| Notes |
There are many species of timinit commonly referred to as 'arachans', some of which are actually insectoid, rather than spider-like. All species of arachan are obligatory carnivores, and cannot gain any nutrition from vegetable matter. They will eat almost any kind of fresh animal matter, and have no taboo against the consumption of sentient creatures. They have even been known to eat each other if sufficiently hungry, which may explain their generally solitary nature. In most arachan societies complex rituals have been developed which must be undertaken whenever two individuals meet, and which ensure that one will not attempt to eat the other. Commonly, the visitor presents the resident with a gift of food, but many subtle and even artistic variations exist; for example the Red-patch Arachans pluck the strands of small, special, webs like a musical instrument. These rituals vary from species to species, and so arachans of different species will avoid each other as far as possible, unless they have somehow been able to learn the correct greeting ritual.
Brown-banded Arachans are a particularly common eight-limbed species, using their rear four limbs for walking, and the front four as arms. They have no necks, so that they are unable to turn their heads independently of the rest of their upper torso. Their name comes from the mottled pattern of brown stripes on their black, hairy, bodies. Brown-banded Arachans also have two large, dimly glowing, red eyes above their mouthparts, with many smaller eyes to either side.
This is one of the most sophisticated and intelligent of timinit species, although too alien to be readily comprehensible to humans. They weave complex and beautiful silken webs both as dwelling places and to entrap animals in, but they also hunt for prey. The silk they spin is so thin that the individual threads are almost invisible, yet so strong that a knife will not cut it and most humans cannot break it - Formidable Difficulty. Of course, being flexible, it can be easily moved aside, but the webs used to catch prey are coated with glue, making this a risky proposition. Many brown-banded arachans know magic to augment the glue on their webs, or make the webs even more effective as traps.
Brown-banded Arachans lay a dozen or so eggs, which the female guards fiercely. These hatch into miniature versions of the adult, which will be cared for by the mother for about a year before they grow large enough to venture out on their own. From that point, they will no longer be welcome at their mother's home unless they perform the proper ritual. They live for around 10 years. http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/annex/annex13.htm |
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