The Cathedral of Cobwebs
Dust / Core Dust
On the Prime, rooms which are neglected long enough to be dusty are usually full of cobwebs too. Some cutters believe these cobwebs are made by spiders, who use them to catch food. Natives of Dust know better.
Some cobwebs are spun by spiders, for certain, but not all. Long before the eight-legged beasties ever existed, say the legends, the Cathedral of Cobwebs has stood in one of the deepest areas of Dust, ever-growing. The place now is immense, spanning many many miles indeed, composed of countless chambers, halls, web tunnels and mazeworks of silken threads. In parts, the webs are strong enough for your average planewalker to climb across, shimmy down, and hold onto for support. In other places, the webstrands are deceptively weak, and a careless cutter can easily fall, become horribly entangled and suffocate or even be strangled. That is, assuming he’s not eaten by the natives first…
Oh sure, not all webs are spun by spiders, but spiders do love webs whatever their origin. The Cathedral of Cobwebs has become something of a utopia for the creatures, and many of the halls and passageways are infested with them, small, giant and truly gargantuan. Phase spiders also seem to love the Cathedral, though they tend to defend their sections very viciously from less-magically endowed relatives. And while the spider-natives do add to and extend the Cathedral with their spinnerettes, sages reckon they did not create the place.
Who did, then? Nobody really knows for sure, but graybeards point the finger at Lolth, for one. The drow goddess is known for her love of all things arachnid, and the Cathedral may be a summer home for the scheming power, a respite from the horrors of the Abyss.
Other wise bloods scoff at this idea, reckoning that the Cathedral is far older than the elven race itself. Instead they claim a long-dead power started the spinning, and it’s since attracted enough spiders to continue growing despite the entropic fingers of Dust fraying the edges. The legend goes that this power of webs jealously kept the secret of constructing spirals of gossamer thread to itself, but in time this dark was discovered by a mythical figure known in arachnid lore as the First Spinner.
Before this time, spiderkind used reflexes and poison venom to catch its prey. Then the First Spinner stumbled across the Cathedral of Cobwebs and tricked the resident power of webs into revealing the secret of their construction. When the Spinner returned to its home and shared its discover with other spiders, some scoffed and ignored it, while others learned the strange art for themselves. Eventually the race of spiders adapted; some became web spinners and some continued to use the old methods to catch food. Either way, the power of webs lost his portfolio and is probably now some forgotten husk on the Astral.
Within the Cathedral of Cobwebs lies a small burg called Loom. Unless you’ve got arachnid blood, it’s best to avoid it — you’re more than likely to become the next special on the local tavern’s menu. And believe me, if you’ve never seen a burg entirely populated by spiders, red widows and renegade bebilith, you are really not missing out on much. However, it’s widely known that the silks and web-fabric of Loom are the finest in the Multiverse. If your business is high fashion, you’re trying to find a cloth to enchant, or you want to make Factol Erin Montgomery a blouse she’ll really thank you for, you may have no other choice…Â
Source: Jon Winter-Holt
