Xysticids

The xysticids are a sapient race of secretive arachnids. For their island nation, see Istos.

Appearance
Xysticids have eight limbs - four primary legs and four forelimbs which can be used interchangeably as legs and arms. All eight limbs terminate in hand-like appendages which can either be splayed flat for support or flexed dexterously for manipulation of their technological marvels. The pitch-black, segmented 'fingers' of these hands can sometimes grow up to eight clutches (the base unit of distance used on Istos, roughly 8/9 of one Actual inch) in length. The tips taper to a hard, sharp point.

The eight, unblinking eyes of a healthy xysticid are each a uniform and emerald green. There is in fact more variation in the eyes' placement upon a xysticid's face plates than there is in the hue of those eyes.

Culture and Philosophies
Xysticids are famous, insofar as they are even known, for their secrecy. Only scattered fragments are known of the xysticids' cultures and practices, as little is allowed to leave their island which their government deems sensitive.

Confirmed Reports
The following list describes some of the aspects of xysticid nature which have been confirmed by multiple reliable reports:
 * Xysticids do not drink alcohol: As strictly carnivorous beings who moreover do not understand why anyone would wish to poison oneself, they cannot and will not willingly ingest fermented plant matter.
 * Xysticid rarely bite to kill: The bite of a xysticid transmits a frankly horrifying concoction of venoms, but xysticid alchemy has advanced sufficiently that it is rarely necessary for one to bite its victims.
 * Xysticids have rich artistic traditions: The tapestries of Istos and music of xysticid orchestras have brought many outsiders to tears with their beauty
 * Most xysticids are female: They refuse to discuss their reproductive behaviors in any detail with outsiders, however.
 * Xysticids have eight souls: This may just be superstition on their part, and they appear to have trouble translating the concept into outsider languages.
 * Xysticids hate falsehood: Though they have little compunction against lying to outsiders, for one xysticid to knowingly mislead any other(s) from the truth is considered one of the most vile crimes imaginable.

The Cult of the Dancing Truth
Unlike many sapient races on Solthris, the xysticids do not worship any god or pantheon. Instead, they venerate an abstract ideal known variously as the Dancer, the Dance, the Web, the Truth, and more. It is sometimes difficult for outsiders to understand the abstract nature of this figure, but it approximately represents the ideal that the universe is a holistic entity that is both synonymous with and engaged in a tremendous 'dance,' where every motion has its place and perfect meaning, and connects continuously with all other elements.

The philosophical goal of xysticid 'religion' is to come to know all the worlds as components of a greater whole, and to ultimately "speak the name of the Dancer" in an act of perfect communion.