Insectoids

The two varieties of insectoid are notorious for the terror they’ve wrought upon unsuspecting humans and nonhumans alike. The arachasae are regular contracts for witchers, due to their propensity for blending into a forest and preying on travelers, farmers, and the animals they tend to. Endrega are the worst sort of ant, possessing massive size and strength, and worse yet, organization.

Arachasae

“N’arache aen woed endicen [Let sleeping arachasae lie].”—Elven proverb

Powerful pincers, a maw filled with razor-sharp teeth and venom glands packed with deadly toxins, these constitute the arachas’ deadly arsenal. Since people and farm animals make up an important part of these creatures’ diet, contracts on arachasae in turn constitute an important source of witcher coin.

Once native to the far south, this invasive species migrated north over the course of decades, adjusting as it went to new climates and temperatures. It found damp woodlands and swamps most hospitable and made them its home, making use of the muck and moss found there as blankets during its winter hibernation. The arachas hides its unprotected, sack-like abdomen under a covering of hollow tree-trunks worn on its back.

At first glance, a stationary arachas often looks like a part of the forest undergrowth, a fact it uses to deadly advantage when hunting. It usually begins a battle by spitting venom, then tries to grab its prey with prehensile feelers in order to drag it within reach of its crushing pincers.

Armored Arachasae

“That’s the kinda john we call an ‘armored arachas.’ Hard and prickly on the outside, but get ‘im undressed and everything’s soft and squishy.”—Foxy Lisa, Maribor prostitute

An arachas’ only weakness is its soft, sensitive abdomen. Some arachasae hide this under hollow tree stumps, while other, “armored” varieties exist which have grown a thick carapace that covers all the more delicate parts of their bodies.

An armored arachas is a true behemoth. It uses its enormous mass to knock over and trample its victims then devours their crushed remains. Like all arachasae, it is highly venomous, and thus Golden Oriole should always be consumed before fighting it.

It is also worthwhile to stock up on healing potions and crossbow bolts before setting out, for this arachas’ thick plating can withstand a great deal of damage, making battles with it a long and exhausting affair.

Combat Tactics

Once provoked, arachasae of both varieties quickly attempt to close the gap between them and their prey, either by skittering across the ground, leaping at their victim, or by spitting a sticky secretion and dragging the unlucky soul to them.

In close combat an arachas is brutal and fast, its sharp foreclaws lashing out at incredible speeds. Skilled witchers can actually parry these strikes and temporarily stun them.

If both forelegs are raised and its mouth is exposed, the arachas strikes with such force that no man, or witcher, alive can hope to stop it. This happens with such speed that the attack may still strike true even if the victim knows it’s coming.

Golden Oriole is a must against all insectoids. Bites from an arachas are inherently venomous. They’re also fond of spitting venom at distant targets.

Yrden can slow arachasae down just enough that melee combat is made simpler.

Good bolts for a crossbow can be of great help against arachasae, particularly when they open their mouths wide.

The armored variety of arachasae can resist sword strikes even more than the other species. The carapace surrounding their abdomens are particularly problematic.

Endrega Drones

“Lazy, good-for-nothing men are sometimes called drones. That’s an insult to endrega drones, who at least get off their arses to fight.”—Evelynn Harker, herbalist

Endrega males (called ‘drones’) are gluttonous creatures whose only aim in life is to eat, fight and reproduce. Yet when venturing outside their nests, these aggressive hunters attack any and every creature they come across.

Endrega drones live but brief lives, the culmination of which comes in the autumn when they fertilize the queen. They pass the time leading to that moment protecting the colony’s territory. Weaker drones die in these battles, while the largest and strongest survive. These elect individuals’ genes are passed down to the next generation of endregas, while they themselves are killed after fertilization takes place and their bodies used to feed the hive during the long winter months.

Drones are easy to identify thanks to their distinctive, cone-shaped abdomens. Unlike other endregas they can attack from a distance, sending out volleys of poisoned quills. As with all of their kind, bleeding has no effect on them and insectoid oil does them great harm.

Combat Tactics

Endrega drones can shoot poisoned quills at distant targets from their abdomens, or attack with their pincers. Golden Oriole can neutralize the poison and prevent aggravated damage from the wounds.

