Arachnoid (Serious Sam)

Arachnoids are an insectoid species native to the planet Scorpius and one of the oldest members of Mental's Horde.

Overview
Arachnoids resemble giant Scorpions in appearance, albeit with a humanoid upper-body. Arachnoids have a chitinous exoskeleton, six legs, a long tail ending in a stinger and can stand over 20ft tall upon reaching maturity. Their torso features a head on a short neck and two arms, one ending in a pincer-like claw and the other in a humanoid hand. According to Arachnoid legend, they once had two claws, but their god (heavily implied to be Mental) modified them with a hand so that they would wage 'holy war' in his name.

An Arachnoid's age can be determined by the colour of their exoskeleton. Their hatchlings are typically coloured orange or greyish-brown, juveniles are yellow and matured adults are red. Arachnoids are only considered adults after reaching the age of 100, any younger is considered juvenile. Rarely, Arachnoids who reach the old age of 1000 sport blue exoskeletons as well as brown spots, which are considered battle scars, and can grow to the size of a small house. Arachnoids are believed to have an indefinite lifespan, and so can theoretically live forever if not killed by external factors, such as starvation or violence.

Operating on a militarised matriarchal society, only female Arachnoids are permitted to serve in their military. Such soldiers, in addition to their stinger, are equipped with chainguns designed with techno-magical ammunition replenishers, granting them an unlimited supply of ammo. In their zeal to destroy the enemies of their 'god', Arachnoid warriors tend to be uncaring about their allies caught in the crossfire, and so will typically shoot their own comrades if they get in between them and the target.

When Mental initially made contact with the Arachnoids, he supported a coup organised by a faction of religious zealots, slaughtering the Arachnoids' high council and replacing their previous society with one built on brute force and mindless devotion. Aside from battlefield casualties, the most common cause of death among Arachnoids is murder as they viciously compete for standing and Mental's favour.