| Dread Lurkers | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Type of Creature: |
Animal, Spider |
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Locations: |
The Dark Woods |
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Purpose and Usage: |
No usage other than for their deadly toxin. Large predators and main denizens of the Dark Woods. |
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Notable Features: |
Enormous spiders. Huge fangs and wicked appendages that can be used for impalement of their victims. Deadly venom known to paralyze and slowly kill anything bitten by them. |
- Witches and devils might be fake, but Dread Lurkers are very real.
- — Citizen of Blackfall Reach
Dread Lurkers are the hideously large spiders that lurk within the forest of the Dark Woods in the central portion of the Ashen Coast. Known as subject of much of the folklore of the area, unlike most of the myths surrounding the woods these spiders are very real. Possessing large fangs and wicked appendages that can impale any hapless traveler that dares to venture through the woods too close to one of their dens, these creatures infest nearly every corner of the forest.
Description[]
Hideously large spiders with bone like spike appendages, these spiders possess a deadly toxin oft sought after by shadier denizens of the region. Their toxin not only paralyzes the victim but also results in a slow death as it targets vital organs in the following weeks. While there are antidotes for the toxin, many who fall prey to the Dread Lurkers are not able to escape and are oft killed by the monstrous creatures.
Within the town of Blackfall Reach, Dread Lurkers have long since been hunted to extinction near the town, though the occasional lurker will appear on its borders. The carcasses of the creature have been used to make odd ceremonial charms that adorn the walls of the town's more prominent buildings.
Stories concerning these beasts also mention a special breed of white furred wolf that the locals have named Lunar Hounds. These wolves have developed a special immunity to the toxins of the Dread Lurkers and have been observed hunting and killing the spiders. However, the over population of Dread Lurkers versus the small population of Lunar Hounds is quickly bringing an end to this breed of wolf. Indeed, many have not spotted a Lunar Hound in years.