Spiderfolk

The Spiderfolk are peaceful inhabitants of the Catacombs. They are said to have been created by the Author to perform more menial tasks, hence their many arms and passive nature. However, their dispositions were found to be too relaxed to sustain the manic drive that motivates Librarians, and they went in search of a more peaceful life. That they settled in the deadly Catacombs says perhaps less about the Spiderfolk than it does about the Librarians.

## Physical Description

Spiderfolk stand somewhere in the range of five to seven feet tall, although their hunched postures can describe their true height. Almost all Spiderfolk have six arms, although some have four, and they walk upright on two legs. They have large pedipalps on their faces, greatly increasing their resemblance to spiders. Their chitins are typically a dull, desaturated brown, but show considerable variety of color, mirroring that seen among spiders in the material planes. Uniquely, they are able to produce silk, which they use in textiles and manufacturing.

Much like Librarians, Spiderfolk are genderless (although some have adopted the idea of gender from their human acquaintances). They propagate the species, when necessary, through the actions of an individual known as the Author of Spiderfolk, who converts other beings seeking a simple life into new Spiderfolk. Spiderfolk do not seem to age, and are created fully-formed.

## Cultural Description

Spiderfolk are perhaps the most peaceful of the species inhabiting the Library. They reside in the Catacombs, and rarely venture outside except for the purposes of trade. In their home, they farm mushrooms and other fungi for the simple joy of bringing forth life. The fact that these crops can be traded with human settlements in the Library-- humans being one of the only species in the Library to continue to eat, since the practice has such a large role in their social customs-- is a mere side benefit to the satisfaction that the task brings them.

Although the Spiderfolk are largely cut off from the Librarians, a number of connections exist between the two cultures; their estrangement is perhaps less total than it seems. They harvest marrow from huge, ancient bones found in the tunnels, left by presumably extinct, unknown creatures. Marrow-harvesters trade their wares to the Librarians above, who use it for the production of ink. They also harvest ink from the Atraenum which reside in the rivers near their settlements; between that and the marrow, most of the ink in the Library stems from the Catacombs.. In addition, some Spiderfolk return to the world above to work with the Librarians in the Bindery, where their silk production and manual dexterity is a great boon to the task of repairing books.

There is little in the way of social hierarchy among the Spiderfolk. Each farmer and their companions tend to their own soil, marrow-harvesters cooperate with one another, and the druids and magic-users are more in the way of mentors to the rest of the colony than they are leaders. The one Spiderfolk with an exalted social status is the Author of Spiderfolk, who lives in the center of the largest Spiderfolk settlement in a shrine made of silk. They are revered not only for their capacity to bring forth new Spiderfolk, but because they make some of the best tea in the Library: a valuable commodity in a place in which the main form of entertainment is reading.

## Behind the Scenes

* Spiderfolk were originally created by the user CanPakes
* They were officially canonized on December 18, 2020
* CanPakes has described the Spiderfolk as being somewhat of a self-insert; they share a sense of kindness, a love of nature, and an appreciation for spiders. CanPakes does not describe farming, however.

## HeroForge Links

https://www.heroforge.com/load\_config%3D13000280/