Masquerade

The Arachnitha, being large arachnids, are quite intimidating even to their human allies.
  They are keenly aware of this, and have devised a way to appear less threatening to those they deal with. This method involves the spinning of a loose-fitting garment that the Arachnithan individual stuffs themselves into, assuming a more humanoid, and thus less threatening, form.
  These garments are collectively referred to as Masquerades.
 

Production

Masquerades are spun from webbing, which means that every Arachnithan individual is capable of spinning themselves a masquerade if need be.
  However, not all Arachnithan individuals are equal when it comes to skill in spinning web, so when a particularly elaborate masquerade is needed, spinning it will usually be left to the Weavers, whose spinning skills are without equal in their respective burrow-homes.
  As their name would suggest, the Harvest Weavers are most at home when spinning webbing, and it was one of their number who initially came up with the idea of the masquerade in the first place.
  But spinning the garment is only the first step of making a convincing masquerade. Elegant cuts, vibrant dyes and embellishments are all employed as finishing touches.
 

Wearing a Masquerade

Almost equally as important as the masquerade itself is the method in which one wears it.
  Most Arachnitha prefer to allow the garment to fall over them, after which they will curve their abdomens over their heads, which will mimic the upper body of the resulting "person", while their real head will be located at waist level of an average human.
  This illusion is often strengthened by masks that are attached to the spinneret, which will come to peek out of the hood of the masquerade.
  The legs are often all tucked underneath the garment, though some individuals choose to leave one or two pairs outside for ease of movement or to act as stand ins for the arms and legs of the humanoid form they seek to mimic. Often the more casual and familiar the setting is, the more legs will be visible.
  Masquerades are worn solely for the benefit of the allies of the Arachnitha, and in their own burrow-homes, the Arachnitha do make use of accessories made of webbing, but these are meant to highlight, not hide their arachnid features.
 

Traditions and Regional Differences

There is a surprising amount of variety in the type of masquerades that are produced by the different ethnicities of Arachnitha.
  For instance, the Dunecrawlers that make their home underneath the sands of the Varlem Desert prefer lightweight shawls with intricate patterning.
  These desert-dwelling Arachnitha also have a traditional dance called the "Varlem Dervish", which involves spinning around at dizzying speeds and, while engaged in such performance, the dancer spins themselves a masquerade that they also don during the dance.
  Elsewhere, in the pitch-black darkness of the caves underneath the Mistclad Cordillera, the Duskwidows spin themselves heavy, almost suffocating cloaks of satin-like webbing.
  These cloaks are then decorated with the bio-luminescent fluids of cave-dwelling insects, becoming dazzling, wearable works of art. One should consider themselves lucky to ever bear witness to such a cloak, as the Duskwidows rarely leave Niz'wola.
  For their part, the Wandering Huntsmen who inhabit the subterranea beneath the Mourning Plateau, incorporate the pelts of prey animals in their masquerades. This gives their diplomats and envoys a much more tribal look than most others of their kin.
 

The Paradox Spinners

The ethereal Arachnitha known as the Paradox Spinners, who make their home inside of the Tapestrum Arcanum, do not spin themselves masquerades, for they do not leave the dimension they call home. As such, their contact with the other sapient species of Nascindor is quite limited and therefore they have little need to veil themselves.