Watcher in the Web

The forests of Innistrad, particularly the Ulvenwalk, are known for their dangers, and children raised will are always told to avoid the reaching tress and tangled shrubs after dark. Still, dozens of people each year who go into the forest never come back out, lost in it shrouded mists. Some lost to werewolf packs, some to covens of witches, and many to the mundane beasts that make their homes in the forests' shadowy branches.   Watching and Waiting for Prey The people of Innistrad are no stranger to giant spiders, with several dozens varieties found in any of the land's woods. Among these though, the variety known as the watcher in web, or simply the watcher spider, is particularly hated. These venomous spiders are among the largest and most dangerous, often rivaling a draught horse in size, with claws on each leg and fangs the size of daggers. Incapable of making their own webs, watcher spiders kill and eat other giant spiders, before taking the other's web as their own. From this perch they carefully watch the ground below for any sign of movement, releasing their grip and dropping on unsuspecting prey the moment it is sighted.   Unbreakable Guard While dangerous, watcher spiders, like most giant spiders, tend to live in the deeper areas of the forest, and are therefore rarely a direct threat for most humans. What makes them so hated is their resiliency, being among the most difficult of giant spiders to properly deal with when they do become an issue. The rare autopsies done on these spiders show some sort of primitive brain for each leg, allowing the spider's limbs to move almost entirely independently, as if each one were a living being. Because of this, catching the spider off-guard is almost impossible, and killing one requires a crowd of men armed with fine steel, and usually several lives lost.   Sigil of the Videns Famous for being unyielding and patient, the watcher in the web is well-known for being chosen as the emblem on the coat of arms of the famous Videns family. One of the oldest noble families of Innistrad, the Videns have been an important family in Innistrad's society for centuries. Several High Lunarch's have come out of the family's ranks, as well as dozens of other important priests, clerics, and merchants. Meant to attest to their keen skills of observation and ability to outlast their enemies, for many the Videns' family symbol is instead an astute sign of the many tangled political plots they are involved in, and the risk for those who become involved in those same machinations. The Videns family is famous as well for having kept live watcher spiders on the grounds of their family estate, and early in the family's history, the former Videns patriarch was said to have fed his political opponents, still living, to the watcher spiders. Though the family has kept silent on the matter for many years, some visitors still insist the spiders remain, and that the current head of the Videns family, Lady Videns, treats them more as fond pets than as dangerous beasts.