Rantul

*The Rantul are a species of sentient arachnids that has been present in Aos ever since the dawn of history, though according to some elven sources they have made their appearance only a few centuries before humanity.*

*Rantul reproduce parasitically by laying eggs inside of the bodies of other living creatures, so that the larvas can incubate safely and have an assured food supply for when they hatch. According to their birth process, the Rantul are divided into three subspecies: spawnlings, hybrids and matriarchs.*

*Spawnlings are the most common Rantul breed, which is not surprising since as many as a hundred of them can hatch from a single host. They resemble huge tarantulas, except for talons on their legs, and they can grow to the size of an adult hound. They are quite intelligent but still little more than animals, mostly ruled by their instincts. They are very social and they hunt and fight in big packs, relying on numerical superiority, their talons and their venom to kill their prey. They are naturally subservient towards hybrids and matriarchs.*

*Hybrids are born whenever the implanted eggs are absorbed into the host's body and mutate it instead of hatching into spawnlings to devour it. The resulting hybrid is a mix between a Rantul and the host's native species, though the instincts are purely those of a Rantul. Any previous memory and personality is erased during the transformation, though some faint traces of it may remain as quirks in their behaviour, and the instincts are purely that of a Rantul. Hybrids vary in how dangerous they are depending on their original species, but they can be extremely strong, since they can retain part of their innate magic, if they had any. In battle, sentient hybrids often lead spawnlings and less intelligent hybrids, but are instinctively subservient towards matriarchs.*

*Matriarchs are born when one egg somehow absorbs all of the other eggs before hatching, resulting in the birth of a single Rantul from a single host —which is always female in this case, as the matriarchs seem to incubate inside the host’s uterus or an equivalent reproductive organ. They are very similar to spawnlings in appearance but are many times their size, easily reaching the size of a cart or even bigger. Matriarchs sit at the top of Rantul society and they are the one leading the various nests, with the hybrids and the spawnlings instinctively obeying to all of their orders. Matriarchs are also the only Rantul who possess the innate magic of their race, in their case the ability to create and manipulate magical webs. These webs can be used for a lot of purposes, from offense to building and even healing. Silk produced by a Rantul matriarch is considered an exceedingly rare and precious material, often used for magical garbs which are even more resilient than actual plate armor...*

*The Arachne are a subspecies of Rantul matriarch that are the result of a mix up between the hatching and the hybridization process. An arachne looks like a normal matriarch, only with the torso of the host attached to its cephalothorax. Sadly, this part of the host retains their memories and personality, which contrasts with those of the matriarch, something which leads the Arachne to mental instability and madness. However, Arachnes are also extremely powerful, having a much more powerful aura compared to other matriarchs and also possessing the native magical abilities of both Rantul and their native species. Because of their power and madness, Arachne are considered very dangerous even by their own kin, and are often killed as soon as they are born.*

*Excerpt from “A Wayfarer's Guide to the Unknown Volume III, Creatures and Monsters” by Septim Logan, published by Auric Golden Press*