Swarm Templates and Designs

[Akestos]

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION​

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Intent: Infecting Microbe. Stage One of the Infection.​

Image Credit: Somersault 1824, on PiR Resourcing | Custom Text​

Canon: Vongspawn Virus | Nanogene Spore​

Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | The SwarmSurge | The Infection​

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GENERAL INFORMATION​

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Name: Infection Agent #1a - Top Secret Classification Terminus D-15: Directive Level 15.​

Designation: Non-Sentient​

Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm's Will when speaking collectively.
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Average Lifespan: 60 Days​

Estimated Population: Common​

Description: The Infection's microbe is very tiny even for a microbe. Light blue and beautiful to look at initially. It is subtle and blends in with its host's own cells over time, usually becoming an internal part of the cell. Its color, texture, form and nature changes to adapt to the host, where possible, and sometimes in later stages even assists them. This assistance is sometimes even welcomed at first by the body with an uplift in mood. It might heal that old injury up, or give you a burst of strength. Later stages are not so pleasant for the Host, but very early on its barely noticeable at all, because often no more than a few dozens among a hundred trillion microbes will infect the host at first. The infection then being released in bursts initially, which can cause mild flu-like symptoms or perhaps a headache in the secondary or tertiary stages, before becoming far more serious.​

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PHYSICAL INFORMATION​

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Breathes: N/A​

Average Height of Adults: 0.02 Micrometers​

Average Length of Adults: 0.05 Micrometers​

Skin color: N/A​

Hair color: N/A​

Distinctions: The Swarm works in stages. Infection is the first, the agents the Hive Mind uses for this task are always being developed but it prefers small. Tiny and unnoticeable. It is at first no more than a microbe, but as more of the Host becomes infected, the collective control over the body lays the groundwork for the Hive, the Swarm and the Surge to takeover. Always Stages. The infection itself also progresses in stages.

Stage One is for a few dozen microbes or more to be delivered to the target creature. These can remain for up to sixty days dormant and waiting for someone to press their hand on a surface or cut themselves on a sharp edge for example. Coughing, sneezing, sweating and fluid transfer are other possibilities to transfer the microbe, depending on its stage of infection. The way a species might become infected depends on the species, Terminus adapts as best it can to their body chemistry and cellular structure. Eliminating the infection at this early stage would be trivial but time-consuming, as these microbes are absolutely tiny, think of it like pulling very annoying small splinters. At this point, it's very doubtful the host would even realize they were infected because there would likely be no symptoms at all.

3 Days.

Stage Two of the infection is for many bursts of the microbes to be released at once and spread around the host's body. The bursts being a few hundred to a thousand in combined total. This stage might be noticeable and might likely elicit a very small immune response in localized areas, but not a serious one as a few hundred microbes is a very small drop in a very large ocean in the body. The individual might have a slight headache, a mild cough, a rash, a runny nose, nothing serious. Toward the end of this stage, the number of microbes released is quite high, in the millions but still nothing compared to what the body deals with daily, which is something like 100 trillion.

6 Days - Contagious.

Stage Three of the infection is for the millions of released microbes to try to assist the host, this is where a noticeable change might occur, old injuries might feel less stiff, cuts may heal, their eyesight or hearing may regain some of its youth, small things. The microbes if attacked may stop this on their own, prefering to hide, but it also is an opportunity for the Host to realize something isn't right, as the microbes will be reproducing and joining cells at an exponential rate. Tracking how many exist at the end of stage three is difficult. Stage three can be treated with some effort, but it is not trivial and not to be taken lightly, as removing all of these tiny microbes often takes time and serious effort, else the infection could just resurface at a later date. At this point, the host is contagious to others, and a danger to those around them.

9 Days - Contagious.

Stage Four of the infection is where the host's mind and body are often clearly affected. They will likely have serious signs of something not being right with them, what that is, is down to the species and the individual. They will be prone to lapses in concentration, perhaps even saying words that are not their own. Illness, fever, sweating, bad vision, fainting, anything that indicates a serious illness for that species. At this point, the infection has a very strong hold and is probably going to be very lengthy to treat, because the microbes will be in so many of the Host's own cells, as an integral part of them. Treating the infection could well harm the host. Because of the internal battle going on, it is also the most vulnerable time for the infection to spread to others, especially of the same species, quarantine is recommended!

12 Days - Contagious.

Stage Five If you didn't see something wrong with the individual or creature, now it's probably unmistakable. Stage Five, it's probably too late. Their body is being reshaped by the microbes. Outer exoskeletons are common, as are yellowish or orange tints to the eyes, but the infection is completely down to the species, the individual and what the Swarm is trying to do with them. They are almost certainly hearing the Swarm's Will, and possibly even feeling the Surge's impulses or Hive Mind's focused directives at this point. Can they be saved at Stage Five? Possibly, with a long time treating them, and a lot of therapy after the fact. Scars, mental, emotional and physical are all too likely. However as the microbe has more control, the Host's body actually becomes less contagious, and more at ease.

