Species Description:
Live in caves, forests, buildings: anywhere they can find somewhere to cling above the heads of their potential prey before dropping down to attack. These are creatures that vaguely resemble spiders except that they have only 4 legs and a hard, shiny black carapace. They grow up to a foot long. Their legs end in sharp spikes rather than feet and they use these to climb by driving them into the wall (or whatever surface they are climbing) and pulling themselves up. This leaves little poc-marks in their wake so, if one knows what to look for, it is easy to tell if an area is inhabited by arachs. Also the tapping sound brought about by their movement will give away their presence. The tapping also serves as their form of communication with one another.
Arachs come in swarms of up to 20. When they attack each individual will first fire a strand of extremely sticky silk, the intended overall effect being to trap the victim. Once this is done the arachs will surge forward from their hiding places and drop down on their victim from above, biting and stabbing until they are too wae to be capable of defending themselves. Then the arachs will begin feeding regardless of whether their prey is dead yet. They could be described as vampiric as they feed on blood, being incapable of digesting solid food. Once helpless, the victim is quickly drained dry.
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Average Statistics
Size: 30 - 50 cm length
Weight: 0.5 kg
Diet: carnivorous / scavenger
Alignment (if any): n/a
Life expectancy: 1 year if does not hibernate
Solitary/Group (number): Group animal. Occurance ~20. Much greater if aracheer present.