You meet a rather large spider, watching rather carefully through the web barrier. When you get close, it turns to look at you. It isn't hostile.
"Hi! My name's Spider!" It has a squeaky, high-pitched voice.
"I guard the barrier!" It points at the barrier, apparently in case you didn't see it.
0
barrier
0
"We put it up in case the nasty spiders come! They're nasty!"
0
nast@spid
0
"We're at war with the evil spiders! They're mean!" It hisses loudly, to clarify the point.
1
stnd
0
A huge, hairy spider is pacing side to side behind the web barrier. When you get close, it turns a little to see you.
"Hello!" It bounces up and down a little when it says it. "I'm Spider!"
"I'm a guarding spider!"
1
guar@spid
0
"Yeah! If any evil spiders come, I do the Spider Dance of Alarm, and the I bite em'! I got big fangs!"
1
danc@alar
0
"I can't do it for you, silly! There's no alarm!"
1
bite@fang
0
"Yeah! Look!" It opens its mouth and hisses alarmingly. One thing is for sure. These spiders may not be very bright, but they have fangs the size of short swords, and venom sacs like grapefruit. "Cool, huh?"
2
stnd
0
A little spider, only up to your knee, drags around a basket of bugs twice as large as it is.
"I'm Spider!"
"I help wrap up bugs. That's all they let me do." It looks sad for a moment. At least you think that's what it looks like. Then it perks up. "But someday, I'll be a warrior spider!"
2
bugs@bask
0
"It's hard to find good bugs and gnats and stuff, but there are some, and we find 'em!"
2
warr
0
"Yeah! Watch this!" It leaps straight up into the air, about the height of your waist. Then it lands. "I don't know what good doing that is, but it's a good start!"
3
stnd
0
A giant spider wanders around forlornly.
"Spider." It sounds glum.
"Looking for a new mate."
3
mate
0
It sighs. "My old mate got eaten up by aranea. It's all sad and stuff." It looks up at you hopefully. "Any of you need a mate? I have big pedipalps!"
3
pedipalps
0
"Yeah!" It waves around two small, arm-like appendages near its mouth. It's clear its heart isn't in it. "Oh well. I'm going to go catch some gnats."
4
stnd
0
A spider is busy practicing for battle. It jumps back and forth, brandishing its eight-inch long fangs, and just generally looking impressive. Then it mistimes a jump and flips onto its back. Then it gets up again and looks at you.
"Spider."
"I'm a warrior spider! I'm on a big quest!"
4
warr@spid
0
"We need all the fighters we can get! We're big and tough, but the aranea got spells! Zap!" It jumps straight up into the air, executes a flying kick, fails to land safely, and thuds to the ground. "Ow. I'm still working on that one."
4
quest
1
5
It quivers in aggravation. "Those aranea took our babies! They stole a big bunch of eggs. We need to get them back, before nasty magic things get done to them! You should ask Spider about it. He's our leader." It starts practicing again.
"Well, our eggs got brought back, so now I'm working on catching a fly. They're really fast and small." It leaps into the air, bites at something, and crashes to the ground. "Ow."
5
stnd
0
A spider eyes you interestedly.
It moves up very close to you. "I'm Spider. You're cute."
"You're cute"
5
cute
0
"Would you like to come back and see my web? I have a big mealworm!"
5
meal
0
"Yummy! And just big enough for two. You're cute!"
6
stnd
0
One of the spiders is leading around a bunch of other, smaller spiders. The smaller ones must be a different species - their markings are entirely different.
"Oh, hi! I'm Spider."
"I'm trying to teach these dumb spiders things. It's all hard and stuff."
6
teach
0
"Yeah! Like how to fight and make web baskets and talk and dance and stuff. They're pretty dumb, though."
6
dumb@spid
0
"They get all big like us, but they can't talk and they aren't as cute. A bunch of them live in tunnels here. We leave 'em alone, because they're spiders and aren't mean. But be careful, 'cause they'd probably eat you. They're silly."
One of the smaller spiders tries to wander off. It gets collected and returned to the herd.