15 Days (Directive 15) - Usually Not Contagious.

Stage Six does not officially exist. At this point, there is little left of what they were before the infection, they are part of the Swarm's will, the Surge's impulse, and the Hive's focus. To a greater or lesser degree intelligence or autonomy can remain, depending on what the Hive was wanting to do with the specific individual, species or creature. At stage six there is much more peace within the body, and so the host isn't near as contagious as it was. Most host species end up not contagious at all when fully integrated, depending on the species, it is usually down to specifically selected seeding host species to carry infections to a new environment or biosphere.
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Races: Infecting Agent 1a - Top secret classification: Terminus or Terminus-D15​

Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive​

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Strengths:​

• About one-tenth of the size of most smaller microbes or bacteria, very hard to detect.
• Can work to assist the cells it forms with, forming a symbiotic relationship or remain largely dormant if that is more effective.
• Doesn't try to alter or seriously affect the host until it has established itself.
• Can be passed on to another creature or individual if the host is infectious.
• As it grows in number, through the host, the Microbe links the host to the Hive Mind, The Swarm Collective, and The Surge Impulses.

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Weaknesses:​

• On its own, it is nothing but a microbe.
• Takes 15 days to establish itself fully.
• Vulnerable to a good cleaner! At least until it's in the body.
• The body's own immune system may fight the microbe in later stages.
• Vulnerable to a Doctor who knows what they are doing.

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CULTURE​

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Diet: Whatever the Cell it's in is consuming.​

Communication: None but contact with Cell(s) around it.​

Technology level: None Existant.​

Religion/Beliefs: The Swarm's Will, The Surge's Impulse and The Hive's Mind.​

General behavior: Infect- Hide. Infect - Assist. Infect - Integrate.​

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HISTORICAL INFORMATION​

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The Hive started on a distant as yet unknown rimworld, where it has achieved total integration and thus dominance over the planet. [member="Kylraya"] was the first offworlder to be infected by the Hive's Mind. Led there by [member="Raien Keth"]'s final instructions to his acolyte, realising what her force bonding nature might do when connecting to a hive. In doing so it became two sentient pieces of intelligence, not just one. For the world it had originated on, had almost exclusively been nonsentient in nature previously. When this happened, the Hive Mind became a Swarm Intelligence, or at least the first stages of it, with a sentient extension of itself able to operate independently to a degree.​

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This new insight or awakening, had it searching for how to incorporate more, what it called convergences of intelligence, or swarm nodes into it. It found the best way was to work with the creatures or sentients it came across, rather than completely override them, as that just made them into mindless nonsentient extensions of itself. While it still sort to extend itself, the intelligence it found uniquely benefited the overall whole, when incorporated into the growing Swarm's Will.​

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Thus the first off-world infecting agent was born. What one military organisation has classified Terminus, or Directive 15, use what you have. It is being seeded across the known galaxy bit by bit, day by day. Infection rates are very very low at present, adapting to entirely new and varied species in entirely new biospheres is very difficult. However the Hive has time, the swarm isn't going anywhere, preferring to steadily and slowly adapt itself naturally to eco-systems until a critical mass is reached, and what is called a surge happens to spread the Swarm's desire for expansion and growth.​

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[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Huge Breaching Worms, Troop Transport.
Image Credit: Dune Film | Custom Text
Canon: Rishi Eel
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | The Surge | SwarmSurge

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Surge-Worm
Designation: Not-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 150
Estimated Population: Scattered
Description: Burrowing underground, to rip through the earth. The fearsome Surge-Worm grows, and grows, and grows almost all its life. It is layered with lots of fat, muscle, and a very tough hide, in many layers around itself that grow outward, slowly shedding. Inside its mighty mouth, there is room to spare and quite often this worm itself is home to more than one Surge creature ready to burst out of it. There are two stomachs, one safe and cushioned for passengers, and one not safe at all for food. The Surge Impulse likes to smash through whatever is in the way with animals like this, then unload what waits inside on unsuspecting targets. Its mouth teeth can be avoided by most, how it feeds usually is to dive on a creature or more likely come up underneath it.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Type IV Environments or Better
Average Height of Adults: 10 - 50 Meters | 32ft - 164ft
Average Length of Adults: 50 - 500 Meters | 164ft - 1640 ft
Skin color: Orange, Red or Brown
Hair color: None
Distinctions: The sheer number of layers that wrap around the worm means that puncturing it without a weapon that is designed for piercing make it quite hardy, especially as it gets larger. Obviously shooting inside its mouth tends to have more luck, but even then most worms don't die easily. They can get squashed, torn, lose parts of themselves, and still move forward. While the worm can be and is often hatched after maybe two weeks at the smallest size, the longer it is grown in the hive's breeding chamber the larger it gets before it is born. As mentioned it has two distinct stomachs, one that is full of acid for digestion and one further forward that carries creatures into battle to unload, for example through a stone wall or armored structure. These carried creatures can get some food from inside the worm if its available but it won't sustain them forever, realistically maybe a week or two tops. Probably the strongest part internally of the worm is around the creatures it carries, with extra internal layers of thick muscle keeping them safe. They do not breed naturally, this is a purely engineered species, the Rishi Eel enlarged.

