from Verna’s Customs of Calatini

A recent import to Calatini, arachne silk was introduced to Ormas society by Lord Beza Hawke and his merchant partner Buford Leshane in the summer of 1013 AF. They cleverly chose Lord Beza’s future wife, the former Miss Wren Keyes, to first wear the magical fabric at his mother’s fete celebrating her first grandchild. Since arachne silk was more dramatic than the lady’s usual attire and accentuated her delicate beauty, the imported fabric was instantly popular. (Although Lord Beza’s obvious captivation with the lady may have also played a part.)

Arachne silk is woven by the arachne on Mist Isle, a tiny island across the vast Envel Ocean. (Arachne are magical spiders the size of cats with furry brown and black bodies who live up to one hundred years.) A dress-size bolt of fabric takes the arachne a week to weave. The arachne developed arachne silk to conceal and soften their dens. Once human travelers reached their distant isle, the arachne offered their magical fabric in trade—no doubt to convince humans they were too precious to eradicate.

Arachne silk is initially clear (just like ordinary spider webs); however, once someone bonds to the fabric using a drop of blood, the arachne silk becomes any color (and pattern) the person imagines. No matter the color, arachne silk possesses a unique shimmer evincing its magical nature, and the fabric is as durable as it is silky. The color of arachne silk can be reset with another drop of blood from that person. Once bonded to someone, the arachne silk cannot bond to another, and after that person dies, the fabric turns dull and brittle.