Unreviewed Kalon Tree

[Jack Sandrow]

A Kalon tree trunk crown. The branches hang down from the top, each weighted by...

Spoiler

...dozens upon dozens of fruit, dangling just a few feet above the forest floor.

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To add to the ecology of New Cov
• Image Credit: Scavengers Reign on Netflix (originally on HBO Max)
• Canon: N/A
• Permissions: N/a
• Links: N/A

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Name: Kalon Plant (Parasiticus mutans)
• Origins: New Cov
• Other Locations: N/A
• Classification: Sporating tree
• Average Growth Cycle: Complex and varied:
  • Kalon-α - 1-2 weeks from spore to fruiting tree
  • Kalon-β - 12-36 hours from droplet to mature fruit
  • Kalon-γ - 24-72 hours from injection to full viability within host
• Viability: Type I environment for air and humidity requirements; other requirements are complex and varied:
  • Kalon-α - Requires dark, moist soil, ideally with carrion nearby to draw nutrients from
  • Kalon-β - N/A; the fruit grows within the plant, and can exist freely in the exterior environment
  • Kalon-γ - Vascular system within a viable host
• Description:
  • Kalon-α
    • Tall fruiting tree cluster; what appears to be multiple trunks and stems is in reality one single organism with multiple discrete trunks. Each trunk reaches over 20 meters into the air, with a spreading of leafless branches at the top which bear a single fruit each. Each trunk has twelve to eighteen fruit beneath it total. These fruit are large luminescent ovoid globules that sit at chest-height, each one about two to three meters tall and filled with viscous clear fluid, and potentially Kalon-β instances. Beneath those globules a bundle of needle-tipped vines wait for potential hosts/prey to pass by.
    • Spoiler

      

      
      Pictured here is the bundle of needle-tipped vines at the base of each fruit.
  • Kalon-β
    • The fruit of the Kalon tree, each Kalon-β is its own instance; grown from DNA harvested from unwitting prey, each instance of Kalon-β is a fully plant-based simulacrum of said prey. Grown by converting the DNA of the animal to plant-type DNA via RNA gene splicing, each Kalon-β instance mimics the physiology and basic awareness and actions of the prey it was harvested from - a Kalon-β drawing from a reek's DNA would grow a large body with a horn-like protrusion and thick armor-like plating, whereas a Kalon-β drawing from a human's DNA would grow a humanoid figure (including a vague copy of their clothing and armor!) that can walk and move with some complex motor function ability (grasping with hands, running, digging, etc). Each Kalon-β instance is packed to the brim with caustic and hydroxylating spores; these spores rapidly denature organic matter into base nutrients, before seeding the surroundings with fresh Kalon spores to grow a new organism.
    • Spoiler

      

      
      Two humans walk through the fruits of the Kalon tree; each of those fruits are filled with seed material.
    • Spoiler

      

      
      The human on the left (in the previous picture) has been 'sampled', and a Kalon-β instance begins to grow.
    • Spoiler

      

      
      The Kalon-β instance has rapidly reached maturity and is ready to track the original target. Note here how the coloration of its exterior is similar to the original target's clothing.
    • Spoiler

      

      
      This Kalon-β instance is based on a human, and takes on a humanoid shape as a result. It is capable of similar basic actions that the human is capable of, such as using hands to manipulate objects.
  • Kalon-γ
    • A remnant from the Kalon tree's less-competitive past, the Kalon-γ parasite is a simple micro-organism that sits just under the skin, harvesting nutrients from the host's blood (similar to leechweed) and inducing weakness and mild paralysis over time through its parasitism. It functions as a biological tracking device, allowing Kalon-β instances to overtake and replace the Kalon-γ's host. Once the host has been neutralized, the Kalon-γ also unfortunately perishes, as it is no longer the preferred method of reproduction.
    • Spoiler

      

      
      The Kalon-γ parasite is embedded just beneath the skin; a telltale triple bump is raised on the skin just above.
    • Spoiler

      

      
      After a few hours, the Kalon-γ parasite has spread enough to start inducing necrosis in its host.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