Races: Surge-Worm
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Troop Carrier. Between 20 and 200 man-sized creatures, depending on the worm size.
• Huge and keeps growing after being born.
• Powerful and burrows underground, able to feel surface vibrations above it for hunting.
• Can survive in most environments
• Tough. Lots of layers around the worm, make many weapons that only pierce a short way, like explosives, ineffective.
• Being a worm it can survive nasty injuries.

Weaknesses:

• More vulnerable inside the mouth
• You know when it is coming, you can hear and feel it a mile away.
• Continuous weapons, like particle or beam weapons, are effective against the worm. As are anti material rifles or things designed to go a long way through something, rather than just explode around it.
• You couldn't miss it if you tried.
• These things take A LOT of food to satisfy. You won't find many about unless it is a very rich biosphere or they have little competition. Their growth becomes a problem for the Hive rather than a bonus past a certain point.
• Osmium is poisonous to them.
• If you are fast or small enough, you can avoid it head on.
• Doesn't breed on its own.

CULTURE

Diet: Omnivore, much-preferring meat. Feathers tend to irritate their stomachs.
Communication: Huge roars and subsonic shockwaves. They are very noisy, so don't tend to communicate often.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Surge Impulse is All. Expand.
General behavior: Eat and burrow tunnels, which the Hive uses to then populate with its structures or smaller creatures. The worms help shake up smaller food for other creatures to find, they also go after larger predators to remove them as competition from the food supply, especially if the Hive can not integrate those predators into itself. Finally, as the worms go between hive structures, they are able to connect hives underground, being very useful for establishing networks between Biospheres over long distances.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION


When the Hive first encountered the Rishi Eel it lost a lot of creatures into its maw. The galaxy has a lot of eel or worm creatures, more than you'd think as we don't often see them underground. At first, the Hive treated these large creatures as a threat whenever it found them. However realizing an ability to burrow could be useful, it applied this worm to some of the challenges it faced moving through harder earth or stone on some planets. The Eels did alright, but there wasn't enough power behind them, so they were enlarged. Having this creature burrow ahead of the Swarm has helped it enlarge its reach and set up networks of smaller hives connected together much more easily. Meaning the Hive's biospheres can be physically connected when this is of benefit.

For a time this simple use for the worms worked well. Until the Swarm came across a bigger underground predator, there is always a bigger predator. The worm burrowed into it and was then cut to pieces by the underground adversary. This was a setback because there was now a huge worm blocking the way! After spending time removing the giant creature, the Swarm's will decided that it was big enough to carry creatures inside of it. So if this encounter ever happened again, the creatures inside could deal with the threat, or at least slow the threat down, so the worm could make room for creatures behind it to come in. A second stomach was designed, over time this was refined to be more viable to those traveling inside of it. Comfortable is a stretch, safe would be a more accurate word.

There was a setback. The worms DNA alterations had a quirk, they kept growing. This sounds great, but it requires so much food as it ages it becomes a threat to sustaining the biosphere. The Hive has learned to adapt, and uses the worms till they are a certain size, then recycles the biomass it collects along its lifetime, refining it for this purpose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P50b-19_j8c​

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[Akestos]

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Seeders are a Carrier for Infection Agents
Infection Agents Carried: Terminus
Image Credit: First Image | Gifs Mummy Film | Custom Text
Canon: No
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | The Hive | The Swarm

