Arachs

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Arachs

Form the dark, a giant monstrous spider spindles down towards its prey, a young larva, acid dripping from its fangs. The larvae's mother shrieks in agony as her child is about to be consumed. Suddenly, with an unearthly boom, a rift opens next to the creature, and a gleaming blade cuts it in half. The carcass of the spider is sprawled across the ground, the sword between its still twitching fangs. As the mother of the larvae comes running towards it, she sees on top of the carcass standing three other pairs of spindly spider-like legs. The vespoid shrieks again, quickly running away, her child clutched in her arms. The arach savior steps from the shadows, its fanged mouth releasing a sigh of frustration before vanishing into the dark of the dungeon once more.

Born of the Shyfell

When the scion empire crumbled into the gate, for but a moment, the aberrant energies of the void beyond seeped into the Material Plane. Some unfortunate souls were pulled beyond the threshold, never to be seen again. This event birthed the Shyfell, a web of dark aberrant terror that binds and corrupts the Material Plane. The insectoids that were pulled across were reborn in the Shyfell as the Shadewoven, monstrous predators with only the desire to feast and destroy. Those fortunate enough to avoid the singularity were not pulled into the Shyfell entirely, only forever bound to it, creating the first arachs.
Arachs have the upper body of an insectoid, but instead of two legs, their torso is carried on the lower body of an immense spider. Their six spindly legs allow an arach to move with terrifying speed across sheer surfaces and even upside down. Some arachs even grow colorful fur across their body. However, their face is probably the most alien feature of all their attributes. It is dotted by multiple pairs of compound eyes that gleam in the dark and their mouth framed by giant fangs.
From the first arach to the few that wander Insectopia today, they were always met with immediate hostility and fear because of their appearance.

Fighting for Better Days

Arach form minorities in the roughest quarters of other nations. Their aberrant nature makes most creatures uncomfortable, and as such, most arach lurk at the fringes of society. Moreover, their innate ability to traverse short distances through the Shyfell leads many to a life of crime, worsening their reputation further.
However, some ambitious arachs want to escape the lot the universe has dealt them. For these arachs, life is seldom mundane. Be it for the suspicion they face in their day to day or the adventures they take on to avoid dealing with it. Those few arachs that find a lord, group, or cause that is willing to accept them are loyal to the point of fanaticism, driven by the will to prove themselves.