Moonspider
Moonspiders haunt some of the darker woods in Northern Banteave. When the moon is out, they shine brightly and sing to it. On moonless nights, however, they hunt.
Moonspiders lurk in the trees above, big as a human. They tend to drop down on unwary travellers, crushing them under their mass as their fangs dig into vulnerable, exposed flesh. Once their prey has stopped moving, they drag them back up into the trees to feast. They have an armoured chitin that is resistant to damage; sturdy crushing blows are needed to cause significant damage to them.
Basic Information
Anatomy
An eight-legged, luminescent monstrosity, the moon spider is roughly as big as a human male, with adults weight roughly two hundred pounds.
Ecology and Habitats
Moon spiders lair in densely forested areas, favouring mature trees that can support their weight. It finds itself well-populated hunting grounds to lair in and picks out several decent trees that it can lurk in until ideal prey passes below it. Deer trails are often good grounds for the moon spider, but peasant trails and hunters paths are also rife with prey.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The moon spider is carnivorous, sustaining itself on whatever it can catch. A deer will keep one fed for a week, as will a full-grown human. Smaller game, if it can be caught, also supplements the diet of the spider.
Biological Cycle
The moon spider hibernates in wintertime, seeking solace against the bitter cold by tunnelling underneath tall trees.
Behaviour
Moon spiders are particularly curious in that they react to the moon on cloudless nights. Their bodies will begin to emit a bioluminescent glow which grows stronger as the moon grows in size as wanes as it shrinks to a sliver. When the moon is at its brightest, moon spiders will clamber to the tops of trees to try to be as close to the moon as possible, and emit strange harmonic sounds that could be described as "singing" by those who witness it. Anyone disturbing their moonlit performances are hunted with unrelenting vigour.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The moon spider is believed to operate through tremorsense; lack of light doesn't impede it.
Geographic Distribution