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Seeder Slicer Beetle
Designation: Non-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 12 Days
Estimated Population: Common
Description: The Seeder Beetle is small with very sharp, large front jaws. Fast, often in a Seeker-Swarm. It comes in a few different colors, though they all have the same properties, colors denoting a specialized subspecies. They fly, burrow and swim. Most of the Terminus microbe they infect with is stored in a small sack which coats their Mandibles, but it is also carried in their bodily fluids, and released upon death. Surrounding the beetle it has a layer of Terminus Armor.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Neon, Helium, Krypton, and Methane. Filters for toxic and acidic worlds.
Average Height of Adults: 2-4 cm | 0.8-1.5 Inches
Average Length of Adults: 4-10 cm | 1.5-4 Inches
Skin color: Black, Grey, Brown, Green, or Blue.
Hair color: None
Distinctions: The Hive Mind prefers to think small and many, not big whenever possible. Though this isn't always true, it is usually in the case of its seeder agents where it is directly responsible, before the Swarm's collective will takes precedence. In this case bugs. Bugs. Bugs and more Bugs. Adaptable, small and industriously burrowing underground. They carry the Terminus microbe to seed it to new biospheres and sometimes planets. They are too small to pierce thick armor in a single bite, but they can bite into most types and start to chew away at it. Usually, because of the sheer number of them, they are deadly to many things on mass. Thinner armor is especially vulnerable. Though there are three variations, flying, burrowing and aquatic, these are specialized subspecies. All bugs can fly, can burrow and can swim, extending what they need from their thick shell. However, the three subspecies specialize in this and each is especially suited to it. Thicker back wings for the grey beetles, more suited legs for swimming with the Aquatic beetles, and more specialised legs for digging and burrowing.

The Slicer Beetles both infect through their own death for larger creatures eating them, but also when they nest or travel around they often leave a small residue. This is markedly true for when they feed or reproduce. Dead Slicer Beetles are especially infectious, the longer they remain to decay, even to the point of it being airborne when there are enough of them in a pile. Usually, it takes a good few dozens and some time for this to be the case. That said, their bodily fluids need to be avoided by most, that and their mandibles are by far the most infectious part of the organism. Caution is advised when coming into contact with either, or this beetle in general.

Breeding quite fast to create a critical mass. The females lay about 30 eggs before they die, 15 of which might survive the birthing process, the rest eaten by those hatching. There are males, lesser in number than the females by a ratio of about 4-1, who fertilize the female beetles two days ahead of the eggs being laid. As a sustainable critical mass is being reached, often the beetles will use the dead to begin the basis for hive structures, then slow their breeding down so not to overwhelm the eco-system beyond what it can accommodate. They may also begin working to remove rivals for their food supply, so to better swell their numbers while not destroying the balance of the eco-system.

Races: Burrowing Seeder Slicer Beetle (Brown/Black/Green) | Aquatic Seeder Slicer Beetle (Blue) | Flying Seeder Slicer Beetle (Grey)
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Fast and Numerous
• Terminus Armor - Harder Outer Exoskeleton
• Horrific Bite
• Resistant to Acid and Toxins
• Three Variations, Flying, Aquatic, and Burrowing.
• Fast to Breed

Weaknesses:

• Small
• Alone or even a dozen of them pose no real threat if you are alert.
• When they come in a Seeker-Swarm. You'll hear them coming
• Though they have a harder terminus shell, it's not a big creature, they are still squashable with enough of a boot.
• Swarm Based, meaning largely unconscious, dependent on the Hive Mind's attention to be effective, or one of its Convergence Nodes.
• Short Lifespan, 12 Days.
• Requires Meat to breed quickly. If forced to be on a mineral diet, then their birthrate is halved.

CULTURE

Diet: Carnivore. On a dead world, they can eat minerals from the soil, but their birth rate is reduced to half and this obviously damages any eco-system stability so it is far from ideal.
Communication: Clicking of their huge mandible to other species. The Hive Mind or The Swarm's collective will communicates with its own species. They can also use their tail to emit a chemical scent and judge situations by other insects movement.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Hive Mind is All. Seek and Seed.
General behavior: Burrowing, creating nests, tunnels, seeking out other species to infect. They generally are industrious little creatures, their collective sensory input making up a large part of the basis for the Swarm's unconscious initially on a world. They often seek out sights for swarm nodes and the Hive's nervous system to be extended, being especially gifted at seeking out hidden, unsuspecting locations, often underground but not always. Think where you'd least expect to look, or never go. If they were ever cut off from the Hive completely it is likely they would act like regular beetles.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Hive Mind thinks small. Where it has more focused conscious control is over the small details, before the Swarm's collective unconscious desire for existing or the Surge's desire for expansion can take root, is in the early stages of seeding and infestation. To this end, it uses smaller delivery systems to expand its growth. It has found beetles are not only hardy insects, but they can also compete with most creatures their size on an even footing, especially so when working in a large Seeker-Swarm.

