"Itsy bitsy spider..."
- —Children's Rhyme[1a]
"The Silkens of the Forest of Shadows are one of the many threats found in this dangerous wood. Believed to be kin to spiders, they stretch strands of nearly-invisible sticky silk from tree to tree in the hopes of catching a meal. Make no mistake: these strands are coated with a strong adhesive that tears the flesh to remove. The strands themselves are stronger than two-inch-thick rope. Now, I've never seen a Silken up close, but I’ve seen chunks of meat suspended in the air, presumably where the victim tore himself free from their strands."
- —Reinholt Schent, Scholar of the Fantastic[1a]
The Silkens are a queer breed of spider creature. Far smaller than any man, they stand no taller than one-foot high. A Silken has eight limbs, but each is more like an extra arm that ends in tiny hands equipped with sucker-like fingers. Their faces are alien, warped into snarling expressions of pure hate. Eight red eyes randomly placed on their heads allow them to see in all directions. Their filthy maw drips foul yellow bile. However, the most defining characteristic of this malicious creature is its silk duct. Just above where a Human's navel would be, is a large, sucking orifice crusted with old adhesive. By clenching its body, it spits a wad of thick glue, which it can stretch between two points. The Silken does not stick to its own strands, and its bite is poisonous.[1a][1b]
Silken prey on all living things, but they prefer Humans over anything else. They stretch their strands over trails and paths through the Forest of Shadows, in the hopes of snagging a succulent morsel. When faced with a particularly hardy captive, such as a Beastman or Knight, they bide their time, letting hunger and thirst take their toll. Meanwhile, they drop from their hidden nests to spin more webs in the surrounding trees to hem the victim in. That way, even if he manages to tear himself free from the strand, he'll have to get past a dozen or more other webs.[1b]