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Fae people - Spiders
Oct. 15th, 2023 10:19 pmScattered about in small villages, Spiders sometimes seem more primitive or asocial than Insect Faes. It is a false assumption however ; their society is simply organized in a more horizontal way, with very little hierarchy. Every social unit, be it a village, a small regroupement or even just a family, decides together on everyone’s roles and duties. When a decision must be made that might affect more spiders than just this one unit, such as matters of conflict and war, gatherings are organized for people to discuss, debate, and vote on the course of action. A council is often elected to oversee such debates, usually consisting on the oldest and wisest, as well as the strongest and most admired members of the community. A small group of people with varied expertise, able to give advice on different matters, and rule a decision when the community is too divided to come to one by themselves.
Spiders can boast of a few special abilities that differentiates them from other Faes and greatly shaped their way of life.
>Multiple pairs of eyes. Like most people, spiders have 2 eyes that can see in the same spectrum of light as normal humans. The secondary eyes however allow them to perceive some ultraviolets, which can be useful for better distinguishing certain plants and animals that bear patterns only visible in this spectrum. Some nocturnal spiders can even see in the infrared spectrum which useful for seeing in the dark.
>Weaving. Spiders use their hair as thread to weave cloth, rope, and even magic! Most spiders know how to weave at least some simple creations, as it is one of the staples of their culture. Clothes are an important means of self-expression and standing, and many spiders, especially those that are well-off or are clothes weavers themselves, will show off some beautiful colorful clothes.
Spider hair is made of different materials than other people’s hair, and grows faster too. Many spiders and especially hunters and warriors will keep their hair long so they can use it on the fly if needed. Using thread and ropes to fight is one of the spiders’ specialty, and tricky to counter when you’re not used to it. Alternatively, spiders that don’t weave much or at all regularly cut their hair and donate it to weaver workshops.
Some weaving arts have been passed down for generations in certain families. If regular weaving is already well consideredd, magic weaving is even more important for spiders. Its mysteries are well-guarded and it has brought spiders strength and protection against enemies for centuries. Some few magic weavers will specialize in weaving information into webs and become Archivist, a very small group of weavers dedicated to keeping history and other very important information alive in a hidden library.
>A second pair of arms. Like many Insects’ wings, they can appear and disappear mostly at will (and like Insects', clothes get in the way of them, which is why most spiders keep a lot of their torso uncovered, or covered with a layer of clothes that is easy to remove) and while they do require a bit of training to learn how to use them in tandem with their main arms and can be a bit much at times, they can truly boost a spider’s speed and/or maneuverability in many activites such as fighting or weaving. Very rarely, a spider will be so skilled at what they do with their 4 arms that they might be able to sprout and use a 3rd pair. It is extremely hard as it requires a lot of focus, dexterity and training. A few legendary warriors and weavers are known to have had 6 arms.
>Venomous fangs. Spiders possess special glands that allow them to produce venom. The potency and effects of it can vary slightly from individual to individual, and some people don’t produce venom at all. Dedicated hunters, or people with particularly potent or useful venom will regularly drain their glands and store the venom to use it later or sell it.
Spiders and Insects have a long history of not getting along well. The 2 groups simply have very different ways of seeing things. Spiders think of Insects as weak-willed, gregarious and clumsy, while Insects see spiders as primitive, cunning and scary people. Spiders sometimes have the reputation of being cowards, because of their fighting philosophy, relying on traps, poisoned weapons, and strategic hit-and-run ambushes. Such fighting style is adapted to smaller numbers of fighters. They themselves consider Insects cowards as well because they prefer to fight in bigger swarms and battalions.
Spiders can boast of a few special abilities that differentiates them from other Faes and greatly shaped their way of life.
>Multiple pairs of eyes. Like most people, spiders have 2 eyes that can see in the same spectrum of light as normal humans. The secondary eyes however allow them to perceive some ultraviolets, which can be useful for better distinguishing certain plants and animals that bear patterns only visible in this spectrum. Some nocturnal spiders can even see in the infrared spectrum which useful for seeing in the dark.
>Weaving. Spiders use their hair as thread to weave cloth, rope, and even magic! Most spiders know how to weave at least some simple creations, as it is one of the staples of their culture. Clothes are an important means of self-expression and standing, and many spiders, especially those that are well-off or are clothes weavers themselves, will show off some beautiful colorful clothes.
Spider hair is made of different materials than other people’s hair, and grows faster too. Many spiders and especially hunters and warriors will keep their hair long so they can use it on the fly if needed. Using thread and ropes to fight is one of the spiders’ specialty, and tricky to counter when you’re not used to it. Alternatively, spiders that don’t weave much or at all regularly cut their hair and donate it to weaver workshops.
Some weaving arts have been passed down for generations in certain families. If regular weaving is already well consideredd, magic weaving is even more important for spiders. Its mysteries are well-guarded and it has brought spiders strength and protection against enemies for centuries. Some few magic weavers will specialize in weaving information into webs and become Archivist, a very small group of weavers dedicated to keeping history and other very important information alive in a hidden library.
>A second pair of arms. Like many Insects’ wings, they can appear and disappear mostly at will (and like Insects', clothes get in the way of them, which is why most spiders keep a lot of their torso uncovered, or covered with a layer of clothes that is easy to remove) and while they do require a bit of training to learn how to use them in tandem with their main arms and can be a bit much at times, they can truly boost a spider’s speed and/or maneuverability in many activites such as fighting or weaving. Very rarely, a spider will be so skilled at what they do with their 4 arms that they might be able to sprout and use a 3rd pair. It is extremely hard as it requires a lot of focus, dexterity and training. A few legendary warriors and weavers are known to have had 6 arms.
>Venomous fangs. Spiders possess special glands that allow them to produce venom. The potency and effects of it can vary slightly from individual to individual, and some people don’t produce venom at all. Dedicated hunters, or people with particularly potent or useful venom will regularly drain their glands and store the venom to use it later or sell it.
Spiders and Insects have a long history of not getting along well. The 2 groups simply have very different ways of seeing things. Spiders think of Insects as weak-willed, gregarious and clumsy, while Insects see spiders as primitive, cunning and scary people. Spiders sometimes have the reputation of being cowards, because of their fighting philosophy, relying on traps, poisoned weapons, and strategic hit-and-run ambushes. Such fighting style is adapted to smaller numbers of fighters. They themselves consider Insects cowards as well because they prefer to fight in bigger swarms and battalions.