There is also a fear factor associated with lots of burrowing or flying insects attacking a target at once, as it can often surprise them or catch them off guard. It hasn't yet recognized the concept of individuality or fearing of survival but it has recognized that conventional methods to stop a large sentient need to be altered when it's a horde of insects is swarming something from all directions. This surprise factor has come in useful in a few instances, where larger single Hivespawn creatures have failed.

However, these beetles are designed first and foremost to be seeding creatures, sent to a world to populate it and get larger nodes ready to expand the Hive Mind's Focus. The distinction between Infection - Seeding and Hive, is still tenuous one in the collective conscious of the swarm, which is often more focused on Hive, Swarm, Surge, or even just Swarm-Surge. Whether there is a fifth stage of conscious to the collective mind in, seeding, has not yet been fully integrated into its consciousness.

As always trial and error have brought the Hive Mind to this point, implementing Seeding beetles to better establish itself in new biospheres. It is by no means the final adaptation of the Hive's eventually form of seeding.

 

[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Large Front Line Predators for Drones and Soldiers to fight beside.
Image Credit: Starship Troopers Film | Custom Text
Canon: Zexx
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | The Swarm

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Zexx Predator
Designation: Not-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 35
Estimated Population: Scattered
Description: The Surge Drone has a large hardened, pincer-like jaw, razor-sharp teeth capable of cutting into metal, legs capable of piercing metal and runs very fast when moving forward. Its large frontal head is the most protected, having a hardened natural armor capable of withstanding a shot from an average blaster, with a chitinous covering around its main body, that while not providing the same protection, might take a glancing hit from a weapon or at least provide cushioning to any shots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VywKJSglL24​

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Neon, Helium, Krypton, and Methane. Filters for toxic and acidic worlds.
Average Height of Adults: 2.3 Meters | 7.5 Feet
Average Length of Adults: 3.6 Meters | 12 Feet
Skin color: Commonly Black, Dark Red, Yellow, Dark Green, and Orange. Their skin can be bred to match the environment more closely, usually over two generations.
Hair color: None
Distinctions: Huge hardened jaws are the main thing to note, and talons on the legs which are often used to great effect in battle. Communicating in basic, high pitched roars, hisses or snarls. Often the drones that are bred will take on the color of the planet's landscape to better hunt after a generation or two. There are female drones but they are rarer, and more likely to let the many genderless drones die first if threatened. The female drones can reproduce on their own if left to do so of their own devices, or commanded to, but there are other Swarm species better capable of doing this on mass. Drones don't age often, they are sent to die in combat as a preference or eaten if they are approaching the end of their life. If there was an old drone around, reaching the end of its life, it would tend to be slower, and less aggressive unless commanded otherwise, usually with marks of its years on its body. Female drones lay eggs which create other drones at a rate of 3 per month, given enough food supply, but there are better creatures in the hive for doing this.

Races: Swarm-Surge Drone
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Highly Adaptable to different environments and Terrain. This is the go-to Swarm creature when they want to use masses of bodies to overwhelm their opponents because they can exist almost anywhere in any atmosphere, pressure or environmental toxin.
• There is usually so many of them, it is very rare to find one alone.
• Very, very dangerous jaw, and dangerous enough legs.
• Can survive in a vacuum or without air for up to 1 day.
• Utterly loyal. They have no fear or ability to resist the Swarm's will. When ordered to charge, they charge. When ordered to die, they die.
• They are very fast when moving across the ground.

Weaknesses:

• Inside the mouth itself, the bug is very weak when it tries to bite. The head is hardy enough around it, so it takes an aimed or close shot usually to hit the mouth. Misses however will hit the most armored part of the creature.
• The bug is semi-sentient and reacts only to basic commands from the Swarm Mind or its closest connecting convergence. A convergence is a swarm node or a more intelligent commander closer to the Drone's proximity. Otherwise, it operates on basic animal intelligence alone, feed, sleep, defend itself and for the females, occasionally reproduce.
• The drone has no ranged attack.
• Moving sideways or back is not as fast for it.
• Though there are many of them, usually massively outnumbering their targets, they die quite fast under fire.
• If left to their own devices and with no Hive or Swarm direction, they will slowly breed out of control, not quickly, just consistently.

