Silith-Gai, the Ethereal Matriarch
Local legends speak of a 'Flickering Death' that haunts the Shrouded Woods. Scholars believe Silith-Gai was once a normal phase spider that feasted upon a dying archmage, absorbing his intellect and his connection to the weave, causing her to swell in both size and mental capacity.
Silith-Gai, the Ethereal Matriarch
Combat
AC 17 · HP 161 · LegendarySilith-Gai, the Ethereal Matriarch
Actions
Reactions
Legendary Actions
- Role
- Boss
- Built for
- 8
Gear
- Crown of the Webweaver (Magic Item, 2500 gp)A crown made of hardened black silk that allows the wearer to cast Web three times per day.
Feats
Notes for the game master
Tactics
Opening
Silith-Gai begins the fight in the Border Ethereal. She uses her telepathy to direct 4 to 6 Phase Spiders to attack the party from the flanks while she watches for the most vulnerable caster.
Mid-fight
She targets the primary magic user with Phase Web, pulling them into the Ethereal Plane to isolate them. On the Material Plane, she uses Ethereal Pulse to clear space if she gets surrounded.
End of the fight
Once the party is weakened, she focuses her bites on one target at a time to paralyze and harvest them for her brood.
Retreat
If reduced below 40 hit points, Silith-Gai uses Planar Fade and Ethereal Jaunt to flee into the deep Ethereal plane, leaving her minions to cover her escape.
How it fights
Who it attacks first
Works well with
How to beat it
Ways to avoid a fight
Ecology
A terrifyingly massive arachnid with a leg span of twenty feet. Her carapace is the color of bruised obsidian, but her bloated abdomen is translucent, pulsing with an eerie, rhythmic violet light. Thousands of tiny, unhatched spiderlings can be seen swimming within her glowing fluid. Her eyes are not the dull black of common spiders but bright, crystalline amethysts that sparkle with malicious intellect.
Behavior
Silith-Gai is a cold, calculating strategist. She does not hunt for sport; she manages her forest like a rancher manages cattle. She speaks in a series of telepathic clicks and rhythmic vibrations that resonate in the skulls of those nearby. She is patient, often watching prey for days from the Border Ethereal before orchestrating a perfect ambush.
How it lives
As an apex predator with extraplanar capabilities, Silith-Gai feeds on the life force of magical creatures and the physical flesh of humanoids. She maintains a hierarchy of lesser phase spiders and giant spiders, treating them as extensions of her own will to keep the forest's ecosystem 'productive.'
Lair
The Violet Thicket, a section of the woods where the veil between the Material and Ethereal planes is thin. The trees are bleached white and wrapped in thick, shimmering webbing that vibrates with arcane energy.
- Habitat
- Deep Forest, Ancient Thickets
Signs that it is near
Tags
Lore
Local legends speak of a 'Flickering Death' that haunts the Shrouded Woods. Scholars believe Silith-Gai was once a normal phase spider that feasted upon a dying archmage, absorbing his intellect and his connection to the weave, causing her to swell in both size and mental capacity.
What drives it
To expand the reach of her violet webs and ensure the survival of her brood by consuming high-potency magical essences.
After the fight
Once Silith-Gai is slain, her violet glow fades, and the 'Planar Thinness' of the forest begins to heal. Without her telepathic guidance, the remaining spiders become disorganized and easy to drive off, though her surviving brood may return years later to seek revenge.
Variants
Hooks
Plot hooks
How to use it
Treasure
Media
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