The Mazacax

!!! Hello !!!

Maybe
An arachnoid species native to Phanxnoccrim, they primarily inhabit the dunes of Tax.
A breed of intelligent spiders, the Mazacax vary greatly in size ranging as small as half a meter (~1.5 ft.) and as large as 4 meters (~13 ft.), which is measured by their fully-extended leg span, as with most arachnoids. Toe-to-toe, these are one of the largest mortal species currently living in Ylly.
The Mazacax are not inherently aggressive; however, they are extremely territorial. These sapient creatures rarely leave the deep, underground "city" they have built for themselves. Surrounded by extensive tunnel systems littered with webbing and the smaller spiders that made said webbing. The tunnels are relatively well maintained and act as a highway system running under a solid third of Phanxnoccrim.
Lesser, drone-like Mazacax sometimes skitter the dunes above in tight lines, sweeping every square inch of large areas in search of carrion, vegetation, or any other biological matter that can easily be brought back to the nest.
When confronted with hostilities of a significant nature, the smaller Mazacax can bury themselves deep in the sand and dirt for camouflage and protection. This behavior has also been witnessed near nest entrances. Here they stick their legs up out of the ground in a way that looks like dried twigs or weeds and any wildlife that passes by is occasionally snatched and drug several feet underground to be cocooned and stored for later. Once this process is complete, the drone will haul the bounty back to the surface and into the nest to be further processed into food, or added to the livestock.
Mazacax nests have at least one "elder" with the ability to collect and pass down genetic memory so long as the colony is willing to provide the considerable amount of resources needed for the ritual as well as continued sustenance. Easily comparable to an archmage, this Mazacax has nearly the entirety of the species' knowledge collected since this ability first came to be.
Being residents of Phanxnoccrim, they are well accustomed to rapid and drastic temperature changes.

==== !!! Biology !!! Maybe
The Mazacax all look generally the same. They can vary greatly in size, but the physical features are almost identical for the entire species. It is postulated that there were once several distinct races of Mazacax each with different patterns, but this breed is the only remaining. At some point a few dozen nests were linked by a massive and complex tunnel system that eventually became the Mazacax home as we know it today.
The Mazacax have a naturally occurring carapace used for armor that covers their entire exoskeleton. This carapace is tough but heals poorly when damaged, usually requiring some kind of medical assistance to properly mend.
Mazacax have the ability to mix heat with SoulForce and can release heat to cool themselves. This heat exchange system gives them an innate and significant resistance to temperatures that would rapidly rob other mortals of life. The effect can be consciously magnified by pumping in more SoulForce, but this results in severe lethargy while active. This bodily function can also burn any stored chemical energy to create warmth. With this, every part of a Mazacax is extremely resistant to freezing. Even the tiniest appendages have fluid systems designed to circulate, among other things, heat.
The majority of Mazacax, while not fully sapient, are highly advanced drones that have enhanced mental capacity for memories, learning, and information processing on the fly. Lacking a telepathic or Ectenic link, the Mazacax must rely entirely on pheromones for nest wide communication. While all drones can maintain life functions, sustenance drive, and defense when separated from the nest. Certain drones will be frequently detached from communications and must be able to function in a wide range of situations, such as hunter-gatherers going above ground for resources, or even miners and construction workers exploring deep underground for more resources. Cave-ins are also common, though nearby drones on both sides of the cave-in can quickly clear any blockage.
The Mazacax have small glands scattered through their body that contain a specially designed chemical that drives nearby Mazacax into a frenzy. This is a defensive mechanism to protect the nest and does not work on other species. Though many of these glands must rupture to have a nest-wide effect, this makes hostile incursions into the nest very difficult. If even a small number of sizeable Mazacax are killed, these chemicals spread quickly through tunnels calling nearby Mazacax to the location. the hostile party will be quickly overrun with small drones that will climb over and encase every exposed item, creature, or surface in webs. The drones will ignore everything except the drive to web everything and everyone everywhere. Once there is no longer a threat, larger Mazacax will take any still-living hostiles to become livestock.

==== !!!Tidbits!!! Maybe
The Mazacax have kept to themselves long enough that most mortals have forgotten anything about them other than hate and fear. But the Mazacax have a highly-developed utopian society maintained by millions of drones that provide sanctuary for the several thousand sapients who live comfortably with a culture that embraces philosophy. These sardonic thinkers consider themselves better than those who would focus their thoughts on destruction, and tend to maintain a withdrawn stance with the rest of reality to contemplate the various truths of the mind. These are creatures of strong and sometimes conscious instinct that pushes and pulls them to and from various events and ideologies. In the rare times another mortal has a chance to "talk" to a Mazacax, they will find that the spiders have disturbingly relatable things to say.
Recently, the Scholareum has discovered a wildly concerning "static" on the Ectenic Network. Their "elder" has no stored information relating to anything similar, which is highly concerning given the extent of Mazacax knowledge. It's a sickly weight on the soul that comes and goes, like allergies during pollen season. It is as if reality were a massive cliff with something about to tip over the very edge, almost as if it's actively threatening to crack the ground beneath it and bring the whole cliff crashing down. Something so significant that it's sending ripples throughout all of existence. The Mazacax "elders" have begun preparing for many possibilities that could endanger their species. However, some of them are noticably scared. No one has ever seen a Mazacax "elder" scared before.