CULTURE

Diet: Omnivore. They eat most organic things with a preference for fresh meat but can survive on plants. This is their main strength, to adapt to where they are.
Communication: Hisses, snarls and a high pitched chittering of teeth in the back of their mouth, creating a loud insect rattling.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Swarm Mind is All. Exist. Expand.
General behavior: They hunt when hungry and not instructed to do something else. Female drones reproduce alone when out of contact with the Swarm Mind. They often tunnel underground for the Swarm, creating underground hives, though other Swarm species can do it better, their talons can dig through rock if required and with enough time. They tend to rest at night, but if instructed to move or fight they will. They nearly always move in large groups, very rarely will you see less than six of them together, more than likely dozens, hundreds or more.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

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[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: The basis for Organic Craft to be built around. Not a craft in and of itself.
Image Credit: Leviathan Short Film | Colin Thomas | Custom Text
Canon: Purrgil
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SpaceSurge | SwarmSurge

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Terminus-Purrgil
Designation: Not-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 250
Estimated Population: Scattered
Description: Purrgil are naturally whale-like creatures that live in deepspace. Terminus Purrgil are still large whale creatures that act more as sharks consuming large amount of minerals as part of their diet. It's not known how big regular Purrgil grow to with no artificial limits like gravity, only that they are massive and a danger to ships. Terminus Purrgil have a known size and encouragement to grow that makes them very large. Their thick skin is often grey, or orange, but sometimes a shade of black and red. They can grow terminus armor around themselves from the infection, but it tends to be down to the individual creature whether this happens or not, sometimes encouraged by the [member="The Hive Mind"] in one of its space maturation chambers.

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PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Vacuum and Clouzon-36
Lesser:
Average Height/Width of Adults: 100 meters | 328 ft
Average Length of Adults: 500 meters | 1640 ft

Greater:
Average Height/Width of Adults: 250 meters | 820 ft
Average Length of Adults: 1000 meters | 3280 ft

Skin color: Grey, Black, Red, Orange
Hair color: None
Distinctions: Large space whales. Not needing to fight gravity, other predators or expend much energy to move they don't require as much food as your mind might initially think. They still need plenty but not as much as for example as a Surge Worm. The orange or grey variations tend to be the most common, and the swarms they travel in are often colored the same as each other. As they get older they tend to grow more and more tentacles from their body, so that near the end of their life they are like the seabed floor. These small tentacles allow them to gather food as they go about their business, as well as their large mouth. In space their mouth isn't used for a great many things, maybe nesting, rarely defending themselves, making a home but not much else. It is these tentacles that send their sonic signals and passively pick up food for them on their travels. As with many hive species on the dry side.

Races: Lesser Terminus-Purrgil and Greater Terminus-Purrgil
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Massive
• Spaceborne. Flyes and breathes a vacuum.
• Purrgil are hyperspace capable.
• Powerful Jaw and Bite

Weaknesses:

• Big Targets.
• Have a tendency to wander into hyperspace lanes and traffic if left to their own devices.
• Breed slowly without assistance.
• Require Clouzon-36 for hyperpsace jumps.

CULTURE

Diet: Minerals, Space Dust, Light Organic Matter.
Communication: Sonar, Sonic waves, Sight.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Hive's Focus, Travel, The Swarms Will, Exist, The Swarm Impulse, Expand.
General behavior: Purrgil were swarm creatures that travelled in one long before the SwarmSurge found them. It was a natural fit like a glove. They fly in large swarms around the galaxy. Terminus-Purrgil are much the same, and go about their business in the same way, only often given directions about where to do it by the Hive Mind or greater Swarm's Will.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

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[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Energy Leech
Image Credit: Alien | Custom Text
Canon: Mynock | Plasma Leech
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SpaceSurge | SwarmSurge

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Energy Leech
Designation: None-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 15
Estimated Population: Inter-Planetary
Description: Energy leeches are vile looking creatures with a flexible head. Able to direct themselves in space and propel themselves using this flexible jaw, means it is often flapping around until the creature latches onto a surface radiating energy, or shields blocking physical matter. Then the head not only often bites into the metal surface, but more importantly, the suction on the leech will clamp down on whatever it hits. Including forming around shields that block physical matter in the same way. This creature is a pest, like most of its kind, and doesn't come loose or give up without some serious effort.

​

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Vacuum

Average Height of Adults: 30 cm | 0.9 ft
Average Length of Adults: 1 meter | 3.2ft


Skin color: Grey, Black, Red, Orange
Hair color: None
Distinctions: Being a worm-like creature, as long as the head remains, it can often still stay attached and alive. Drawing energy out of shields, power systems, cables, weapons, and engines for example. Most are grey, but on land other variations exist. The range it can drain from depends on how conductive the surface it attaches itself to is. Twenty-five meters is optimal on a ship, but more or less is possible depending on the metal, or lack thereof. The size of the energy source is also important, a very large ship radiates a lot of energy, whereas a handheld device doesn't.

Races: Energy Leech
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Drains energy, shields and general system power.
• Spaceborne. Flyes and breathes a vacuum.
• Very hard to remove once attached.
• Can suffer grievous injuries as long as the head is intact.

