They're quite small, and fit in most hard-to-reach places
It’s yet another calm and beautiful day in Holloway’s Keep. The sky is blue, there’s not a breath of air, and should anyone care to glance out the window, they will find that it has been hung with a gauzy white curtain overnight.
No, that’s no curtain. It’s a web.
Those who venture out into the halls will find more webs draped from ceilings and stretched across corners. They’re thick and strong and will not break, no matter how much force is applied. These webs are incredibly sticky, capable of holding a grown man off his feet without any sign of strain. And worst of all, in places they swathe doorways in thick white shrouds, each thread glistening, daring any to try and pass.
Outside, there are spiders. A seething, writhing mass of spiders spills through open doors and across courtyards, over walls, furniture and people. They devour any open floor, climbing and crawling and spilling over their own, their chitinous bodies shining and glittering. The collective clicking of their legs, too soft to hear when they’re alone, sends a static hush throughout the halls as they surge forward. Frenzied as they are, they care not whether they crawl over floors or feet. But be careful not to startle them, lest they bite.
The Keep is suffering an infestation. While it’s unlikely your character will escape without a bite or two, most of the spiders are harmless. There are, however
Brown Recluse spiders: Tiny and brown and quite shy, when threatened they will inject a necrotic venom that will leave your character in pain for weeks if left untreated.
Radio-active spiders: Marked by the bright green blaze along their backs, these little monsters deliver a painful bite, but their venom confers an unnatural nimbleness. It also causes a large swelling which can shoot thick web ropes from beneath the victim’s skin, an excellent climbing aid. These abilities will last for 48 hours.
Shock spiders: Metallic and almost mechanical-looking, these deliver an electric shock with their bite that is powerful enough to disrupt most circuitry for anywhere from a minute to half an hour.
Red-spider Blue-spider: Just what it says on the tin, this spider can be either red or blue. Its bite will also deliver ten minutes of unbridled emotion, be it euphoria, despair or malice. Combined with a more lasting side-effect of lowered inhibition, this venom makes for a potent mixer.
Juliet’s Weaver: Small and black and seemingly-innocuous, this spider causes gradual sensory loss. Symptoms begin with pins and needles, then a loss of touch sensation, unusual and then fading tastes and smells. Finally, victims will experience aural and visual hallucinations before losing first their hearing and finally their sight. They can remain in a state of total sensory deprivation for up to 24 hours.
Hoffman’s Spider: This spider’s venom acts as a muscle relaxant. Victims will find that their limbs no longer behave in the way that they expect. While victims retain their mental faculties, they may find that trying to move their left arm instead moves their right, and in entirely the wrong direction. In addition they will suffer overall muscle weakness and lethargy. Effects will last no more than six hours.
As always, character's rooms are safe havens and a you're welcome to have characters retreat there if you would prefer not to play with a horde of arachnids.
No, that’s no curtain. It’s a web.
Those who venture out into the halls will find more webs draped from ceilings and stretched across corners. They’re thick and strong and will not break, no matter how much force is applied. These webs are incredibly sticky, capable of holding a grown man off his feet without any sign of strain. And worst of all, in places they swathe doorways in thick white shrouds, each thread glistening, daring any to try and pass.
Outside, there are spiders. A seething, writhing mass of spiders spills through open doors and across courtyards, over walls, furniture and people. They devour any open floor, climbing and crawling and spilling over their own, their chitinous bodies shining and glittering. The collective clicking of their legs, too soft to hear when they’re alone, sends a static hush throughout the halls as they surge forward. Frenzied as they are, they care not whether they crawl over floors or feet. But be careful not to startle them, lest they bite.
The Keep is suffering an infestation. While it’s unlikely your character will escape without a bite or two, most of the spiders are harmless. There are, however
Brown Recluse spiders: Tiny and brown and quite shy, when threatened they will inject a necrotic venom that will leave your character in pain for weeks if left untreated.
Radio-active spiders: Marked by the bright green blaze along their backs, these little monsters deliver a painful bite, but their venom confers an unnatural nimbleness. It also causes a large swelling which can shoot thick web ropes from beneath the victim’s skin, an excellent climbing aid. These abilities will last for 48 hours.
Shock spiders: Metallic and almost mechanical-looking, these deliver an electric shock with their bite that is powerful enough to disrupt most circuitry for anywhere from a minute to half an hour.
Red-spider Blue-spider: Just what it says on the tin, this spider can be either red or blue. Its bite will also deliver ten minutes of unbridled emotion, be it euphoria, despair or malice. Combined with a more lasting side-effect of lowered inhibition, this venom makes for a potent mixer.
Juliet’s Weaver: Small and black and seemingly-innocuous, this spider causes gradual sensory loss. Symptoms begin with pins and needles, then a loss of touch sensation, unusual and then fading tastes and smells. Finally, victims will experience aural and visual hallucinations before losing first their hearing and finally their sight. They can remain in a state of total sensory deprivation for up to 24 hours.
Hoffman’s Spider: This spider’s venom acts as a muscle relaxant. Victims will find that their limbs no longer behave in the way that they expect. While victims retain their mental faculties, they may find that trying to move their left arm instead moves their right, and in entirely the wrong direction. In addition they will suffer overall muscle weakness and lethargy. Effects will last no more than six hours.
As always, character's rooms are safe havens and a you're welcome to have characters retreat there if you would prefer not to play with a horde of arachnids.