Infobox

Type: Legend

Catagory: Creature

Skillcheck: Skullduggery, Geography

Moobi Motsii

Description

The lokotomig, or “earth spiders,” are arachnids about the size of a raccoon that tunnel through the Earth at about the same depths that humans do. They seem to be solitary and elusive, preferring to hide from human beings. No one has caught a live one, and Cahokia scientists were dismissive of their existence at first. They now speculate that the change in weather has driven their numbers up, making them more likely to encounter humans, especially as the tunnels underneath Cahokia continue to expand.

So far, the vast majority of lokotomig sightings have centered near Cahokia and in the Anikuuras’ region, both of which have extensive tunnel systems and underground development. However, there have also been reports of lokotomigs as far south as the Ezcan Empire and along both coasts.

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Unlike regular spiders, these creatures have twelve legs and are said to move extremely quickly. They eat anything their size or smaller and will attempt to escape anything larger. Multiple people claim to have been bitten by a lokotomig, with the venom completely rotting away the flesh around the bite and leaving the victim in a delirious state for weeks. In addition, there are rumors that live eggs have been removed from the stomachs of people who slept in more isolated tunnel areas. The victims claim to be unaware of how the eggs got inside them. Scientists are currently attempting to discover why such a normally skittish creature would do something as aggressive as laying eggs in a live host and how it could happen without the host’s awareness.

The lokotomig digs through tunnels with its front six legs, which have sharp, spiny points. The middle and rear legs shuffle the dirt underneath, allowing it to tunnel through soft earth almost as fast as a human can walk. In addition, it can leave behind a sticky, gooey substance that acts similarly to webbing. The substance is unusual because it can retain its viscosity for days. The prevailing theory is that the lokotomig leaves this substance in tunnels where it believes prey might pass through, allowing it to return later and find its meal still trapped. The goo itself is remarkably tacky and strong, capable of restraining even a human if at least two limbs become stuck in it.

A few lokotomigs have been found dead. Their exoskeletons proved durable enough to partially deflect magsling shells during later testing. Their front legs were also found to be extremely sharp and durable, suggesting they could be used as effective weapons if a lokotomig needed to defend itself.