Weaknesses:

• The jaws are sharp enough to pierce metal, but the creature is also slow on land, making it a sitting duck on a solid surface.
• Dumb. These worms are stupid. Without the hive having a strong connection to it, the animal will likely just sit where it is.
• Thin Skin. Not hard to pierce with any kind of weapon. Very rarely grows any armor from the infection.
• No ranged ability.
• Doesn't breed on its own.

CULTURE

Diet: Minerals, Space Dust, Organic Matter.
Communication: Sonar, Sonic waves, Touch.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Swarms Will, Exist. The Swarm Impulse, Expand.
General behavior: These creatures are dumb. Apart from going somewhere to eat energy, they don't do much without the Swarm's own will telling them to. They might at a stretch go find something else to eat if it's nearby, but just as likely they will stop exactly where they are and do nothing. Their intelligence really is that of a worm with nothing to do. They do not breed on their own. They might be plotting galactic domination instead of drifting aimlessly but experts consider it unlikely.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Most of the time that the Hive came into contact with pests like these it squashed them. Assessing them like almost everyone else, as pests. That was until it encountered a large metal bulk firing at it. Several energy leeches and other creatures seemed to be living off the ship. It was a very old pirate ship, which preferred the creatures as a sort of living armor, which is also one of the ways the Hive Mind first found that to be a concept at all.

Now Instead of pests, the greater collective saw the use these creatures could be to the Hive. The dead metal bulk was less dangerous with creatures such as these attached, they seemed to slow the dead metal down. The Hive had to find this out several more times as usual. Then the Hive's neural net upgraded and refined itself cementing this new information. Since then the leeches have been surrounding certain hive creatures and craft as they traverse the void between biospheres and planets.

Apparently, they make soothing signals to nearby wild creatures, but nobody has confirmed this strange observation.

 

[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Surge Soldier | Magma Spitter
Image Credit: Original Link (Dead) Pin Link | Muse Videos: Sucker Punch and Lord of the Rings Films | Custom Text
Canon: Tulrus | Xandank | Magma Spitter | Blistmok | Lava Eel
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SwarmSurge | The Hive | The Swarm | The Surge

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Magma Keeper
Designation: Semi-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 38
Estimated Population: Scattered
Description: Magma Keepers are large brutes. Stocky, with thick arms, thick skin and generally considered among the hardiest members of the regular hive soldiers. Their legs are especially thick, and their bodies hardened. Often covered in more advanced versions of terminus armors, even without this naturally they are brutes. Their mouth produces a near constant state of magma which breaks down their food into a liquid and gaseous form. While their large retractable claws are a danger also. Their natural tail is smaller but can still be used in combat effectively for holding or choking opponents. Their neck is smaller behind their head, shielded behind the broad shoulders and arms, but also a weak spot with its thinner skin.

​

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Type IV Environments or Better

Average Height of Adults: 2.2 meters | 7.2 ft
Average Length of Adults: N/A


Skin color: Purple, Black, and Orange
Hair color: None
Distinctions: Most of the magma this creature carries is in its mouth. That said it does run around its outer body, keeping it and the surrounding environment very warm indeed. When struck at close range, the magma is a hazard for nearby Hive Creatures as well as enemies. Thankfully with its heavy mass, the Magma Keeper is not fast. Originally from Mustafar, the Tulrus, along with various Vong Techs the One Sith were working on were incorporated into a single form. The bioengineered creature is asexual and breeds through laying eggs, the eggs take about three weeks to hatch, and about another three weeks to grow into an adult. This creature will almost certainly be in Terminus armor or better, and quite likely carrying bio-grafted weaponry.

Races: Magma Keeper
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Can Operate in a Vacuum for 12 Days.
• Heat. Regulates Heat, Gives Off Heat, Can Survive in Magma temperatures.
• Very Hardy Natural Skin and Large Muscle Mass.
• Can spit magma up to 200 Meters - 328 Feet in a football-sized glob or a jet stream to about 80 meters.
• Cold barely effects it at all.
• Well-Coordinated with other creatures. Not so much a singular strength, but the beasts it came from hunted in packs.

Weaknesses:

• Slow. Heavy. This creature is not fast.
• Vulnerable in the neck. The neck is short, with the shoulders and head being in the way, but it is a weak spot.
• Bleeds Magma when wounded badly enough. This is bad for what's around it. Unless its another one of the same. Though hive armors are often highly resistant to heat, this is still magma.
• The tail while useful in combat to choke people, is probably the smallest part of the creature, and while it might not kill it, removing the tail would hurt it badly.
• Slow to heal. Magma Wounds. Due to its immense heat, this creature doesn't heal quickly on its own. There are Hive buildings or creatures to help negate this weakness but it doesn't help on a battlefield often.

