Shadow Crawler - Creature Conpendium - The World Arcanum
hey invoke sheer terror in some, mere annoyance in others, but they are never far from us. I have a colleague who is most adamant in his belief that we are never more than three feet from one at any given moment, yet they most often remain hidden away from our prying eyes, seeking nothing from us, but to remain undisturbed in the shadowy nooks and crannies of our world. Even when confronted, most are relatively harmless and easily dispatched, but that cannot be said of all specie of spiders. One very significant departure from this rule can be found in the dreaded shadow crawler.
The shadow crawler, at the basest comparison, it is a standard spider in appearance and in habitat, preferring the shadowy darkness to the bright light of day and feeding upon its prey in a most unpalatable manner. Yet one encounter with this particular spider, and it is quite evident that the similarities end quickly, for this monstrous example of the arachnid species is equal in height to a full grown halfling, it's eight thick, segmented legs spread out to a daunting width. It is black in coloration, yet it is not solid, rather the shadow crawler appears as some partially transparent ethereal apparition, lending it a great advantage in concealing itself. It prefers caves and deep crevices as lairs, but has also been found inhabiting ancient crypts and burial tombs.
Hunting habits are another area where the shadow crawler differentiates itself from the common spider. Unlike its brethren, who lie in wait for prey to become caught fast in their fine spun webs, the shadow crawler must hunt for its food, as it is incapable of producing a webbing substance. It does this by wandering from its lair to a location that might prove fruitful and concealing itself from sight, usually deep in shadow. The beast is a patient hunter, as we witnessed our specimen remain practically motionless for nearly ten hours before a possible meal, in this case a young forest ape, happened along.
The encounter was both brief, and brutal; the spider sprung forward as the ape passed, knocking it to the ground with its powerful front limbs. The ape never had a chance to recover and the shadow crawler all but pounced upon the hapless creature, sinking razor sharp mandibles into the ape repeatedly, no doubt injecting a stunning poison. The forest ape ceased its struggles quickly, and the shadow crawler set about draining all sustenance from its meal, leaving behind nothing but a withered husk. What shocked and amazed us all the more though, was what happened afterward.
A large crashing was suddenly heard from farther up the path, the spider turned, having just finished its meal, just in time to encounter the rather large group of apes, led by a huge male specimen. The troupe of apes stopped dead, obviously to assess the situation, and when the lead male spotted the drained corpse upon the ground, he began to beat his chest and emit a most spine tingling and ferocious howl. He was quickly joined by the other members of his group, and they began to advance upon the spider.
Seeing itself at a distinct disadvantage, the spider did not flee, as I had anticipated, but backed away slowly from its meal. Suddenly, the fresh corpse began to twitch and shudder. Within moments it stood, a macabre sight, placing itself between the two adversaries, preparing to defend the creature which had just stolen its life!
This seemed to enrage the apes further and they quickly advanced towards the spider, only to be attacked by the ape zombie, from which they recoiled as if in horror. One of the males managed to get past the reanimated nightmare, whereupon the spider attacked and overcame it much as it had done earlier with his companion. No sooner had this second ape been dispatched, than it too joined the ranks of the undead army. This seemed too much for the apes, and they quickly turned and fled back down the path, whereupon the corpses collapsed upon the ground and the shadow crawler proceeded to feed upon its newest victim.
Needless to say, we have found the shadow crawler to be a highly unique arachnid, best avoided at all costs by the citizens of Arcanum.
