[New Species Knowledge Gained: Girtablilu

Girtablilu's are one of the higher-tier evolutions of creatures like scorpions and dire-scorpions. They are a fusion of humanoid and scorpion, with a powerful upper body of a human or human-like creature, unless they've been mutated whereupon they may have a different sort of humanoid upper-half and the lower body of a gigantic and powerful scorpion.

About a quarter of girtablilus are feral creatures whose humanoid upper-bodies are unintelligent and not in control of the rest of the body. These sorts of girtablilus are powerful monsters who tend to be creatures who were born as weaker life-forms who spent a good portion of their lives defeating innumerable powerful enemies to get where they are now, painfully evolving from lower forms to a much stronger, far more bestial form.

The other three-quarters of girtablilus, usually ones whose parents are girtablilus, tend to live in isolation from other kinds of creatures. They form isolated, yet sophisticated civilizations in jungles, deserts, and towering mountains. These creatures have complex social structures and are easily capable of forming the most powerful civilizations in the isolated and dangerous territories they seem to prefer.

Both distinct types of girtablilus are cunning, dangerous foes just in different ways. Stealthy or disciplined girtablilus tend to come from the more civilized stock of the species, and powerful but wild martial warriors tend to come from the more animalistic type of girtablilu.

Both types of girtablilu are skilled poison users and display awe-inspiring mastery of their bodies. And both types are capable of producing the rare example of their kinds capable of using magic, with the bestial type producing girtablilus who are naturally adept at manipulating nature and conjuring illusions. On the other hand divine and arcane magic are typically used by girtablilus with civilized minds and hearts.

Only the strongest of girtablilus are capable of monstrous evolution. The rare few who evolve become quasi-mythical monsters who are the scorpion-equivalent to therianthropes, humanoids capable of shapeshifting into powerful beasts. Girtablilus who evolve lose their monstrous forms and instead become capable of fooling men, or scorpions at will.]

Althos, having received that notification shortly after he began to wait for his powerful magic to finish working its wonders on Camaxtli, willed the notification away. Then he sent a message to the as of yet unnamed dire-scorpion familiar he had swayed to his side hours ago.

[You are likely to evolve into the same sort of monster we defeated just now. A girtablilu. How does that make you feel?] He asked, curiosity seeping into his mental voice. The scorpion walked climbed up the corpse of the fallen hybrid monstrosity and arrived next to Althos before it responded. It took its time, which explained the length of its response.

[To have the powers of both a humanoid and a scorpion excites me. This monster was powerful, and though it fell in battle to us it was only because of you that we defeated it. I have no doubt that if I one day acquire that power myself, I shall become a true terror on the battlefield and become a greater servant of yours, oh savior.]

The scorpion's thoughts were accurate, honest, and humble. Althos quite liked that answer and nodded at the impressive creature he had acquired as his newest true companion and servant.

The scorpion beside him shielded its eyes with its own thick pincers, as the light that was radiating off of the elderly jackaloid was still glowing. It was a byproduct of Althos' own potent magic, and the powerful spell he had cast on Camaxtli, the oldest member of a nearby pack of jackaloids that Althos had deceived into his worship and service.

The deity had struck a deal with Camaxtli, gaining Camaxtli's truthful worship and service in exchange for two things: firstly, elevating the shapeshifter to a position of influence within his pack and secondly, undoing the effects of aging so that the jackaloid may continue to live without suffering the harmful effects of aging and also be a powerful member of the jackaloid pack.

The light had been emanating from Camaxtli's body for several minutes now and it was only just beginning to dim ever so slightly.

So this is what truly powerful magic feels like huh? Camaxtli thought to himself, his body bathing in the light that surrounded and temporarily blinded him. It is amazing... Camaxtli observed, awe filling him. That was unusual for the jackaloid, who wasn't the pious type or the sort to be inspired by power, at least until that moment.

The light was not merely healing him or offering him a temporary reprieve from the aches and pains that accompanied the harmful aspects of old age, it was strengthening him, seemingly banishing the aches and pains altogether. Every moment he spent blinded by the glorious light he felt his muscles hardening, regrowing to their former glory.

At that moment he was in his jackal form, his body that of an ancient canine, his form positively riddled with scars from battles that happened long-ago yet helped cement his reputation as a skilled and ferocious fighter. His form was widening, yet his fangs were growing harder and his muscles were regenerating, which was an odd and thankfully rather pleasant feeling.

So this is something the gods can do... Camaxtli thought to himself. The jackaloid, like all members of his species, had grown up on folkloric tales of the cruelties of the gods and knew that his species were once favored servants of assorted powers of evil, creatures like ancient demon-lords and the long-vanished arch-devils, creatures who were known to fight against gods of light.

