Post:Festivals - Cordulia - 10/30/2025 - 2:38

https://discordapp.com/channels/619301383451181075/619612817057906688/1433359320988258346 · on 10/30/25 2:38
This will probably end up in an actual book at some point, but here is some sea spider lore. Contents of the above document: In real life, sea spiders aren’t actually spiders. They’re just marine arthropods that look vaguely like spiders. In Elanthia, they are spiders, and they are the source of brinefang. Because of this difference, I’d like to give them a formal description. (This can be referenced in items or if players ask about them.) Description Sea spiders are spiders adapted to the ocean’s reefs and caves. Their bodies are compact and heavily plated, with wide, flattened limbs lined by translucent swimming hairs that shimmer like strands of liquid glass. When light pierces the water, it ripples across their limbs in silvery-blue waves. A mature sea spider’s body is about a meter in length, with a legspan of about three meters. Their coloration varies by habitat — pale blue and silver in coastal shallows, deep indigo or near-black in the dark caves. Unlike their terrestrial kin, they do not spin webs; instead, they produce fine ribbons of silk used to anchor themselves to reefs or wrap prey in place against the tide. They breathe through narrow slits along their abdomen that pulse with faint bioluminescence, giving the illusion that their bodies are patterned with drifting constellations. When startled, they release a cloud of glowing fluid that confuses predators and briefly lights the surrounding water in eerie, rippling blue. Behavior and Ecology Sea spiders are solitary and territorial. They prefer to lurk among coral branches or the undersides of rocks, waiting for small fish or crustaceans to pass within reach. Despite their predatory nature, they are revered by coastal peoples for their role in balancing reef ecosystems. They feed on parasites that harm coral, keeping the waters around their dens strikingly clear. They are long-lived and grow slowly, molting only once every few years. After each molt, the discarded fangs can be harvested to be processed into brinefang. Cultural Lore Among the Merelew, sea spiders are regarded with a mixture of awe and caution. They are called silmuhnaen (s. silmuhnu) ("tide graspers") in Asaran — living weavers of the sea’s memory. It is said that killing a sea spider without cause brings misfortune: ships will drift off course, and their compasses will "forget" north. For this reason, only molts "voluntarily" shed can be harvested.
This message was originally posted in festivals, by Cordulia on the Official DragonRealms server.