Insectoids - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Database

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.

Hearts of Stone

The spider shall never lie down with the fly.
– Ofieri proverb

A similar saying could gain ground in our land concerning arachnomorphs and everything unable to flee them – meaning most every creature in the world. True, the tillers of the earth and fellers of trees need not fear them in their daily labors, for arachnomorphs, as distant, post-Conjunction cousins of common spiders, strongly prefer deep, dark caves and unfrequented sodden swamps. Anyone who does come across them, however, had best hope his conscience is clear and his worldly affairs are in order, for his life shall soon end, as not even the fastest man in the world can outrun them and only a few witchers can hope to slay them. Even worse are the more aggressive and dangerous kind known as arachnomorph colossi, which are capable of devouring an entire ox in seconds.

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.

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.

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.

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 will summon warriors to aid them, yet if forced to defend themselves they will – and do so surprisingly well.

Blood and Wine

Among the fascinating flora and fauna of the duchy of Toussaint, one also encounters creatures of the decidedly unpleasant sort, such as giant centipedes. Not only do these beasts look hideous to the eye, they can do colossal damage to the flesh as well. I decidedly advise against them.
– “A Visit to Toussaint,” one of the many guides authored by Peterin Safles

Giant centipedes are enormous, insect-like monsters which can be found in many places in the world, but are particularly common in the lands (or more precisely, under the lands) of Toussaint. There they often dwell in close comity with shaelmaars, for a sort of monstrous symbiosis has developed between them: giant centipedes feed on the small creatures which eat Shaelmaar dung.

Hard, chitinous armor covers nearly the entire body of a giant centipede. Sticking out from under this carapace are rows of hooked limbs. Giant centipedes are able to burrow into the ground with shocking speed, only to then appear back on the surface in another place. Once they select a target, they will circle it determinedly, trying to get close enough to deliver a blow. They attack primarily with their powerful mandibles, but they also possess glands allowing them to spew acid.

It attacked us… Gods, I dunno what it were, but ’twere at least four spans high!
– Velen peasant woman

Blood and Wine

Then the kikimore princess summoned all her loyal sisters and off they went! Together they charged the enemy trying to harm their queen.
– “The Kikimore Princess and the Mountain Giants”
Cornelius Briggs (dwarven children’s fable, fragment)

It is unknown how exactly it is kikimores communicate with each other. Autopsies are hampered by the high toxicity of their subjects. Scholars have established that kikimores do not seem to possess any detectable auricles. One amateur researcher, Count di Salvaress, put forth a theory in his treatise “A Microscope Among Monsters” suggesting kikimores have a highly developed sense of smell and use airborne particles undetectable to humans to transmit information. This theory has yet to be proved or disproved.

Blood and Wine

The old fool came home all black and blue, claiming kikimores had attacked him in the woods. Who does he take me for?! His mates worked him over because he’d cheated at gwent. If it’d been kikimores, he’d be dead. And I’d have peace at last.
– Lavinia, wife of a Beauclair innkeeper

Kikimores form colonies, making them similar to communal insects such as ants. A kikimore colony is ruled by a queen and organized into something of a social hierarchy. Kikimore workers take care of hunting food and bringing it back to the nest, while kikimore warriors defend the nest against attackers.

A worker on its own can be easily killed by even a weak person or a child. It is rare indeed, however, to come across an isolated individual, for kikimore workers usual move in groups of a few to a dozen or so members. The only defense against a swarm of kikimores available to a normal person is to flee. And not even that is guaranteed to work.

Blood and Wine

Never have I seen such a creature! It was like a giant centipede, but white, utterly white!
– account of Doctor Vittorius de la Vega after the first encounter with the Pale Widow

This rare variety of giant centipede dwells in underground lairs and owes its name to its unusual, pale white coloring. Like the more common giant centipede, its body is covered in hard, chitinous armor, with numerous hooked limbs sticking out from underneath. Some scholars raise these creatures in laboratory conditions for the properties of their albumen, which makes an excellent base for the brewing of mutagenic potions.

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.