Codex: Spinarrans/zh-hans

金属质感的蛛形生物，其两种性别各自以不同方式令人恐惧又着迷。

德莱德

拥有八条腿的亚马逊巨兽。

名称： 德莱德（单数），德莱德人（复数）

性别： 雌性

身高： 平均 8 至 9 英尺。

Weight: Between 500 and 700 pounds.

Hair: Finger-thick chitinous locks, vaguely resembling human dreadlocks at a glance.

Skin: Head-to-toe metallic chitin. Various patterns and colorations are possible depending on diet, region, and parentage.

Ears: Appear at a glance as metallic flanges on the side of the head, complemented by a pair of insectile antennae on the brow.

Eyes: Three vertically arranged pairs, each larger than the one above. Coloration is typically red, blue, green, or gold. Pupils are vertically slit against a solid background with no visible definition between sclera and iris.

Body Type: Humanoid upper body with a spider-like lower half. Two arms, eight arachnid-style legs, and a large abdomen. Forelegs display a notable increase in size and strength over the remaining limbs.

阿拉克涅

拥有八条腿的亚马逊巨兽。

名称： 德莱德（单数），德莱德人（复数）

性别： 雌性

身高： 平均 8 至 9 英尺。

体重： 500 至 700 磅。

毛发： 粗如手指的几丁质发绺，乍看略像人类的脏辫。

皮肤： 从头到脚皆为金属几丁质。具体花纹和颜色会随饮食、地区与血统而变化。

耳朵： 乍看像头部侧面的金属翼片，额头上还有一对昆虫式触角。

眼睛： 三对竖向排列，越往下越大。通常为红、蓝、绿或金色。瞳孔在纯色背景上呈竖裂状，巩膜与虹膜之间没有可见界限。

体型： 标准类人型，只是在第一对手臂下方另有一对手臂。两条副臂的末端没有手，而是钻石般坚硬的几丁质增生物。

外观

斯皮纳拉人是一种外形类似节肢动物的昆虫型物种。雄性平均比人类稍高，雌性则明显更高。金属几丁质几乎毫无例外地从脚部覆盖其傲人的身高，直至头顶。眼睛、嘴、肛门和生殖器，是其惊人生物防御中最显眼的弱点。不建议攻击其中任何一处；试图在如此小的位置击中这样的生物更是不明智。

如同节肢动物，雌性远比雄性高大强壮，导致雄性负责携带并生育后代这一非典型行为。这些雄性被称为阿拉克涅，拥有两条腿和四条手臂，为类人形态。该物种的雌性通常称作德莱德，比雄性高出数英尺，外形骇人：上半身如阿拉克涅，有两条手臂和一个头；下半身则像巨型蜘蛛，拥有八条长腿与巨大的蛛形腹部。

生物学

斯皮纳拉人源于银河系螯肢星系一颗名为斯皮纳拉的大型岩石世界。这颗星球虽比多数地球级世界更大，却较轻，主要因为金、铁、铀等重金属含量较低。不过，其钛、铂、镍与钯的储量丰富。斯皮纳拉的地壳遍布隧道和深邃洞穴，它们不是自然形成，而是由生活并繁盛于地表之下的本土物种——斯皮纳拉人和本土岩虫——开凿而成。

斯皮纳拉人的饮食严格说来是杂食，但主要以岩石为食，尤其是生的岩石与金属。它们摄取的矿物由口腔腺体分泌的特殊化学物质分解。这些化学物质可由斯皮纳拉人手动喷出，作为防御或采矿机制，但大多数时候会安全地储存在口腔之外。该适应在跨物种情侣间被认为相当有用。

提示：亲吻斯皮纳拉人时请小心。进食后不久不宜接吻，因为口腔内可能仍残留会分解矿物的化学物质。

正是这种独特饮食，让斯皮纳拉人成为极有价值的物种。它们深入地下，吃掉挖出的岩石和矿石。其中一些矿物用于制造异常坚硬的金属几丁质与碳丝；多余金属则以纯度惊人的浓缩金属球形式排出。当斯皮纳拉人大量吞食金属矿石时，会被迫快速蜕壳，脱下甲壳，再以正在摄入的矿石制造新甲壳。过量进食也会令其反复蜕下精炼的几丁质，后者可熔化再利用。它们作为矿工和勘探者的服务需求极高：只需把它们带到矿脉前指明方向，斯皮纳拉人就会挖掘、进食到尽兴，同时产出提纯金属。

它们的味觉、视觉与嗅觉经过专门适应，能够探测痕量金属矿石，帮助它们找到丰富的食物来源。金属以及脱落的旧甲壳都是珍贵贸易品，会出售到银河市场，用于各类高端制造。

它们的丝也是另一种贵重材料，从德莱德腹部纺出，方式与地球节肢动物结网类似。不同于其他会纺丝的物种，斯皮纳拉蛛网是由碳、钛及多种其他材料组成的柔性合金丝。斯皮纳拉丝编成的缆绳几乎无法扯断；掺入其丝的建筑更耐久；由它制成的弹道装甲能抵御热能武器的高温，并且大体防弹。斯皮纳拉丝还有一项迷人特性：即使在标准室温下也能良好导电，因此可用于电力中继缆线或一般电子设备。

社会

目前，斯皮纳拉人已在适应 U.G.C. 与更广阔银河系的存在一百九十年。作为地下物种，它们对太空旅行并不特别适应。有些斯皮纳拉人透过窗户望向太空时会产生急性广场恐惧。它们的技术在多数领域落后于银河标准，尤其是斯皮纳拉飞船很容易成为海盗猎物。相较之下，斯皮纳拉地热发电机以高效可靠闻名，因此广受地质活跃世界欢迎。同样，斯皮纳拉工业已吸收银河其余地区的技术创新，来改进采矿设备。

斯皮纳拉人由一名独特个体统治：一名比其他德莱德高约一英尺的特殊德莱德。这位女皇的外表有所变化，主要取决于她几丁质中的不同金属。每位女皇的甲壳都有金色斑点或纹脉，头顶长有巨大的几丁质冠。她的耳旁、冠部与下半身还会形成晶体宝石。细小、蓝色、发光的泪滴状晶体彰显女皇在族人中的地位。女皇比其他德莱德更苗条、迅捷且灵活。斯皮纳拉女皇异常聪慧睿智，因为只要后代链条不断，她会继承先代女皇及更早先代的所有记忆。每位女皇一生只产下一颗闪烁金斑的卵；这一行为对德莱德是致命的，她会把自己的记忆与丝袍传给后代，随后不久死去。过去这意味着女皇必须终生禁欲，直至生命末期才产卵。如今已有药物可阻止德莱德产卵，但女皇往往仍保持禁欲传统。

女皇的伴侣与卵会像女皇本人一样被照料，仆人无微不至地满足其一切需求。卵孵化后，新生女皇会被悉心照料和养育，直至能够统治；通常在九岁，有时早至八岁，或晚至十八岁。如果女皇遭到杀害，据说另一名斯皮纳拉人会通过身体与精神转变成为女皇。有时，德莱德会在产下带金斑女皇卵前约一周，对黄金产生极端渴望。此时，一切记忆都会清零：新女皇出生时没有前代的记忆。现任斯皮纳拉女皇为雅拉·阿拉埃米卡·埃莱拉十七世。

Reproduction

Driders (females) have ovipositors located on the underside of their spider body. These organs are quite large by terran standards - easily 16 to 20 inches long and 3 inches across. A small lump of flesh near the base is capable of engorgement upon climax, much like an ausar knot, in order to safely transfer eggs into the recipient. The tip is bulbous, with three grooves along the head. Upon climax, it opens to latch onto the cervix of a partner arachne’s womb.

By contrast, their secondary sexual characteristics are much smaller - B to C cup breasts at most. As there is no need for lactation, there seems to be little reason for their existence save for ornamentation.

Spinarran eggs are squishy, silvery, and gel-like in texture. Their surface is surprisingly durable and difficult to rupture. Additionally, drider eggs are much larger than their arachne kin - at least twice their size on average. When no eggs are ready for laying, the ovipositor merely releases a metallic, glue-like gel. Normally this would help to bind the eggs in place and provide additional nutrition.

Arachne (males) also have ornamental breasts, though theirs are slightly larger (C-D cups). They also have wide hips to accommodate pregnancy. More interestingly, they have a feminine-appearing vagina and womb-like cavity. The entrance is smooth and glossy, puffing up when aroused. It is quite stretchy and pliant, to deal with the largeness of drider ovipositors.

Upon successful mating, arachne immediately appear several months pregnant, making it quite easy to identify when a mating has occurred.

Driders and arachne are usually monogamous, though not always the case. Traditionally, driders will court an arachne for some time, then try and capture their prospective mate in webs. The arachne will fight and run to make sure the drider is strong and capable. Once captured, the drider then bites the arachne, injecting them with addictive, narcotic venom. However these traditions are not practiced so much in modern times. In smaller communities, the hunt is still practiced. In larger communities (and offworld settlements), spinarrans use different means to “hunt” their mates. These alternative methods include: dom-sub roleplay, collars, leashes, web bondage and envenoming. Traditionally, it is the female that courts the males, females being the larger eight legged members of the species. However since being discovered by the UGC some males have taken to courting their female counterparts in the style of more patriarchal species.

The venom puts the Arachne into a state of blissful euphoria and keeps them from fighting back while arousing them at the same time. Once the Arachne has submitted to its mate, the drider then mounts their Arachne, mating until they climax. Driders typically lay between 6 to 10 eggs each reproductive cycle, with each batch of eggs only having 3 to 4 viable eggs. Extra eggs are absorbed as nutrients by the fertilized ones. Once the eggs are deposited, the drider begins mating their Arachne again. Driders will keep their lover bound and drugged for hours at a time, fucking them repeatedly. With each mating, the drider’s orgasms will fill the arachne’s womb with a thick jelly-like substance, packing its womb full of this gel. This filling serves two purposes: first, so the eggs can feed on its biomass as extra nutrition; second, to seal the womb shut and keep the eggs inside.