7
stnd
0
A spider carries around a huge egg sac, bigger than your head.
"My name is Spider. I've heard of you - Spider told me about you."
"I'm being careful with these eggs. If they got stolen, it would be real sad."
7
eggs@stole
0
"A bunch of eggs got taken by aranea!" It hisses in anger.
7
aranea
1
5
"Talk to Spider about it! He's out mayor! If you brought them back, we'd give you valuable, silly things for them!"
It runs up and kisses you (on the knee). "Thank you for our eggs! Now I got to make sure it doesn't happen again!" It hisses.
8
stnd
0
A spider runs up and kisses you on the leg. It feels like a very light pinch.
"I'm Spider! Pleased to meet you!"
"I build walls with webs!"
8
wall@webs
0
"I'm a webbing spider. I help build the big web wall! Aranea and their dumb spiders can get through it, but it slows 'em down, and we beat 'em up! We have big battles."
8
battles
0
"I don't know why they attack us. Maybe they want our bugs. Spider says they want our cave. Spider, on the other pedipalp, says they really hate us. But I have my own theory!" Spider moves closer, as if to whisper it to you.
8
theo@whis
0
"I think they do it because they're very, very silly."
9
stnd
0
A tiny spider, only a foot long, cowers from you.
"Eeek! Eeeeek!"
"Eeek! Eeeeek!"
9
eeek@eeee
0
"Yeah! Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!" It jumps up and down in enthusiastic terror.
10
stnd
0
A spider paces around dejectedly. It is missing one of its forelegs.
"Hi. I'm Spider."
"I was a big warrior spider. Now I just weave webs."
10
warrior
0
"I was on a raid to get our eggs back from the nasty aranea. We fought a bunch of 'em outside their lair. I bit into one of them, but before my nasty venom got it, it zapped my leg off. I have to weave webs until it grows back."
It slumps slightly. "It's all sad and stuff."
10
eggs
1
5
"The aranea stole a bunch of eggs from us. They're mean! Spider is looking for help to get them back. And I can't give it. Humph!"
10
weav@webs
0
"Boring!"
11
stnd
0
A spider practices leaps and chomps. When it sees you, it carries out a perfect high jump and lands right in front of you, hissing all the way.
"I'm Spider!"
"I'm getting ready to attack the aranea!" It jumps up, executes kicks with three of its legs in succession, and lands with fangs brandished. "Neat, huh!"
11
atta@aran
0
"Yup. Soon, they'll let me go to the pool, and then we'll go on a raid."
11
pool@raid
0
"We have a pool of white stuff that makes the aranea webs not affect you. All you gotta' do is rub it on you! We all put it on before we go on raids. That shows 'em!"
"Just don't drink it. It's all icky, and if you've rubbed it on you it messes that up too. Blah."
12
stnd
0
A spider runs around frantically, apparently trying to get its web in order.
"I'm Spider!" it says breathlessly as it runs by.
"I can't talk! I got a potential mate coming by! She's cute!"
12
cute@mate
0
"Yeah! She's nice too! She won't try to devour me or anything! Gotta' run" It takes some nicely wrapped gnats and bugs and leaves them on the ground by the web.
13
stnd
0
This is a giant spider. However, it's smaller than the others and has different markings. It also doesn't seem too friendly.
It doesn't respond. It just looks at you.
It just stares.
13
gnrc
0
It stares at you. You don't think this is one of the smart, friendly spiders.
14
stnd
0
A spider stands calmly in the center of the cave.
"Hi! I'm Spider!"
"I'm the mayor, the sacred leader of the spiders here, and leader in worship of the Great Spider Goddess! But you could probably tell." You couldn't.
14
grea@godd
0
"She's like a spider, but really, really, really big! And she eats bugs the size of, well, uhh, really, really, really big bugs! And she's cute too."
14
mayo@lead
0
"I direct the war against the great, evil aranea. They cast magic spells, but they're wimpy if you get up by them, and you can beat them up. We're silly, but we're tough too, and we have big, big fangs!"
"We're really mad at them, because they stole our babies."
