Vethrani

The Vethrani are an arachnid-humanoid species with a tall, elegant frame. Standing between 6.5 and 7.5 feet, they possess four arms—two upper and two lower—allowing for exceptional dexterity and multitasking. Their bodies are lithe but strong, with a smooth, chitin-hardened dermis resembling exoskeletal armor that comes in shades of pale lavender, mist-white, or silver.
Their eyes are multifaceted—with two large primary ones and several smaller secondary eyes spread across the forehead—granting them panoramic and multi-spectrum vision. Retractable fangs, and mandibles, are housed within humanoid mouths and can deliver potent venom. Movement is graceful and silent, with leg and arm musculature optimized for climbing and weaving.

Vethrani reproduce through egg-laying in designated brood chambers, typically overseen by matriarchal figures. Females are the dominant reproductive caste, with the Webmother—the supreme matriarch—producing the most revered and fated broods. Fertility cycles are enhanced through ceremonial rites, and mating is both ritualistic and political.
A typical brood may contain dozens of eggs, and mass hatching events can lead to ravenous swarms of web-lings needing immediate containment, guidance, and sorting by caste and aptitude.

When a new Webmother is chosen, the individual undergoes a magical transformation via the Web Crown, becoming a Drider-like hybrid with a full arachnid lower body—symbolic and functional authority over the realm.

Hatchling (0–2 years): Instinct-driven, mobile within days. Must be contained and socialized quickly.

Webling (3–15 years): Begin learning silk manipulation, combat, climbing, and group coordination.

Threaded (16–50 years): Assigned societal roles based on ability, Thread (fate), and magical attunement.

Fully Mature (50–180 years): Serve in specific castes such as Weavers of Fate, Fangguard, or Broodtenders.

Feral Stage (180–250+ years): At this point, the Vethrani begin to succumb to Feralism—a biological regression into monstrous, hyper-arachnid forms. Memory and personality fade; the body becomes bestial.
Some Vethrani willingly enter sacred exile before this transformation, while others are euthanized or weaponized.

The Vethrani dwell in arboreal cities suspended in the immense trees of Nathirith and in bioluminescent caverns beneath. They are perfectly adapted to these environments, weaving homes, pathways, and temples from living silk. Their presence actively stabilizes the ecosystem, predating overpopulation and cultivating symbiotic flora like web-vines and moisture-rich mosses.

Primarily omnivorous, the Vethrani favor a diet of nutrient-rich fungi, forest insects, small mammals, and lichen. Their venom is used to immobilize prey rather than digest it, and they often trap food in silk pods to preserve it for later consumption. During mass hatchings, food scarcity can lead to aggressive competition, with the weakest among the young sometimes culled or consumed to ensure the survival of the strongest. Their hunting style is efficient and silent, relying on stealth, illusion, and the construction of traps or ambush points using silk and terrain.

The Vethrani do not experience significant seasonal changes due to the consistency of their native climate. However, they are attuned to lunar and magical cycles, which influence their reproductive patterns and spiritual rituals. Their skin markings darken and evolve over time, often becoming more elaborate with age, stress, or status. The onset of the Feral stage marks the final biological transition, where their bodies and minds revert to primal arachnid behavior. This shift is considered both a sacred transformation and a somber decline.

Vethrani behavior is defined by order, discipline, and ritual. They are highly intelligent and tactically minded, favoring silence and measured speech. Loyalty to one’s brood and Thread is absolute, and betrayal is seen as a cosmic unraveling. Interactions are formal, and emotional expression is carefully restrained except during ritual or artistic acts. Aggression is rare, but when invoked, it is swift and overwhelming.

Vethrani society is built around brood-based matriarchy, with leadership concentrated in the hands of dominant female figures. The Webmother holds the highest authority and rules through mystical and biological right, passing her position through chosen succession rather than heredity alone. Her brood is considered the ruling caste. Beneath her are key castes, including the Fangguard—elite protectors and enforcers, the Weavers of Fate—spiritual leaders and seers, and the Broodtenders—caretakers of young and lore. Society functions as an intricate, multilayered web, with each role carefully woven into a greater whole.