CULTURE

Diet: Carnivore, preferring humanoid sized creatures. Allergic to the Starburst Plant, the Nysha Plant, and the Waha Plant
Communication: Magma Signs, Body Language, Sight. The Hive's Mind, The Swarm's Will.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Swarms Will, Exist. The Surge Impulse, Expand.
General behavior: The Hive uses these creatures to backup smaller drones in a regular surge. They are all around useful soldiers. With some range, strength, and toughness. When not fighting, these creatures are excellent at creating D13 structures. Their heat assists the mineral to form dense structures through evaporation, then their weight is useful in the initial compression, finished off by more specific drone creatures. They are also commonly found on Hive Structures or Hive Ships in space, their natural heat assisting to keep their temperature regulated. If cut off from the Hive they tend to rampage around, being dangerous to everything and everyone.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The hive doesn't have a lot of soldiers compared to drones. Soldiers are numerous enough but not the main weight of the surge. There is usually some limited in conscious intelligence in soldiers, rudimentary but nothing here capable of calling itself true sentience, that would be a stretch. They could fire a weapon grafted on themselves but in this case, that would act more as an extension of its own magma weapon shots which it has some ability to understand ranges for.

As some may know, the Hive likes things warm and dry. Absolutely ideal conditions are a lot of moisture and biomatter, which it can then consume, making the area drier, hotter, and ready for its structures. However, things are often not ideal. The Hive adapts to challenges the greater Swarm's Will faces. This is what makes it so dangerous to the galaxy as a whole. Here it uses one of its more numerous soldiers, to give off a large amount of heat, both to assist with Hive Growth but also to keep it warm in space and on colder worlds. Not negating all the challenges extreme cold gives it entirely but assisting.

Nothing from Mustafar integrated into the hive. Absolutely nothing. So over time, a harvesting creature stripped enough DNA from its native creatures, specifically Tulrus, Xandak, Lava Eels, and Blistmok species, to try something new. Adapting. Always looking for expansion. A combination organism of pack creatures, of Swarm Will, of Vong tech and naturally hardy skin was bioengineered. This also marks a change and evolution in Swarm Tactics when it hits a wall, which a certain Darth is keeping close tabs on.

Muse Videos: Fire | Larger​

 

[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Exploding Acidic Balls | Hieeeeya | The Value of Ewoks
Image Credit: Monster Vault | Video: Baneling Starcraft | Link: Return of the Jedi | Custom Text
Canon: Centax Purifier | Tirafaraleen Gas | Ewoks
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SwarmSurge | The Swarm | The Surge

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Ewokkazi
Designation: Non-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 5
Estimated Population: Inter-Planetary
Description: One in Diameter Rolling Balls, or Skittering Spider Creatures. Green acidic sacks across their entire black and green, or orange and red body. They move fast, faster than almost any Hive creature and often ahead of the Surge, or just within the front ranks of drones. Sometimes heard to make a shrieking Hieeeeya sound before soon exploding in a glorious shower of purifying liquid.

​

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Type IV Environments or Better

Average Height of Adults: 1.2 Meter | 3.9 Feet
Average Length of Adults: 1.2 Meter | 3.9 Feet


Skin color: Lime Green, Dark Green and Sometimes as with nearly all Hive Creatures in Red or Orange shades.
Hair color: None
Distinctions: Ewok combined with the Tyrant DNA. This causes a volatile mix of spider and a surging maniac. Designed for only one thing. Obliterating a threat usually at the front of the main Hive Surge. The Surge Ewokkazi are especially volatile little blighters, rolling like a blur toward their victims before showering them in Centax Purifier to eradicate the threats. They are not harmful to the Hive, a bio-engineered weapon that is quite devastating if they are allowed to reach a target. Thankfully it's not that hard to stop when you see it coming if you are paying attention and checking your corners, watching your back. They do not breed naturally, thank the force, bred only in Hive Breeding chambers.

Races: Surge Ewokkazi | Swarm Ewokkemi
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Very Fast Rolling. Fast Jumping or Moving on four legs over ceilings, walls and open space.
• Deadly when they explode in a biological acidic shower and gas cloud. The Centax Purifier released eats through any Non-Hive metal and living tissue.
• Highly resistant to acid and biological warfare, of all the Hive species this is one of the most resistant.
• Highly adaptive to environments, pathogens, cures, unstable and dangerous DNA that will evolve into other species.

Weaknesses:

• Higheeeee Ya! Volatile when struct. Their acid sacks especially so.
• Not tough. Continuous Blasterfire, AOE weapons, or just Accurate Shooters. Hit it a few times with anything and it's going to splatter. