Hostilin

CW: Arachnophobia

Hostilins are mile-wide arachnids; they are the world's utmost apex predator. Nothing gets past a hostilin, not a single other spider, dragon, or any other creature calling Nalmaria home.

These spiders have a strict hierarchial system, not seen in many spiders. Queen Pasaval, the only hostilin to display true sentience, is ten times the size of a typical hostilin, and is the only one to produce viable eggs.

Anatomy

Hostilins are large hairy spiders. They have a gigantic head equipped with a pair of fangs that dwarf most other creatures on the globe.

Hostilin by Mochi

Like all spiders, hostilins boast eight eyes. Rudimentary eyes, they struggle to detect movement. Instead, they rely on vibrations, using the hairs on their feet. The fanned back legs the slightest shift in wind currents, which may indicate a nearby animal in the sky.

Hostilins are much more impressive once their abdomen is on display. This magnificent body part flattens and rises far above the cephalothorax.

Each individual has a unique pattern sprawled across their abdomen, and is usually a mess of yellows and oranges. Most hostilins have a dark brown colouration, largely unimpressive compared to other spiders of Nalmaria. The back legs feature bright red stripes and splotches, as well.

What the actual fuck is that... No. I am not studying this planet. Bollocks to that, I'm out.

— Fuming research scientist with arachnophobia, who was not informed about the planet's inhabitants

Reproduction & Growth

Only Queen Pasaval produces eggs worthy of hatching. She resides in Nalmaria's Core, where her only purpose is to produce eggs and hold the fractured planet together with her unbreakable silk.

Whopper

The largest hostilin ever recorded, besides the Queen, was nearly two miles in diameter! Nicknamed Patta, she was recorded safely from orbit.

Her hunters supply her with food, giving her just enough energy to produce eggs. These eggs are stored in vast chambers in the Core, where they incubate using radiation emitted from the Queen.

As she tends to the eggs, her Shields protect her from imminent danger. These are usually egg-eating hunters looking for their first meal in what could be weeks.

Eggs hatch after a month of incubation. Born at a whopping 150 metres in diameter, the babies make their way to the surface of the planet. Hostilins are born near the top of the food web, though there are a handful of creatures that can take one down. It is important for them to quickly grow large enough to outsize any potential threats. This can take up to a month.

Diet

There is not a single other creature on Nalmaria that can escape the jaws of a hostilin. Even the blanket spiders, known to fly at the very tip of the planet's atmospheres, with a wingspan of nine miles, have been seen hunted by hostilins.

Eggy Placeholder by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Hostilins have been recorded jumping more than twenty miles high, well into Nalmaria's Stratosphere. Once they lock onto a prey item, they begin chasing it down.

Hostilins have incredible endurance and can follow prey for days without stopping. This is usually enough to outlast any other animal.

They reward themselves with a small percentage of the food item, delivering the rest to the Queen. A single hostilin will kill one large animal of a similar size, every week.

Scientific Name

Hostilin hostilin

Lifespan

150 years

Average Height

800 metres
Average Width
1 mile

Geographic Distribution

• Deadlands
• Nalmaria

Related Articles