VICTIM GIANTS #3 - The STORM ARACHNOIDS

Instructions

Name: Storm Arachnoid (Titanarachn eruptatrix) Height: Drones: 1 mile, Matriarchs: 2 miles, Empress: 2.5 Aliases: Storm Spiders,(Штормовой паук, Штормовий павук, Навальнічны павук, Pająk Burzy, Vētras zirneklis, Audros voras, Myrskyhämähäkki), Fog Spiders, Cloud Crabs Category: Victim Giant, Hive, Colossus Killer. CONTROLS: Space - Roar A - Artillery S - Silk Background info: Many people view many little arthropods as pests, but this invert pest is anything but little. These creatures form small colonies controlled by a single dominant female known as the Matriarch, the rest of the adults within the hive are loyal males referred to as Drones. Drones help the Matriarch defend their territory and hunt for food. They use a prehensile tongue as well as a silk-like strand to catch small organisms, like people. Blue sensory organs can detect any small animal moving underneath them, though how they work is unknown. Drones will occasionally get into fights with Drones from other hives, where they can use a wide range of weapons to defend their territory or to expand it. Most commonly they use their legs and pedipalps to slash and stab at their enemies. They also use their jaws to attempt to bite each other's limbs off. Their most destructive weapons by far are the eight cannons on their back. These cannons can shoot chitinous arrows with deadly accuracy. To make them worse, they can fire specialized arrows that can detonate, exploding into a toxic gas cloud, which is also used in herding prey. Not only are their hunting behaviors a threat to humans, but their territorial fights can be equally as damaging. These Drones can fight so violently that it's not uncommon for one to die. They are incredibly loyal to their Matriarch in hopes of winning her interest. Sometimes fights can escalate to a point where Matriarchs can be involved, which makes fights worse as the larger females are more aggressive and destructive, Females are also equipped with a venomous stinger, which is packed with neurotoxins that can instantly stun other individuals for several hours. Strangely, after they wake up, they'll join the hive of the Matriarch who stung them. Usually, these fights don't last very long so Matriarchs are rarely involved. In fact, Matraurchs are rarely ever seen as they usually hunt during terrible storms or tend to their young. Each year during the fall, Matriachs will lay a clutch of eggs ranging from 100 to 200. They are the offspring of all the Drones from that colony, but usually, around 30% of them belong to the dominant Drone. These eggs will hatch as soon as the snow melts. Their mother will fiercely guard them, but because there are simply so many, most of them are destined to perish in their first year. Once they reach 50 ft in height, they'll join hunts with the Drones. If they are male, they'll grow up to join the hive or sometimes leave for neighboring hives. Females on the other hand go through a much more difficult path to adulthood. If they're from the Matriarch's final clutch, adolescent females will fight to the death to decide who will be the heir to the hive. If their mother still is strong enough to maintain her territory, they'll have to find their own territory. The usually will take a few Drones with them to help kickstart it. Usually they're killed by other hives during this phase and their Drones are forced to join or die. If they are lucky enough, they'll kill a Matriarch from another hive and take it over. This usually happens when a rogue Drone allows them to sneak up on the Matriarch. Rogue Drones are usually males who are overlooked by their Matriarch. Another path adolescent Storm Arachnoids can make is to follow the Empress. If they choose, they can become a loyal servant of the Empress, a large female who has absolute power. No individual would even dare to attack her. Individuals who follow the Empress will never breed and live a simple and more peaceful life. These individuals do not fight others and often live at sea with the Empress, away from others. It is often compared to a religious group as these individuals follow certain rituals only they practice. They face North during the middle of the night as they repeat the same sounds every night. When the sun begins to rise they will all circle the Empress as they chant in their own system of vocalizations. During this time, they completely stop what they were doing. They also engage in hibernation for long periods of time. Some speculate these individuals, along with the Empress, act as a safeguard in case the other individuals drive themselves to extinction, though the exact reason of this is unknown. The Empress is also known for informing which giants the Matriarchs must avoid, as in the case of the Clustered Chaos... Due to the lack of space, the story of the battle between the Clustered Chaos and the Storm Arachnoid, SAM-116 "Vesna," will be on a separate project.