When the eggs are inside the arachne, they secrete hormones that cause the release of sperm from the carrier’s womb to fertilize the eggs. Afterwards, the newly impregnated arachne follows its drider mate, the pair staying together as long as they are both alive. The drider keeps its chosen mate for pleasure, continued reproduction, companionship, and shared protection. The arachne stays to keeps its source of narcotic venom, pleasure, reproduction, companionship, and the protection of their bigger, stronger drider mate.

Spinarran eggs gestate for 5-6 months inside their host before being birthed. In the week before birthing, the remaining gel within the womb changes composition, adhering to the eggs and gaining a kind of aphrodisiac, simulating pleasure centers as they are passed through the vagina. It is not terribly uncommon for arachne ‘mothers’ to come to orgasm at least once by the time birthing is complete. These eggs are then cared for until they hatch, a process which can take anywhere from 3 to 7 days. The newly hatched offspring are then cared for and raised by their parents.

Young spinarrans are born with fully functioning teeth and mineral dissolving glands. Parents often chip and break small rocks into tiny pieces for their young to eat. Mature spinarrans who have recently given birth can be re-impregnated within two weeks and particularly amorous or productive pairs get started with another clutch within days of birthing eggs.

Most Spinarran offspring reach maturity within 12-15 years.

Culture

Spinarrans are a species that highly favors large groups. Their culture is very communal, and this is reflected in the way they govern themselves. On a small scale, individual broods come to a consensus on issues internal and external. On a large scale, Spinarrans are led by their empress, and she is aided by a senate of elected officials from every state in the Spinarran empire.

Large broods are commonplace, typically between 40 and 60 members per family. Driders that come of breeding age normally are pushed out of their brood for a year or two to meet other broods. Successful meetings help to bond different broods tighter for mutual defence and resource sharing. For most Spinarrans, mated pairs are a single drider picking an Arachne they really like and taking them as a mate. It’s is not very common for driders to pair together or for arachne to pair together. While most broods lean towards monogamy some broods do lean more towards maintaining relationships with multiple partners. On some occasions, a drider will take multiple males as a harem. The culture promotes good companionship between mated pairs and the addictive nature of the driders narcotic venom makes couples much harder to break apart. In times past, the death of a mated drider almost certainly meant the death of the drider’s mate, with the withdrawal from their addiction to the drider’s venom giving them a slow, aching death. These days, synthetic venom can be used to wean a grieving Arachne off their drider’s venom until they are ready to find another mate. Some family members could even donate their own venom to their grieving sibling, parent or offspring, though this can result in awkward situations or acts of incest due to the euphoric nature of the venom.

Spinarrans are a subterranean species, normally sticking to the underground tunnels and caverns that riddle the crust of their planet. Some more adventurous or eccentric individuals form communities on the surface. Surface ventures are not easy for Spinarrans. Being creatures of the underground, their eyes are well adapted to low light and darkness. Surface light is harsh on spinarran eyes, and without protection, sunlight is near blinding to them. All spinarrans going onto the surface of their world or even into the light of foreign space stations wear goggles or fully enclosed helmets to protect their eyes from the harsh surface light.

Due to limited advances in some areas of technology and underground communities, the Spinarrans never put much thought toward long ranged weaponry like artillery or long ranged rifles. Instead, the tight confines and close quarters of tunnels and caverns made them more comfortable and suited with close ranged and melee combat. In older times, plate armor, swords, shields, spears were commonplace. In more modern times mono-molecular blades, thermal axes, electrical bludgeons, and energy shields are very common. Spears gave way to firearms briefly before being pushed aside for thermal weapons. Lasers and plasma are much more friendly to their caves then explosives and bullets, and today there is a total embargo on concussive and explosive weapons for all spinarran settlements.

In modern times, spinarrans work together in combat. Arachne commonly ride driders into combat as heavily armored mounts, carrying heavy armor, laser weapons, and mono-molecular sabers. Some particularly strong driders are decked out in enough armor to serve as biological tanks - complete with abdomen-mounted canons.

Prior to being discovered by the UGC late in the last planet rush, Spinarran life spans ranged from 60-70 years of age. Access to more advanced medicine this lifespan shot to an average of 150 years of age. With the comparatively fast pace of spinarran reproduction, this new lifespan has led to some overcrowding on Spinarra, prompting Spinarra to encourage whole broods to seek out colonies on other planets.

Naturally, spinarran gene mods were inevitable. Some such mods can give the full body chitinous exoskeleton, others can give the eyes, genitals, and even the driders’ narcotic venom fangs. Off-worlders taking arachne lovers are sometimes encouraged by more traditional lovers to get a set of venom fangs so they can devote themselves to their mate completely.

There is yet some concern for spinarrans as unlawful harvesting of their natural venom in drug use could cause them to be a target for slavery or other criminal activities.