• Average Height:
  • Kalon-α - 20-30 meters tall. Each fruit is about 2-3 m tall when at rest.
  • Kalon-β - 100 cm - 4 m tall, depending on host
  • Kalon-γ - Never larger than 3 cm, usually only 1 cm
• Average Length:
  • Kalon-α - 3-5 m circumference around the trunk, about 5 m diameter at the branches. Each fruit is about 1-2 m wide when at rest.
  • Kalon-β - 100 cm - 8 m wide, depending on host
  • Kalon-γ - Never larger than 3 cm, usually only 1 cm
• Color:
  • Kalon-α - Dark gray and glistening trunk, smooth orange vines, glowing white fruit
  • Kalon-β - Varies widely based on host; the coloration of the Kalon-β's exterior shell mimics the prey's original clothing and skin colors to blend in
  • Kalon-γ - Inflamed skin on surface; discolored pigmentation within, usually grey or black
• Nutritional Value: None at all
• Toxicity: Kalon-γ's parasitism is mildly paralytic, and causes local numbness and mild paresthesia.
• Other Effects: Kalon-β's spores are extremely caustic and can rapidly dissolve skin and flesh.
• Distinctions: The Kalon tree's major defense is its ability to rapidly reproduce by infiltrating herds of animals before using the herd as its nutrient source. It is simultaneously a defense and a method of population suppression. While Kalon-γ does produce mild paralysis after a time, this is neither the Kalon tree's primary method of defense nor a particularly useful one.

Strengths:

• Simple extraction of DNA via hypodermic needle allows it to adequately mimic its prey to reproduce successfully.
• Rapid regrowth from viable material allows the plant to be highly competitive in New Cov's dangerous environment

Weaknesses:

• Little to no defense other than its rapid regeneration. Even the trunks are spongy and soft, not layers of toughened bark.
• Reproduction requires local fauna to parasitize and replace. Without viable hosts of groups of animals, it cannot harvest organic matter nor can it spread to areas of less competition.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Before New Cov's biosphere was as highly competitive as it is now, the Kalon tree was a simple fruiting tree that used sticky seeds to spread from place to place. With the local fauna becoming more defensive, more protected, the Kalon tree evolved to infiltrate instead of simply attach.

The process is complex, though fairly straightforward. Each instance of Kalon-α is a branching network of interconnected trunks, each one bearing a wide spread of fruits, covering a large area. The location of Kalon trees are usually along herd paths, so the odds of fresh herds moving by are increased as a result. When a Kalon tree's fruit is ready, it will use rapid plant movement to aim a vine-tentacle at an unprotected shoulder, or thigh, or leg. The vine jabs the target with a tri-pointed needle and both draws a miniscule amount of blood and implants a Kalon-γ instance into the target.

Using the DNA from the target as a template, the Kalon tree begins to grow a Kalon-β instance within its fruit. The fruit will draw up into the canopy a few extra feet, preventing the fruit from creating additional instances or mixing up the already-growing Kalon-β instance. While the Kalon-β instance matures and grows, the Kalon-γ instance within the target continues to draw nutrients. This slows and weakens the target, and in a compassionate and/or social species will slow the entire herd as a result. After enough time, the Kalon-γ will have matured enough to truly debilitate the target, potentially immobilizing it.

At or around this point, the Kalon-β instance is deposited from the fruit. It instinctively seeks out the matching Kalon-γ, and once it finds the infected (and immobilized) target will attempt to bury it. Once it has done so, the Kalon-β instance will seek to join the herd, and once the herd stops to rest, the Kalon-β instance explodes violently, unleashing its payload all over the herd. Caustic chemicals spray over the herd, killing them almost instantly and impregnating them with spores. Over the next two weeks the rich nutrients and soil create a perfect environment to grow a new Kalon tree.

In the modern era, these trees are infrequent but not rare; usually found in less-inhabited areas of the planet, they are capable of targeting any and all organic life. Avoiding the trees is necessary to prevent infection, but infection is not inherently lethal for those equipped with modern medicine. While Kalon-β instances can be lethal without proper protection, and Kalon-γ can be debilitating without proper medical attention, simply applying a high-grade bacta patch or surgically extracting the Kalon-γ micro-organism is enough to both remove any Kalon-γ influence on a target and prevent the potential Kalon-β instance from tracking down the target and exploding nearby.