The Vethrani produce an unparalleled form of silk that is stronger than steel, often used in armor, construction, and ceremonial garments. Their venom has both medicinal and toxicological uses, and their enchanted web-artifacts are highly valued by outsiders. Due to their reclusive nature and fearsome reputation, the Vethrani are rarely enslaved or directly exploited. Attempts to harvest or coerce them have historically ended in catastrophic failure for those involved.

The Vethrani are exclusive to Nathirith, the 21st Realm—a vast galaxy known for its mist-wrapped forests and bioluminescent ecosystems. They do not naturally exist outside this realm, and their presence elsewhere is extremely rare and usually ceremonial or diplomatic in nature.

Vethrani possess an extremely high degree of intelligence, especially in areas related to logic, pattern recognition, fate-reading, and abstract magic. Their social structures demand foresight, memory, and cultural fluency, and their educational systems begin as soon as a webling demonstrates control of their limbs and silk.

The Vethrani can see across multiple visual spectrums, including infrared and ultraviolet, and detect motion at a granular level. Their sensitive skin can read vibrations in silk and terrain, giving them a near-precognitive awareness of movement. They also possess chemically enhanced senses of smell and taste, often used to detect emotion or danger through pheromonal cues. Some elite Vethrani can sense changes in the Weave directly, allowing them to read fate, magic flow, or spiritual resonance in their environment.

The Vethrani coexist with several native species, such as web-vines that help sustain their silk production, and glow-fleas that provide natural lighting within their cities. Non-harmful parasitic organisms like thread-worms are found in elders, helping to metabolize toxins and maintain physical health in later life stages. These relationships are ritualized, respected, and in many cases sacred.

Key institutions in Vethrani society include the Weavers of Fate, who serve as magical, spiritual, and prophetic authorities; the Broodcouncil, who advise the Webmother; the Fangguard, who protect and enforce her will; and the Silken Court, a judicial body that interprets fate and resolves disputes through thread-weaving and vision silk.

Beauty among the Vethrani is associated with symmetry in facial markings, fluidity of movement, and the resonance of one's silk. Large, luminous eyes and well-maintained fangs are considered attractive, as are richly dyed silken garments that echo one’s Thread. Inner harmony and visible balance between one’s fate and form are also markers of beauty.

Female-presenting Vethrani dominate societal leadership and reproduction, while other genders serve highly respected but non-governing roles. Gender is defined more by Thread—one’s fate and societal purpose—than biological traits. Those who do not fit into standard roles are integrated through ceremonial re-threading and new purpose weaving.

Courtship is a complex ritual involving shared weaving, emotional resonance, and compatibility of Thread. Prospective mates collaborate on a symbolic tapestry that maps their futures and intentions. Success is judged by the harmony and pattern of the weave. Ritual dances, fang presentation, and scent rituals may follow.

The Vethrani have reached a high level of arcano-organic technology, fusing biological material with magical constructs. Cities, weapons, garments, and tools are all spun or grown rather than built. Their society operates on a bioluminescent systems, silk-based power distribution, and memory-recording weaves. Few external societies can fully replicate their methods.

Cultural heritage is preserved through whispered song, motion-based storytelling, and sacred threadwork. Vethrani do not write in traditional script; instead, their history is recorded in woven silk tapestries and pattern-runes. Art, memory, and prophecy are inseparable, and each individual’s Thread is seen as a continuation of ancient storylines.

Important traditions include sacred silence during moonrise, the Knot Ceremony where life milestones are ritually bound, and the Feral Farewell, where those entering their final biological stage are honored and released. Ritual weaving, fate-thread burning, and marking festivals are all significant rites of passage.

Taboos include speaking during a weaving rite, severing another’s fate-thread without ceremony, abandoning one’s assigned Thread, or entering the Veil of Silence without approval. These acts are seen as spiritual disruptions that can reverberate through fate itself.

The Vethrani are one of the oldest civilizations among the Realms, predating the Pact of the Supreme. They expanded not by conquest, but by weaving themselves into the natural structures of their realm—above, below, and through. The original Webmother was said to have woven the first city from the breath of the Weave itself. Wars among the broods, the Shattering of Threads, and the creation of the Web Crown all shaped their current hierarchical structure. Isolationist by nature, they have remained a silent force in the wider cosmos—observing, manipulating, and defending their realm from afar. The rise of the modern Webmother has ushered in a new era of tight control and inward focus, though whispers suggest something feral stirs beneath the silk.