NU:AMAM Bestiary - Djieien

Order - Aranenae
Suborder - Ungoliant acrid
Infraorder - Akrid
Species - D. empirius
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Height - 30.48m (100ft)
Length - 4.7m (15ft)
Weight - 22,679kg (25tons)

Sound concept - youtu.be/Mb6sRUmBiM8

“Enormous Arachnoid beasts that achieve a height so gargantuan they tower over great mountains. Djieien aimlessly roam the lands often leaving husks of their former selves as a relic of daunting memorabilia.”

— Grimoire passage from the Tapster

HABITAT RANGE

Djieien are nomadic wanderers. As a matter of fact these Ungoliants hold the record for the farthest distance traveled by any terrestrial Aberrant & Neofauna in correlation to its height, travelling up to 5,000 km (3,000 mi) a year, and covering 1,000,000 km² (400,000 sq mi). Originally the first recorded sighting of a Djieien specimen was located in the remnants of Koper in Slovenia in March 07 2027, emerging from beneath the rubble of the town square. This first specimen was monitored by the first Bloomers Lobby Cryptozoologists & was then named Muffet. Muffet travelled aimlessly from Koper where she then spotted in London within the span of 3 months. Soon a handful of Djieien sightings were recorded in Germany, China, India, Neo Korea, Australia & a third of the United States.

ECOLOGICAL NICHE

Djieien are never in the same place & are always on the move. The only time when a Djieien ceases it’s travel time is when it moults. When a Djieien approaches old age or when it becomes injured from a fight the Ungoliant moults to replace its exoskeleton with a fresher model. During its juvenile state Djieien would frequently moult to grow into their adult form as they are at their most vulnerable to all manner of predators. Adults would moult less & would only shed towards particular circumstances. A full moult process takes no less than 15 minutes for juveniles but for an adult or an elder Djieien could take several long hours or even an entire day.
Moulting is an incredibly risky period for the Djieien where not only is it vulnerable to opportunist predators but if there isn’t enough humidity the exoskeleton or exuuvia can ultimately get stuck, causing its appendages to deform. Djieien who become stuck during their moult either die or sever their limbs to save their lives.
The largest Djieien, an elder female named Muffet, was scaled to be 100 feet where her last moult was sighted on the Westminister Bridge in London. Speculations arose believing that they can surpass this height with age, though studies are yet to be documented.

Djieien are omnivorous by nature which is rather bizarre niche for the carnivorous family that is Ungoliants. Feeding on small animals particularly birds & animals no smaller than a dog as well as carrion they will also feed on plant material, moss & fungi that tends to grow on the exoskeleton of the Akrid as it travels. This omnivorous diet is an adaptation that keeps the Ungoliant safe from the dangers of compromised & rotting meat in which leaves most carnivores at risk.
As it travels Djieien collects water from early morning fog & mist using the exterior of its appendages which is then accumulated through specialised pores that stockpiles a reasonable quantity it requires whilst travelling. This method allows the Akrid to retain hydration without stopping to drink from a water source.

Apart from undergoing the process of moulting, Djieien have little to fear in their adult form when it comes to encounters with large predators. Their sheer height & mass alone is an obstacle that would easily deter predators that would dominate anywhere else. However equally gigantic threats are a whole different story.
Behemoths like Hydras, Ogres & the Tidalik are known to take on Djieien regardless & in some events have been known to conquer the Ungoliants by toppling them over. Roks are amongst these giant predators who prey on Djieien using their adept aerial proficiency as well as their ability to harness lightning against them.

BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS

The biggest adaptation, no pun intended, that makes the very being of the Djieien is its size. Djieien are the largest terrestrial Ungoliant up to date to have existed where an elder female, Muffet, exceeded a staggering monolithic height of 30m (100ft). Even with their legs crouched together Djieien are hulking giants being no larger than 30 feet. In their towering form predators wouldn’t risk an attack towards these giants as their efforts would remain futile. Djieien in their juvenile state are recorded to be 6ft, though smaller in comparison to their adult form they still dwarf the average human. While in their juvenile state Djieien will frequently moult in order to accelerate their growth pattern. Spiderlings will readily consume their shedded exoskeleton to recycle nutrients in order to build up energy due to exhaustion from shedding.

The chitinous exoskeleton that plates the body of the Djieien is incredibly dense, reinforced into an ironclad fortification. In each cuticle Polysaccharide a-chitin combines with proteins to form strong fibres within each layer, twisted & stacked upon each other creating a heliocoid arrangement. Ultimately in comparison towards its overall mass the Djieiens armour is strong enough to compare density to the hardest of materials, particularly chrome steel alloy. Although despite the guaranteed protective strength the Djieiens exoskeleton is incredibly heavy where it’s flexibility would only allow enough room, therefore it would reduce the towering beast to a walking speed due to its weight.

Djieien have incredibly poor eyesight devolving to the point where they are almost blind. To compensate with this the legs of the Djieien contain dome shaped pressure sensors known as integumentary sensory organs. These ISOs are located all along the legs & feet in the millions & are sensitive towards even the slightest disturbances in proximity to a 10-20 foot ratio. Specialised nodules encase nerve fibres innervated beneath branches of a trigeminal nerve. Through this these nerve signals are immediately sent to the Ungoliants brain in which creates a speculative view of what it encounters.
By walking & tapping they are capable of visualising their surroundings as precisely as normal vision, reminiscent to that of a white cane being used by the blind.

Though in spite of its size of gargantuan proportion, equally giant threats would try to make a meal out of the Djieien. Therefore these giant spiders would have to brace itself for the conflicts ahead. Unlike most Ungoliants the feet of the Djieien are formed to become club like phalanges used to bludgeon rather than the conventional sharp blades for piercing. By swinging & thrashing their feet they have the devastating power to destroy building structures & reduce anything caught in its path into a crushed pulp. Djieien also have the potential to cause seismic tremors by stamping the ground in which destabilises unstable foundations & cause foes to loose their footing.

BEHAVIOUR

Unlike most Akrids of the Ungoliant variety whom of which are hostile or strict ambush hunters the Djieien are relatively passive & would tend to ignore other Neofauna & humans for that matter. However if threatened they would try to defend themselves with the greatest of force. This behaviour is often brought out from encounters with giant predators or Paladin hunters.