Yptilians concept Part 1

This concept is part of a worldbuilding project called Le Cycle des Piliers. For this design, my goal was to create different instances of the same species in a way that reflects how their society works. It's very much early in the process but eventually I'll move up to some key concept illustrations to dive deeper in the Yptilian lore.

Yptilian sentry. These creatures dwell underground during the day and come out at night to harvest corpses for materials. They pillage graveyards, battlefields and sacred burial sites. They will often leave offerings behind them.

Yptilians are born from the sap, a substance that carries genetic material and memory. Using bones from humans, the Yptilian weavers shape the sap and turn it into flesh.

Reference board

Sketches done in pocket sketchbook

Some heads exploration

Yptilian guardian. They are robust yet mobile. The guardians will patrol the undergrounds and protect the workers.

Yptilian chrysalis

Yptilian priest. They are tall and possess a mantle that can carry fossilized sap. The priests oversee are seen as spiritual leaders and they have a great influence on Yptilian society

Yptilian royal guardian. These bulky guards protect the priests and other royal members. They are the pinnacle of Yptilian combatants.

Yptilian worker. Their main task is to dig, carve and carry the sandstone that makes up the underground. They are slow but three times stronger than an average human. Their hands and forearms have hooks to grab the stone so it's easier to carry.

Yptilian mount. The mounts are used with the workers to carry large loads of sandstone to the surface.