Yantu'arashii

Sometimes called Arashii for short, they are a large spider-like species that is native to the highly acidic planet of Yantu. They naturally produce Soulsilk as part of their web making process.
Their biological requirements make travel to other planets difficult as their environment is difficult to replicate on a ship. Expensive environment suits can be created and allow Arashii to see the wider galaxy, but they are never comfortable and always return to Yantu or one of the few other planets that can support them long-term.

Physical Appearance

They have eight legs and a spider-like abdomen and thorax. From their thorax they have a slightly extended neck with a head that has eight eyes and large mandibles. Also from their thorax they have either two or three additional limbs depending on if they are male or female. Both have two long arms that have hands each with three long fingers and an opposable thumb. The fingers (but not the thumb) each end with a needle-like point that can inject poison into another creature. Females have an additional arm that ends in with a single ovipositor instead of a hand.

Hunting

For day-to-day survival they tend to eat smaller creatures. By laying webs of Soulsilk they can catch their prey with very little effort as the natural enchantment of the webs draws their prey in to get stuck in the webs. Once stuck, the Arashii will inject them with poison to paralyze them, then wrap them in a cocoon to kill them and preserve them to eat at their leisure.

Reproduction

To reproduce, a larger creature then normally fed on is required. Usually this is the Yantu Beithir. A suitable creature will be trapped in webs as with typical prey and paralyized the same. However, when they go to wrap them in further webs they are not made as tightly as before. The female will use her ovipositor to implant an egg that has either been fertilized or unfertilized just under the skin of the creature. After a short time, the egg will hatch and the small larve will begin eating the still living host. The host's body provides a safe area for the larve to grow and a food source. Eggs that were fertilized prior to implantation will produce a female offspring, while unfertilized ones produce males.
In addition to their appearance, this reproductive behavior has led to the species receiving a less than favorable repuation with many spacefaring species.

Animal Husbandry

In order to make the reproductive process easier the Arashii began domesticating the Beithir to be more docile and dependant. They are raised for many years and fed well in order to make them the best possible candiates for their childen to grow inside. Some are also killed early and used for food by adult members of the species. The discarded scaly hides and some meat is also sold as an export product.

Lifespan

90 years

Related Materials

• Soulsilk