At that moment Camaxtli's form was changed without the creature's consent. The process was instantaneous and barely noticed by the jackaloid himself. He changed from his jackal form to his entirely human form in an instant, happening much faster than the process did whenever the jackaloid himself willed his form to change.

The jackaloid stood, naked, while still surrounded by the glorious, restorative light. He was unaware of the fact that the light radiated outward from him, only that it subsumed his vision and blinded him to the outside world.

His human form was that of an elderly man, a warrior whose violent pastime kept him fit well-beyond his prime. He radiated an air of self-assurance and a sort of brutal joy that enabled him to be at his happiest when engaged in battle. As soon as his form had changed the light set to work on undoing the harmful impacts of age on the elderly creature.

His face was covered in wrinkles, wrinkles which seemed to just vanish the longer the light surrounded and healed him. His various muscles had been beginning to vanish as age ate away at his ability to engage in extended physical activity, yet the light undid that as well, restoring his muscles to their previous solidity, and healing his long-lost flexibility.

Even his mind was being healed by the light, regaining its former quickness and its own sort of flexibility underneath the glorious glow of Camaxtli's new lord and god.

At that moment, as he felt his mind regaining so much of what it had lost to the endless flow of time and age, Althos spoke to him. Althos' dark voice crept into his mind even as his mind was being restored to the greatness that allowed Camaxtli to truly appreciate the wonder of the deal that he made with the god-devil.

[As your mind is being restored, I want the first thing you remember and take to heart be that service to me is always rewarded. Service to me will not be forgotten. If you serve, and in your case, if you lead your kin in my service, I shall reward you.]

Althos' dark voice sinisterly whispered in Camaxtli's mind, as the light that surrounded the jackaloid began to dim. Moments later Camaxtli could see again and was surprised at the first sight to grace his now youthful eyes: Althos and Althos' familiar on top of the corpse of the girtablilu, and Althos' arm covered in thick, purple blood.

"Welcome back Camaxtli. I am very excited to see you." Althos said, a cruel grin etched on his eerie face. His eyes were glowing with devious delight, and he seemed to emanate an air of mischevious malice.

"Come. Let us return to your home. To my people." Althos said, his voice echoing across the sandy dune. Camaxtli nodded, and the jackaloid silently began to walk in the direction of the encampment once again. As did Althos and his pet.

Althos walked off of the hybrid of man and scorpion, and without even turning used magic to lift the thing's body into the air. He carried the corpse behind him with ease, despite the fact that it must have weighed several tons.

Minutes later the party reached the circular and nomadic home of the jackaloids. The three creatures were now bonded, having experienced the trials and tribulations of battle together and they entered the encampment in unison as if to indicate their respect for each other.

Althos was still magically carrying the corpse of the girtablilu when the trio entered the encampment, and casually dropped it near but not on top of the campfire the encampment circled. The massive thing's collision with the ground caused a shockwave of sand and sound to explode outward, rousing some of the jackaloids to come out and face whoever had entered their camp.

The noise the collision caused also roused the few jackaloids who had gone to sleep after they were "reunited" with their master, and within minutes they were dressed and outside, face to face with both their god and the rejuvenated elderly jackaloid, whose youthful form was only recognizable to other, less but still noticeably elderly jackaloids.

Upon seeing Camaxtli's youthful form they rushed forward, ignoring the corpse of the massive and monstrous girtablilu, or even stepping onto and over it to get to Camaxtli, eager to question how he had regained his youth. In confusion and concern Camaxtli turned to Althos, with a look that communicated his thoughts just as clearly as if the jackaloid had sent the deity a mental message.

Althos placed a hand on Camaxtli's shoulder and moved to speak himself.

"I have restored Camaxtli's youth as a reward for his decision to be my faithful servant and I have decided that he shall lead you all. In the wake of Paimon's attack," Althos said, referencing and reinforcing the deceit he had decided to go with to explain why the jackaloids had "forgotten" him. Then he continued to speak.

"I believe it is necessary to protect you all more directly than I had in the past. This is one part of my plan to ensure no other enemy can do to you what Paimon did." Althos said, simplistic confidence and a lack of hesitation lending credibility to the lie.

The other jackaloids looked to each other and muttered quietly. But much to Althos' surprise, they weren't muttering words of disagreement or disapproval. They were muttering thoughtful praises of their "father" and of his "chosen son". Althos grinned at them, and then he spoke once again, this time his voice conveying a more jovial tone.

"Children, we have the rest of our lives to stand up and wonder what to do next. But we have a perfectly good girtablilu corpse right here that I say we cook and we eat." He said, his voice carrying across the sandy encampment. As soon as he said the word "eat" a loud roar of approval and hunger echoed across the area the creatures temporarily called home.

