drinking the liquefied insides. During the dry season when the female Pyrianta lay their eggs, they will lay them upon a kill they have made so their offspring may feed the moment they hatch. They will then seek the protection of their mother who is both larger and more adept a hunter than their male counterparts. Males don’t usually survive the laying season, often due to direct cannibalism by their mates.

#### Psychology

Cold, calculating, and alone. Pyrianta are solitary predators who will not tolerate others of their kind within their territories. They will fight over food and land. Their stings are dulled on each other-only causing confusion- but will still be used in tandem with claws. Opportunists, they’ll jump at any possibility to snag a meal. Pyrianta often congregate in areas where other animals are having calves to catch juveniles or around urban centers to prey on those who wander out into the dunes. Though they avoid urban areas on principle they do not fear sapient races, seeing them -particularly the small and old- as food.