City of Curses: The Iktomoyate, or the Spiderkin
It stood about a head taller than a man. Eight, black eyes focused on the thread, not me. It's purple carapace seemed to do well in the dark here. Long, thin limbs flew across threads with skill. Green energy seemed to glow from the thread as they moved. The spell light illuminated the spidery being's dark robes, finely woven with minute details and thousands of glittering beads. Mandibles twitched as it continued its work. They didn't seem to notice me, if at all. It wove and wove. Each thread glimmering in the dark. Iktomoyate once dwelled on Kestan Hill. A quiet, long-lived people, they never grew to large numbers. Although sometimes referred to as shapeshifters, Iktomoyate themselves only refer to three different shapes they can shift their bodies into, from a human-sized spider to a form that looks almost human. History Today, they dwell underneath Kestan Hill in their own quiet, insular community. Almost...