Althos grinned as some of his children pulled knives out of their armor and lunged at the corpse, to hack and slash the thing into more manageable pieces that would cook more easily than if an attempt was made to cook the entire thing at once.

The hour that passed after Althos' explanation of Camaxtli's restored youth was the first time in the deity's life that he attended any sort of celebration. A small number of the jackaloids busied themselves by preparing the corpse of the girtablilu for cooking and consumption, and the rest of the jackaloids gathered around the campfire underneath the artificial moon that lit up the desert.

The festivities started off quite solemn, with jackaloids recounting the sort of folkloric tales their species passed down from generation to generation. They sat around the campfire and regaled the youngest members of their pack with wondrous and terrifying stories of ancient archdevils and demon-lords, the sorts of beings their ancestors worshiped and served.

It was while these tales were being recounted that Althos received a delightful notification.

[Alert: Your cult has surpassed 50 worshipers!

Your worshipers have been active, spreading tales of your glory which touched the hearts of their fellows, and when combined with the results of your subtle infiltration and rapid conquest of the pack of jackaloids have pushed your total worshiper count to well over 50 creatures.

Your orcish and dark-elven worshipers have increased in number, with Ranthor and Milene being the two creatures who deserve the credit for that. Because of their work and the ways their minds were affected by your actions, they've managed to create tiny cults that have granted you progress towards influencing new domains and subdomains.

Ranthor's firsthand experience with your might has caused the orc to call you the great dark lord, which is also now a title of yours, the dark and bloody deity who shall unite all orcs and grant their species a singular purpose once again.

This has led to Ranthor gathering a flock of his own and through his efforts, you've gained 10 new orcish worshipers, the majority of the orcish raiding group who fought alongside Raverangos against the spell-singer who now worship you as a creature of unity, darkness, battle, and power. That same group has now recruited more orcs, some of whom number among your new orcish worshipers.

One of the newcomers, a traditional warrior clad in heavy metal armor and wielding an imposing bastard sword in battle, possesses a disposition suitable to becoming a dark-night, which is a first among your worshipers.

Milene is revealing herself to be quite the evangelist in the city of Undermoon. She has spent her time in the city arranging meetings with both prominent common families and lesser noble families throughout the city and has been stoking their ambitions, for the sake of leading them to her workshop. When they are in her workshop she tells them about you.

Milene has spread the word of your nondiscriminatory nature and your ability to empower the ambitious. She has asserted that you restored power lurking within her genes and hopes that when you appear in Undermoon you do this for the congregation she has gathered so as to empower those of them with the ambition to usurp the existing order.

Numerous dark elves unhappy with their lot in life, particularly males but also some women, and even some slaves who aren't dark elves but live in Undermoon have flocked to her, and her workshop is more popular than ever. She is also gathering tithes in your name, with a plan to give them to you when you next appear before her.

Over 17 dark elves have taken to worshipping you, though they are less faithful right now than your orcish worshipers or your jackaloid worshipers. Once you appear before them that may change.

A dozen non-dark-elf slaves are considering praying to you in the days to come, due to their ambition, but are fearful of the consequences since they don't know much about you or how to pray in general.

Five of the slaves are humans, two are kobolds, three are goblins, one is a dwarf and the other is a gnome. They are all ambitious, in their own ways, so Milene's portrayal of you as a lord of the ambitious and as a non-discriminatory deity appeals to them.

Another follower whose work has been greatly useful is Silander, whose sermons have resulted in over a dozen different desert-dwelling animals converting to your worship. Her passionate praises have resulted in the baptisms of birds, scorpions, canines, lizards, and other sorts of desert-dwelling fauna flocking to you.

Because of your own efforts and the efforts of Ranthor, Milene, and Silander you've gained the power to use the powers of your worshipers. This means that among many other things you can now effortlessly take on the form of a true jackal, your skill as an alchemist of intermediate level is guaranteed, and you can generate soul-weapons.

The more worshipers you gain the more powers you'll gain access too. The next major milestone is 500 worshipers. The special reward you'll get for hitting that number is a secret.]

Althos finished reading that lengthy notification and then willed it away, all while grinning. At this point, the first bits of the girtablilu that had been cut off and placed near the campfire to be cooked were ready to be eaten. Althos watched as the most delicious bits of the monster was given to Camaxtli and his pet.

He himself was offered some by a reverential jackaloid, but he declined it and instructed that it be given to the youngest and smallest jackaloid in the pack. He was obeyed without question, and the child who got the gift looked at Althos and grinned. The deity grinned back, his mood elated not just by the feeling of awe he felt stir within the child's heart, but also by the new assortment of powers he had gained thanks to the work of his servants.