WEBBER

BIOGRAPHY

Arachnis was born Arabella Webber, the child of Doctor Stephen Webber and Doctor Genevieve Webber, two highly-regarded researchers. Stephen was a physicist, Genevieve was a biologist, and perhaps it is unsurprising that their child - who was loved and loved her parents dearly - would grow up with a passion for science which propelled her through her early schooling and into the prestigious halls of Wayport University at an incredibly early age.
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Being a child prodigy brings with it many advantages, and many challenges. Arabella’s passion for science did not translate into acceptance by the social group she was now pushed to mingle with. Seen as a freak by the younger students and a child by the older ones, she was an incredibly lonely student and retreated into her research and experimentation in order to fill the long, lonely hours. [break][break]


She was particularly interested in dimensional physics and genetic manipulation. She hypothesized, in fact, that it might be possible to blend these two fields. Several branches of dimensional physics indicated that it was possible for alternate universes to exist and for the same individual to exist across them; she thought that it may be feasible to use that commonality to pull across dimensional barriers by manipulating human tissue. [break][break]


She was wrong. Or, at least, her hypothesis did not work out. [break][break]


Her attempt to prove this utilising her pet tarantula ‘Missy’ resulted in a terrifying abomination that destroyed the lab she was using for the experiment and her expulsion from university. All at once, her life came crashing down. She lost her beloved pet, her research, her tools, and what little respect she had earned. Life felt like it was over. [break][break]


But there are always people looking to hire those with unique insights. She was approached by a mysterious investor - she still doesn’t know or really care who it was - and offered a second chance. This time, things went even worse. [break][break]


The spider used in the second experiment, dubbed THE QUANTUM SPIDER, bit her, and blended her DNA with that of every viable permutation of arachnoid DNA. It was agonising, terrible, and left her grotesquely deformed. When she tried to return to her parents, they reacted with horror and she scuttled off into the night. [break][break]


It was this experience which created Arachnis. Rejected by society, never truly appreciated for her genuine brilliance even before her deformity, she swore that she would gain revenge upon the world that has shown her so much harshness. [break][break]


Arachnis has appeared several times since those days. She is well-known to Aegis and to the authorities around the globe. Notable schemes, alongside the usual litany of bank heists and stolen technology she needs to fund her research, include attempts to unleash giant spiders on New York City, to kidnap the Dean of Wayport University, and to open a dimensional portal in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

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CHARACTER POWERS

✰ Spider Physiology [break]
Spider Physiology [break][break]

Arachnis' horrific fusion with spider DNA has granted her a raft of amazing powers - many of which she is still in the process of discovering. Physiologically she has the proportional strength and speed of a spider, giving her a lifting capacity of around 25 tons and superhuman reflexes capable of dodging bullets. She possesses highly enhanced durability - able to survive a terminal velocity fall (albeit with significant damage) and shrug off heavy impacts, and her body will regenerate from most injuries which do not critically injure her vital organs given some time. Finally, tiny hairs on her body mean that she can 'cling' to any surface which is not specially treated.[break][break]

X - Spider Instinct - Arachnis is usually able to suppress her instincts, but if driven to extreme emotional or physical distress the 'spider' part of her comes more to the fore. This is a bestial creature with none of her intellect, and will usually opt towards fight (if driven there via emotional means) or flee (if gravely injured) regardless of what makes the most tactical sense for the situation. The Spider is much easier to control than the Doctor!

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Extra limbs: Arachnis has four powerful limbs which grow out of her back, similar (unsurprisingly) to those of a spider. These are not great for fine detail work but she has gotten adept at using them to assist her in scuttling, stabbing, lifting and throwing.[break][break]

Enhanced Senses: Arachnis' eight glowy eyes aren't just for show. She has a wide field of vision and the tiny hairs on her body enhance her sense of touch to the point where she can 'see' anything touching a surface within a hundred meter radius of her.[break][break]

Danger Sense: Arachnis' super-senses grant her a kind of 'danger' sense which alerts her to incoming threats to her life. This only functions against physical threats, and knowing that one is coming does not necessarily let her know how to defend against it. [break][break]

Web Generation: Arachnis can create webbing with a tensile strength similar to steel - sticky, gross steel. This is generated from her wrists (thankfully) and can be projected out to around 60 feet.[break][break]

X - Light Sensitivity - Bright lights are extremely dazzling to Arachnis and can confuse her if she is caught by surprise.
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X - Paranoia - Arachnis' less-than-stable mental health can sometimes cause her to believe her danger sense is triggering when it isn't. Rather than making her feel safe, she is now constantly alert to the possibility of sudden violence.
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X - Temporary Webbing - Arachnis' webbing will naturally break down after around 6 hours. This process can be sped up with the application of water and scrubbing. In rain, it will last only an hour.

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