Vavare

Vavare – Vah var ey (Weavers, Spiderkin)

General Description:

The Spiderkin are a species of spider-like creatures, humanoid from the waist up and spider-like from the waist down.
They come in a variety of skin tones from rich browns and greys and blacks to pale greens and whites. While there is nowadays a large degree of diversity in the larger cities, darker coloured spiderkin are far more common except near the oceans where the green skin dominate and the mountains where the cave dwelling whites are most prevalent.  

They have 6 eyes, two large primary eyes flanked top and bottom by smaller eyes. Their eyes are generally black or red.
They have angular, slightly elven features with straight narrow noses and serrated pointed ears.
They have two upper “fangs” used for injecting venom and two lower fangs that jut out over their lips. They don't have any other “teeth” as such, but rather small serations in their jaws used for chewing their mostly liquid food.
Their faces usually have ornate geometric markings that look like tribal tattoos, similar markings run down their abdomens.
They have two long horns that are the same colour as their skin, often tipped with a contrast colour like their legs.
They have hair like humans, styled in a variety of ways. It can be curly or straight and comes in a large range of natural colours just like their skin. Many Spiderkin like to dye their hair bright contrasting colours.
Unusually, their faces are the only part of them that isn't armored with a strong exoskeleton. Instead their faces are a softer, more fleshy material. Still very strong and more rigid than most fleshy races, but softer than their exoskleton (A bit like the soft underbelly of a crab). Their armor starts just behind their ears, the seam barely visible around their hair line and jaw.

They have two humanoid arms and then 3 pairs of short “legs” on their back the upper of which has been modified in males into a pair of small pincers. These short legs and pincers are used primarily for display and intimidation purposes, the Spiderkin will rattle their pincers to attract a mate or to drive off a predator. These vestigial limbs also aid in molting, allowing the upper torso to wriggle free a little easier.
They have full movement of these vestigial limbs, able to drape them over their shoulders or raise them up in display and wriggle them around.

Spiderkin are spider-taurs, that is, from the waist down they have a spider body and 8 legs. This gives the spiderkin 16 limbs in total, 10 useful ones and 6 vestigial ones.

They will always dress to cover their pedipalps (the short protrusions at the front of their spider body) which are seen as sex organs to the spiderkin. In males these are used for insemination, so it's considered unseemly around other races to have them out on display. This means Spiderkin tend to wear skirt-like garments that drape down over their fronts. It's a habit that continues even on their home world, where such attitudes toward sex and nudity simply don't exist. It's just fashionable.

They have 6 paired spinnarets on their rear, they can and indeed do spin silk. In fact, the Spiderkin are known for their silk which they weave fine textiles from.

As the Spiderkin have copper based blood rather than iron, they bleed pale blue. They also lack a circulatory system like a lot of animals, their blood just sort of sloshes about inside their bodies. This means that should their exoskeleton be pierced, they will bleed catastrophically. While their blood can clot, it can't clot fast enough in most cases to avoid dangerous blood loss. Thankfully their exoskeleton is very strong and their own silk contains natural clotting agents making it an excellent material for bandages. Their legs, the most vulnerable point of their body have the ability to "seal off" at each joint which avoids hemorrhaging. Lost limbs will slowly regenerate over a few molts.

The have two hearts. An elongated tube-like heart that runs along the top of their spider abdomen, and a secondary pump where a humanoid's stomach would be, which helps pump the blood UP in into their upper torso. Most of their upper torso is given over to lungs, the spiderkin have multiple sets of lungs. Booklungs situated inside the spider part, and oversized tracheal lungs in the upper torso.

Because of their exoskeleton, the spiderkin molt regularly. Adults will molt every 2 or 3 years, children more often as they grow. The process is dangerous and exhausting, leaving the spiderkin vulnerable and weak until their new exoskeleton can harden up. They do not eat or drink during this time, and it can take several days to fully shed their skins. Most Spiderkin these days do so with medical assistance, the shed molt treated as medical waste. Molting is a very common cause of death, particularly among children and older females who are simply too big to be able to shed everything neatly and safely.

Male Spiderkin stand on average around 5 and a half feet tall while females are larger, standing between 8 and 9 feet. The larger females are dominant, their society thoroughly matriarchal.
Females do not however devour their mates, such behavior is seen as savage and unnecessary.

Naming conventions: Swedish sounding names, because... reasons. They don't have surnames, though family groups will tend toward the same professions. Usually "Den" followed by the profession. Literally "the" and whatever their job is.

EG:
Armin Den-Skadare - Armin the tailor.
Ilgen Den-Helige - Ilgen the holy/faithful.
Farhde Den-Herde - Farhde the herder.


Reproduction and life span:

Weavers live for around 60 years, reaching maturity at around 12 years. They reach "old age" and infertility at around 48.

Both males and females take multiple mates, their society is polygamous with no concept of pair bonds or marriage. They will mate only within their age bracket, thus avoiding accidental coupling with unknown parents or offspring. They become fertile only for a small period once every 3 years, but that doesn't mean they do not copulate for pleasure between these times. She is under no biological obligation to reproduce during this time, if she misses her fertile window, another will come in 3 years time. Most females will only have 3 or 4 litters in their lifetime, despite having around 12 fertile periods.