Drones are extremely aggressive and territorial. Once they get close, they try to stay close. If multiple drones are present, Northern Wind bombs can halt one or two of the beasts, giving witchers a moment to regain control of the situation. Yrden is also useful at containing drones.

Endrega do not bleed as profusely as men and witchers do. It takes several good swings to crack their natural armor.

Endrega Warriors

“Scared of these endregas, are you? Just wait till you see the warriors.”—Klaus Altman, forester

Endless waves of endrega workers are enough to overcome most attackers, but when confronting more dangerous foes, endrega colonies unleash their larger, stronger members—the so-called warriors. This caste lives only to fight, and gets ample opportunity to do so while defending the colony’s borders or conquering new territory.

An endrega warrior’s main weapon is its long tail, which is tipped with a club-like growth and spiked with venomous quills. Powerful abdominal muscles allow it to swing this tail with enough force to kill most lesser opponents in one blow.

Endrega warriors also use their mass and strength as a weapon by charging their opponents in an attempted to knock them over. As invertebrates with sectioned carapaces, endrega warriors do not bleed profusely, yet recoil in great pain when hit with a blade coated in insectoid oil.

Combat Tactics

Warriors are as vicious as endrega drones, with the added danger in the form of their poison barbed tail. The tail can counter a witcher’s swordplay with ease, and warriors are known to advance on an enemy with the tail first.

As with other endrega, the warrior strain can strike quickly with its jaws and forelegs. It can also charge headlong into the enemy in an attempt to knock them off balance.

Endrega Workers

“I thought the workers were harmless. I thought wrong.”—Janne the Gimp, trapper.

Workers are the most numerous, and thus the most frequently encountered, caste of endrega. Within the colony their duty lies in building nests and cocoons, acquiring food and caring for eggs and larvae. When threatened they summon warriors to aid them, yet if forced to defend themselves they will—and do so surprisingly well.

Endrega workers are most often found traveling in groups of half-dozen or more members. They move slowly, yet when attacking, they are capable of covering the distance to their victim in the blink of an eye. Like all of their kind, endrega workers are highly venomous. Their bite is toxic, as are any wounds dealt by the bony growths on the ends of their limbs. They can also spew acid to great effect from a distance of several paces. Their usual tactic is to surround their enemy and attack him from several sides at once. Like all insectoids they do not suffer particularly from bleeding, yet are caused great harm by insectoid oil.

Combat Tactics

The pincers and forearms of a worker are venomous, but they can be parried to open the work up to further attacks.

Workers can be surprisingly troublesome to inexperienced witchers, thanks to the speed with which they can use their claws. Sidestep their initial attacks to bring their flanks within reach.

Venomous Arachasae

“Barely nicked me, I’ll be fine.”—Last words of an unknown hunter

Though all arachasae are highly venomous, this breed produces an especially strong toxin. A few drops are enough to kill a grown man, unless that man is a witcher, whose mutations will neutralize small amounts of this venom. Large quantities, however, will kill anything they touch, with mutations only prolonging an inevitable and painful death in such instances.

Venomous arachasae produce colossal amounts of this toxin and deploy it during combat in many ways. Before striking a venomous arachas will cover its pincers and teeth with a thick coating of this deadly liquid. It will then squirt the venom at its to its opponent to weaken it, and once locked in direct combat, will continue spraying the noxious ooze all around itself, meaning every breath brings its victim closer to death. Like other members of this species, venomous arachasae use prehensile feelers to grab and immobilize their prey. When attempting to fight such a creature a witcher should drink Golden Oriole, which will reduce his body’s vulnerability to poison, and then attack from a safe distance with crossbow or bombs before dealing the finishing blows with a silver sword enhanced with a coating of insectoid oil.

Combat Tactics

The poison a venomous arachas secretes during combat is so toxic, simply breathing the fumes around it is enough to kill the average man and threaten the life of a witcher.

Fighting this variety of arachasae up close requires Golden Oriole.

Venomous arachasae are best engaged from afar, leveraging bombs and the highest quality crossbow bolts to weaken the threat. Engage with a silver sword only when the gas bag on the back of the arachas is emptied to avoid a spray of poison.