Rachna

Flying Spiders

Rachna — winged arachnids known as flying spiders — dwell in dark caves and tunnels. Silent and deadly, they hunt in swarms, delivering venomous bites that liquefy their prey. Highly sensitive to noise, even a small disturbance can provoke an entire colony, making encounters extremely dangerous.

Overview

The Rachna are winged arachnids most commonly known among humans as “flying spiders.” While often mistaken for simple predatory fauna, rachna display complex colony behavior, territorial expansion, and adaptive feeding strategies that place them firmly among the more dangerous species encountered in dark or subterranean regions.

Encased in a hard, shining carapace, rachna conceal membranous wings beneath their outer shell. These wings grant them near-silent flight, particularly effective in enclosed or lightless environments. When motionless, a rachna can be easily mistaken for part of the surrounding stone.

Physiology

Rachna possess the classic segmented body plan of arachnids, reinforced by a durable carapace that varies widely in coloration—from dull blacks and browns to bright, vivid hues that catch faint ambient light. Beneath this shell are folded wings, protected when the creature is at rest.

Their feeding apparatus consists of venom-delivering fangs and a narrow, straw-like proboscis used to drain liquefied tissue. The venom rapidly breaks down internal organs, allowing efficient consumption of prey far larger than an individual rachna.

• Average Length: Up to 30 centimeters
• Average Weight: Up to 180 grams
• Locomotion: Crawling and silent flight

Behavior

Rachna are highly sensitive to sound and vibration. Loud noises or sudden disturbances provoke agitation, signaled by buzzing wings and sharp chittering clicks. A quiet rachna colony, however, often indicates recent feeding; well-fed individuals enter prolonged periods of dormancy.

Despite this apparent lethargy, rachna are opportunistic predators. When threatened or hungry, they attack en masse, swarming prey and delivering repeated venomous bites until the victim collapses. The colony then feeds collectively.

A common survival maxim warns travelers: sleeping rachna are safe only if they remain asleep.

Diet

Rachna will feed on nearly any organism larger than themselves. Hatchlings consume smaller prey such as insects, beetles, and other newly hatched creatures, while adults prefer larger animals capable of sustaining the entire swarm.

Cannibalism is not uncommon, particularly among hatchlings and during periods of scarcity.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Rachna reproduce in large numbers. Eggs are laid in orderly rows of five to fifty, with a single individual capable of producing up to two hundred eggs per cycle.

• Egg Stage: Eggs are affixed to cave walls or ceilings in protected, humid locations.
• Hatchlings: Feed on small prey and suffer high predation rates.
• Juveniles: Integrate into the colony and assist in minor hunts.
• Adults: Fully participating swarm members.

As colonies grow too dense, select individuals will disperse, seeking new territory to establish additional colonies.

Habitat and Distribution

Rachna favor environments where darkness and stillness persist:

• Caves and caverns
• Underground tunnels
• Abandoned passageways
• Subterranean lakes, ponds, and waterways

They do not require open skies; their wings are adapted specifically for maneuvering through narrow, lightless spaces.

Relations with Other Species

Most sapient species consider rachna a severe environmental hazard rather than a sentient threat.

Notable Traits

• Extreme sensitivity to sound
• Swarm-based hunting tactics
• Rapid reproduction and colony expansion
• Venom capable of liquefying internal tissue