Tall Wayfarer

Basic Information

Anatomy

Tall wayfarers are strange beings, mixing the traits of insects and spiders.
Their bodies consist of three segments that are mostly covered with keratinous "fur", similar to that of moths. For most of the known species of wayfarers, this fur takes on yellow color. The fur is so thick, it makes it hard to discern where their thorax ends and abdomen begins. The rest of their bodies, like their heads and legs, are covered with a black chitin.
They have two yellow compound eyes, no antennas, and mouths specialized for chewing. They are herbivores, feeding on leaves, fruits, and bark. A large herd of them would be able to completely destroy a forest in a pretty short time.
One of the most characteristic traits of this species are their very long legs. Tall wayfarers possess six segmented legs that can reach a length of 9 meters. Each leg has small claws on its ends, which those beings use to climb the walls. They also have a pair of long pedipalps which they use to bring the food near their mouth.

Growth Rate & Stages

Young wayfarers hatch from eggs that are carried by their mother on the bottom side of her thorax. They need to learn fast how to cling to her, otherwise, they risk falling off and being left behind. At first, they are red, but as they survive the second week of their life, their bodies become darker and darker and start to produce the "fur".
After two months, they start to grow very fast, reaching their full size in less than a year. But they reach their adulthood and gain the ability to reproduce only once they are 2 years old.

Additional Information

Domestication

Wayfarers are very docile creatures and many cultures found it very easy to tame them. If one of them sees someone once they hatch, they tend to form a very strong bond with them.
For their large size, wayfarers are surprisingly light and surprisingly strong, being able to carry up to 8 tonnes of weight on their bodies. Because of that, they have been used mostly to transport of both people and cargo. The most often seen gear for them consists of a large gondola suspended under their bodies (used to transport people) and the harness with bags to carry cargo on their sides and the back.
During the Age of War, they were also used to cross the walls of the enemy forts and cities and quickly deploy troops behind them. Once the artillery was improved, they stopped being used that way.

Lifespan

30 years

Average Height

9-10 meters

Average Length

5-7 meters

Geographic distribution

At first, those beings were native only to one giant canyon, which now is known as The Sapphire Deep. Since then, they have been spread all around the continent. The canyon was full of flora that was way more nutritious for them than the plants outside.

Social structure

In the wilderness, they form small herds consisting usually of 4 adults and 4-10 young ones. Once the young ones reach adulthood, they leave looking for their partners, forming new herds.