A scorpipult is a large, scorpion-like pseudarthropoid with a springy, prehensile tail. Unlike a scorpion, the tail ends not in a stinger, but in a cup-like appendage.
To use a scorpipult, ammunition is loaded into the cup at the end of its tail. The scorpipult is then given a command to snap its tail forward, throwing whatever is placed in the cup. Scorpipults can be trained to hit targets from a considerable range, but because of the problem of training the scorpipult to recognize targets, it is more common to train the scorpipult to throw in a consistent direction, then aim the scorpipult by adjusting the position of its body.
The main drawback of the scorpipult is that it has much less range than other forms of siege weaponry, such as spellcannon or rayballistae. Also, since it is a living thing, it must be fed even when it is not in use. However, ammunition for the scorpipult is cheap (they can throw anything that happens to be lying around) and their self-mobility saves the cost of transportation that other types of heavy weapons would incur. Also, a scorpipult can be put to other uses; for instance, its pincers can be used to clear vegetation from the path of an advancing army.
Scorpipults were mainly used by the Irsidu civilization. Most modern armies consider them obsolete, however, more organized morphed races such as the extant Temple Irsidu still keep a few of these in their arsenals.