From Wikimalia
| The Bug Collection
|
|
|
|
|
| Hihnweb Spider
|
| Habitat: | Primary forests and jungles, and long-abandoned humanoid structures.
|
| Description: | Eight brilliant thin red legs hold aloft an arachnid body that can only be described as bulbous, glaringly colored, and to most palates, repulsive. Gray mucusy bulbs adorn the thorax, and oversized, leather-penetrating fangs protrude from the anterior of the spider's face.
Their length ranges by age and gender, but species up to fifteen thums in length have been recorded in a single web specimen right beside a quarter-thum specimen. The males tend toward darker if similar color regimens, and they are typically fractionally smaller than the females.
|
| Notes: | Much has been said on the beauty and symmetry of hihn webs, created by the colonial spider. Each spider maintains and harvests from their region of the web, acting as a unit for prey as large as lizards, birds, and even medium rodents. Unlike a typical orb web, the hihnweb occupies three dimensions in a faceted masterwork that is often compared to a massive gem, especially in morning dew, or the proper lighting conditions.
The breeding season is year-round, and although some small incidents of cannibalism occur during lean months, the spiders of all ages and sizes in a single colony can be seen working side-by-side under normal conditions. Although colonial like bees, the hihnweb spiders do not utilize a queen, although the largest and strongest females develop a matriarchal hierarchy, with those at the top of the chain forming a 'royal caste' of 'baronesses. Their bites are the most lethal, and generally reserved for the largest prey, from which they receive primary feeding privileges.
|
|
The most famous anecdotal information regarding the history of the hihn spider spawns in the northern forests of Mitralon, where a massive hihnweb was discovered in the first century post-Sundering. Woodcarvings and cave etchings depict what was undoubtedly a pre-Sundering temple, long abandoned, its narthex and congregational completely occupied by a web that was reputed to have aligned perfectly with walls and floor, and the dangling prey trapped within describing perfect plumb lines.
Until the web's destruction, sometime in the fourth century post-Sundering, pilgrimages were made from moderately non-local regions, and many legends, myths and genuine scientific observations were created during that time. It is said that the first trullocs to visit the area took back with them many new fundamental hihn principles to perfect.
This article is a stub. You can help Wikimalia by expanding it.
Back to the Insect/Arachnid page.
