Broodmother/Lore

Black Arachnia, the Broodmother

For centuries, Black Arachnia the Broodmother lurked in the dark lava tubes beneath the smoldering caldera of Mount Pyrotheos, raising millions of spiderlings in safety before sending them to find prey in the wide world above. In a later age, the Vizier of Greed, Ptholopthales, erected his lodestone ziggurat on the slopes of the dead volcano, knowing that any looters who sought his magnetic wealth must survive the spider-haunted passages. After millennia of maternal peace, Black Arachnia found herself beset by a steady trickle of furfeet and cutpurses, bold knights and noble youths--all of them delicious, certainly, and yet tending to create a less than nurturing environment for her innocent offspring. Tiring of the intrusions, she paid a visit to Ptholopthales; and when he proved unwilling to discuss a compromise, she wrapped the Vizier in silk and set him aside to be the centerpiece of a special birthday feast. Unfortunately, the absence of the Magnetic Ziggurat's master merely emboldened a new generation of intruders. When one of her newborns was trodden underfoot by a clumsy adventurer, she reached the end of her silken rope. Broodmother headed for the surface, declaring her intent to rid the world of each and every possible invader, down to the last Hero if necessary, until she could ensure her nursery might once more be a safe and wholesome environment for her precious spiderspawn.

Broodmother

About

Associated With

Heroes:

Monkey King

Places:

Mount Pyrotheos
Magnetic Ziggurat
Thorny Wastes

Characters:

Ptholopthales

Broodmother has been to the Thorny Wastes, where she hunts a particular prey that her young requires for nourishment.^[1] To do this, she adopts a camouflaged shell of spikes, which she finds quite fashionable.^[2]
Broodmother's fangs contain paralyzing venom.^[3]
Broodmother's carapace is made of chitin.^[4]
Broodmother sometimes carries her young on her back.^[5]

Worship[edit]

Broodmother and her spiderlings were once revered by a cult near Mount Pyrotheos, who believed their insatiable hunger was divine. The cult constructed metal armor for her from the flames beneath Mount Pyrotheo's caldera.^[6] Worshipers would then offer that armor to Broodmother before throwing themselves into her webs to be devoured.^[7] The cult of spiders has since disappeared, leaving only pieces of armor scattered across Broodmother's endless webs.^[8]

The Blacksmith[edit]

Once, an unnamed blacksmith wandered into Black Arachnia's lair. Fearing for his life, he begged the Broodmother to spare him, and in return, he would craft her a set of armor. Black Arachnia agreed, and the blacksmith set about, measuring and forging a new set of spider armor, using metal collected from the discarded armor of knights who had fallen prey to the Broodmother.^[9] He completed eight spiked leg guards, each fashioned from the breastplate of a fallen knight.^[10] Then, with trembling hands, the blacksmith laid a metal headpiece on Black Arachnia's head, saying "A crown fit for a queen".^[11] Satisfied, Black Arachnia upheld her promise, and set the blacksmith free–only to watch him be eaten alive by her spiderlings.

Relationships[edit]

Black Arachnia once knew Sun Wukong, and apparently had a friendly relationship.^[12] They "broke up" eventually, and remain hostile to each other to this day.^[13]

Friendships and Rivalries[edit]

Allies meeting Broodmother

▶️ r Your kind must have a secret weapon against the cold...
▶️ r I don't suppose if I asked real nicely you'd make me a hammock?
▶️ r I'm not tellin' ya something ya don't already know, but the Monkey King... Tchk. Not a fan.
▶️ r The others seem to keep their distance, Broodmother. Is it because you're so fragile?
▶️ r Spiders. Great.
▶️ r Trap them in your web, Broodmother, I'll do the rest.
▶️ r You don't seem to like me much, Arachnia?
▶️ r I have I wronged you in another life, Arachnia?
▶️ r Your web spans the barest sliver of a vast expanse.
▶️ r The lines of your webs accentuate the battlefield nicely, Arachnia.
▶️ r None of these ugly mugs are going to keep up with us, Broodmother.
▶️ r Wait, you mean THE black arachnia?!
▶️ r Mother that you are, you have my great respect.
▶️ r Just to be clear, if I call you mate, I don't mean it literally.
▶️ r Are any of these babies up for adoption?
▶️ r Maybe I'll settle down and have kids someday...
▶️ r Fancy seeing you here, Arachnia!
▶️ ▶️ r Let's just get through this Arachnia.
▶️ ▶️ r Would it kill you to walk around like how we first met?
▶️ r Come, we will spin them into death, Broodmother.
▶️ r So you're fighting to protect your babies...by making your babies fight?
▶️ r Can I walk in this web of yours without getting stuck?
▶️ r Your brood are fortunate to have so many siblings.
▶️ r Oh, now I'm gonna get sticky bits on me plates of meat.
▶️ r Are you me mum? You don't look like me mum.
▶️ r Never had a brood myself...
▶️ r Haha! Oh, sorry. Just imagined a spider wearing boots.
▶️ r I cannot trust my own kind. Perhaps you'll make a better ally.

