Sand Spiders

There are little existing records or research regarding the recently emerging arachnid species in the North American southwest, colloquially known as the Sand Spider.

This text fragment was extracted from the personal journal of one Hamilton Shackleford, Recovered from caravan ruins, Death Valley region, January 2076.

Entry label:

December 14^th, 2075

Barstow

“… and many told me they will lay low all winter. Such is the fear the locals here in Barstow have regarding what they refer to as the “Sand Spider,” a supposedly newly emerging species of prevalent creature in the area. People generally agree that they are undoubtedly another one of the forms of Chimeras that came about during the fallout from the Great Fire. Though why they have emerged with such latency, and with such a sudden explosion in population, is a subject of much debate and concern here in Barstow. It is very rare that I find a town in which so many are willing to talk, but here almost everyone I have approached has brought up this subject in some form, whether it be curiosity or distress.

A few of the older travelers claim that they used to see abnormally large spiders in the mountains, further north, where they would make webs to catch birds, bats and the like. Judging from the comparison in description, these Sand Spiders would be the same type, about the size of a cat, squat and round, lightly covered in black hair, and extremely fast. The theory stands that these spiders came down from the mountains and learned to adapt very well to the desert, taking over the dens of the regional species of Giant Coyote. Locals are actually quite pleased in the recent decrease in population of the coyote brought about by the spider, as the spiders are less likely to come into the town whereas the coyotes would occasionally snatch up livestock or a small child. It is travelers and merchants that are far more wary now, as the spiders are far more likely to strike outside of communities, and are notoriously fearless in their attacks.

I met a local yesterday, a prospector by the name of Shifty Pete, that had supposedly actually seen a Sand Spider attack from a distance. Pete claims that he and some friends were mining nearby when, from the vantage point of their hill, they witnessed a caravan in the distance become swarmed by a flurry Sand Spiders that appeared to come from nowhere and then disappear in the wind. This would frighteningly confirm that the spiders have learned to hunt in packs, and perhaps even set ambushes. Pete and his friends also explored the scene of the devastated caravan some time later, to find no sign of bodies, human or spider, and very little sign of struggle. Local legend insists that the spiders suck fluids from the body so quickly and thoroughly that the body withers to a husk of skin that blows away in the wind… though I find it much more likely that they, like most spiders, merely have a paralyzing venom. This would indicate to me that the spiders return to their lairs with their food in order to feast, probably keeping their victims alive for as long as possible... a truly horrifying fate.

It has become custom here in Barstow for caravans to wait for an inordinately long time before setting out, as the look for a safe window in which to travel. But what exactly makes that window? Heresay estimations show that the spiders generally only engage in a large attack once every month or two, meaning that they can sustain themselves quite a while on their food reserves. This also means that, come a certain period of time, most caravans would rather wait to let others go ahead of them rather than risk being the group ‘pointman’- so to speak. From what few discussions I have had with other caravan members, I can gather that most are traders of metals, old world goods and technology, or special items, most of which are heading on their way to be traded at Vegas Dome. They are in no rush to move, and would rather wait for a merchant on a schedule, one with perishable dry goods or foodstuffs that risk rotting, to lead the way.

I must say, given what little I have learned about these large arachnids, that I am very much willing to do the same. My family and I, and the others of our caravan, will be laying low with the others for as long as necessary. The desert is not so miserable in the winter anyway. Tomorrow I would like to ask the…”