Lady of the Web

The burrow-homes of the Arachnitha each have their individual leadership but above all of these kings and queens, in the central nexus of the Arachnithan web network, resides the Lady of the Web, the supreme ruler of the Arachnitha and the most ancient member of their species at any given time.

Queen & Mother

To the Arachnithan peoples, the Lady of the Web is more than a ruler and is seen as the collective maternal figure for their entire species, and most of those who have held the title have taken to that role. She will often refer to her people as her children and the young are allowed to skitter across her considerable bulk when they visit.

In this way, the Arachnitha are perhaps closest to their leadership out of all the peoples of Nascindor and perhaps that is why they also seem to be the most united.

Title & Inheritance

The title is always held by the oldest living Arachnitha, passed down to the next oldest when the current holder dies. And since female Arachnitha live on average a good few decades longer than the males, the title has never been held by a male and thus it has become gendered.

Arachnitha also never stop growing as they age, which means that those old enough to hold the title of Lady of the Web are truly massive individuals, towering over humans and S'aue, easily the size of houses.

Due to this, these rulers garner a certain fearful respect from all who deal with them. But, as ever, the Arachnitha appear more intimidating than they are, and not one Lady of the Web has given reason for worry to the other species inhabiting Nascindor. If anything, they have been staunch allies to Human and S'aue both.

Duties

The Lady of the Web is responsible for the safety and well-being of all the burrow-homes, and she represents Arachnithan interests in dealings with the surface and the other sapient species that dwell upon it.

To this end, she spends most of her time perched upon the Nexus, the center of the Gossamer Dispatch, through which she can monitor all the information that flows through the web and can send messages to any part of their underground empire if need be.

In addition, the Lady of the Web is also an oracle of sorts. Peoples from far and wide visit her on a regular basis to beseech her for the wisdom of the ages she possesses, and it is rumored that she is able to divine the future via careful studying of the web.

Lastly, the Lady of the Web is the supreme arbiter of justice among the Arachnitha. Should someone break the laws of the burrow-homes severely enough, they will be brought before the Lady of the Web, and only she may pass judgement in such cases, in lieu of local jurisdictions.

Diplomatic Relations

Generally speaking, the Lady is on good terms with the leaders of the other species, though there is admittedly some chagrin between the S'aue Empire and the Arachnithan brood, caused by the formers insistence upon drilling the crust of the planet in their endless pursuit of oil. Not only do these drilling operations cause irreversible damage to the world they must all inhabit, they threaten the structural integrity of the burrow-homes directly underneath any such drilling locations.

Each time that delegates from the S'aue Empire come to meet her, she makes it a point to implore that they should cut back on these operations, or at the very least make sure that where they drill is not above an Arachnithan burrow-home. So far her pleas have fallen to deaf ears, which saddens the Lady greatly.

Type

Royalty, Hereditary

Status

In effect

Form of Address

Her Ladyship, Mother

Alternative Naming

Broodmother, She who Weaves, Gossamer Queen

Source of Authority

Seniority

Length of Term

Lifelong

by Midjourney

_{Losh'tusa, the current Lady of the Web}