Enemies metting Broodmother

▶️ ▶️ r Arachnia! We end this today!
▶️ r Look at all those legs. Like a succulent motherload.

Enemies denying while Broodmother is nearby

▶️ ▶️ u I'll pretend I didn't enjoy this.

Enemies gaining a godlike kill streak while Broodmother is in the match

▶️ ▶️ u Hey Broodmother: Are you watching? ARE YOU WATCHING?!

Enemies attacking Broodmother

▶️ An eye for an eye, for an eye.

Enemies casting on Broodmother

▶️ ▶️ I will crush you underfoot!
▶️ ▶️ No more hiding!

Enemies killing Broodmother

▶️ r I hate bugs.
▶️ r Die, spider.
▶️ ▶️ r Who said Axe fears spiders? Axe wants to know their name.
▶️ r Axe made a spider friend in the jungle. But you're no friend.
▶️ Broodmother, if you weren't already--ugh, never mind!
▶️ You can't hide in your web forever.
▶️ Your wealth of legs offends me.
▶️ I would trample your bones to dust, if you had any.
▶️ r We can always go colder.
▶️ r So you're the one Wukong is always going on and on about?
▶️ r Your web has nothing on my thorns...
▶️ r By the stars, that made a satisfying splat.
▶️ r I hate spiders.
▶️ r I'll be getting web off me for a week…
▶️ r I hardly knew which part to shoot first.
▶️ ▶️ r This is no place for a mother.
▶️ ▶️ r Pick a different place to raise a family next time.
▶️ r You make such a tempting treat.
▶️ r Nuh ho ho ho hoo, I live for that!
▶️ Throw down your arms.
▶️ Your minions, my fuel.
▶️ r My tendrils are the only web this world needs.
▶️ r Mh mh mh ha ha ha, the way the legs twitch, I thought she was still alive.
▶️ r Choice. I needed some silk!
▶️ r Oh man, that was gross!
▶️ r Invoker smash!
▶️ ▶️ Through all of your snares, Blade Fury cuts like silk.
▶️ r Yuck, I hate spiders!
▶️ r Is it really arachnophobia when the spiders are the size of a house? Isn't that just common sense?
▶️ All those eyes and you didn't see me coming.
▶️ Too many legs make for a messy gait.
▶️ r Now to harvest the eggs!
▶️ r You're gonna look real funny with no legs, Arachnia. Just to let you know.
▶️ ▶️ r It's over between us Arachnia!
▶️ ▶️ r Fear not, Broodmother. Your line lives on.
▶️ Caught in your own web, ahe.
▶️ r How many legs was that? Hard to say.
▶️ r Arachnia... I've no interest in consuming your young, merely in crushing them.
▶️ r Mothers and children first!
▶️ r Why am I on pest control? I've got more important matters to attend.
▶️ r Makes me wonder about me own mum.
▶️ r If only I could figure out how to harvest this thread.
▶️ ▶️ Oh! I almost missed you.
▶️ r I can't use or abuse you, Broodmother. How boring.
▶️ r Does anyone have a newspaper and broom?
▶️ r I almost miss the days when Kettle would clear out the cobwebs.
▶️ r You forgot about your natural weakness -- clown shoes.
▶️ Eight legs and still you stumbled.
▶️ Where you're going, you won't need any eyes.
▶️ r I always liked creepy crawlies, mind you. Just couldn't abide your temperament.
▶️ r Now for the hard part: how do get this damn web off?
▶️ ▶️ r You sensed nothing of the web between worlds.
▶️ You should have stayed in your cold den, Broodmother.
▶️ Broodmother, you should have stayed in your cold den.
▶️ r Destroyed by the webs you yourself wove.
▶️ r I could've been a collector.
▶️ r I've got no use for arachnids.