They regard the act of mating and the act of copulation as two entirely separate acts. Mating is to reproduce, an act between a female and males she deems "worthy" of passing on their genetic code. Copulation on the other hand is entirely recreational and used to strengthen bonds and show affection.

The Vavare are in general an extremely tactile race, displaying what could be seen as over familiarity and affection toward close family members that some species might feel inappropriately intimate. While they will only mate within their age bracket, they will copulate with anyone who is able to, and who does consent, which means yes, they will sleep with their siblings. This is seen as totally normal.

Because of their biology, there is zero risk of accidental impregnation. Reproduction is a very ordered, very intentional act.

Females birth live young, around 6-8 at a time, who she carries on her back till their first molt (at around 6 months of age). During this time and up till they are around 2, the youngsters will compete aggressively for survival. Sibling cannibalization is common, only the strong survive. Of a litter only half to a third will survive beyond toddlerhood.

Planet:

Vavaren is a richly forested planet with sweeping plains and mountain ranges. It has a lot of rivers and two large oceans.
The oxygen levels are high, leading to the animal and insect life being over-sized. Giant insectivorous birds prey upon giant cow sized aphids and will take spiderkin if they get a chance. There are no mammals, only lizards, insects, arachnids and some birds. Everything is huge. The planet itself is very prehistoric looking in terms of plant and animal life. The plants are generally extremely dark green and very leafy.
Their oceans are populated by giant squids, immense fish and various other enormous and terrifying creatures of the deep.

The spiderkin themselves have domesticated several insect species including the aphids, whom they milk and smaller (around the size of a sheep or goat) insects whom they use for food.

Because of the high oxygen concentration, offworld the Spiderkin must wear breathing apparatus, a mask over their mouth and nose and oxygen tanks carried on their backs.
Their masks contain speakers, allowing them still to speak through their breathing aids.

Biology and culture:
As the spiderkin lack a gut that allows them to process solid food, they liquefy their food. They will “vomit” digestive juices over the meat before sucking it up and chewing the mush. These days they prefer to use blenders and juicers to do the liquefying for them, it allows them to mix flavors into interesting combinations and has led to a rich culture of cookery (if you can call it that).

They have venom, but centuries of evolution have weakened the potency of the poison. Their venom still causes a great deal of pain to whomever they bite, but their victim is more likely to die of septicemia or some other infection than the venom itself.

The Spiderkin live in great webbed cities in the trees. They don't really have family groups as such, everyone sleeps together, eats together, lives together. They have no individual housing or anything like that. Their existence is very communal.
Because they don't form structured family groups, Spiderkin don't use surnames. They instead are referred to by their occupation (Davi the Butcher as opposed to Davi the Weaver for example)

Outside of the cities rural communities are more familial. Usually they will consist of a matriarch, her mates (on average 3 or 4 males) and their children. Like the city folk, their homes are one large "room" or shelter, with absolutely no privacy.

Vavare have no real concept of privacy or modesty and wear clothing mostly as a form of individuality rather than for warmth or to cover nakedness.

Children are schooled and the primary industries in adulthood are farming/agriculture, weaving and trade. Spiderkin silk fetches a high price offworld and eager to take advantage of this, the Spiderkin have built large and efficient transport factories, where spinners can weave on route to distant worlds and trade hubs.

Spiderkin are, in general, polite and patient people. As traders, they're used to having to be diplomatic and rather desensitized to the reactions of some species upon encountering them. They regard such fear with mild bemusement on the whole. They're known for having a dry wit and some races claim they're never entirely sure if the Spiderkin are joking with them or not. Certainly they don't seem to take offense easily and have a strict code of ethics. They're a surprisingly gentle race with no real tendency for violence or aggression.

Religion:

The Spiderkin worship the “Great Weaver”, a giant spider who they believe created the universe from her silk. Every large town or city has a temple, while smaller settlements and ships have a shrine served by a single priest.
The faithful come weekly to pray to their goddess, bowing their heads to her in devotion and submission.
Twice yearly, on the solstices a food offering is given over, three of the best livestock, wrapped in the finest of intricately woven silk.

There is a little division between the races over precisely which livestock and exactly how to honor their goddess, but these regional differences are minor for the most part. Those coastal regions also worship or rather fear a storm god, who they appease before each voyage and whenever the weather is looking unsettled with food and silk offerings poured into the churning waves.
The Storm god is referred to only as "the destroyer" and takes the form of a Kracken.

Religion notes: (WIP)

The weaver spun the fabric of the universe, the inky blackness upon which her children hung the stars.

She had 4 children:

The dragon, who created the stars and the planets.
The spider, who created life and placed it upon those planets.
The whale, who created the waters
The plant, who created all plant life.

These gods had children of their own.

The dragon birthed the Star Dragons, blessed with her abilities to create celestial bodies, they lived free among the stars.

The whale birthed the space whales, who swam free among the stars.

The spider wove into being all planet dwelling life.


The Destroyer (a giant squid/kracken) grew jealous of the Weaver's beautiful creation and sought to spoil it. It dropped its toxic ink upon the universe, poisoning and infecting the creations, corrupting that which it touched.
This is why there is evil in the universe. One must do all they can to keep the ink from infecting their hearts.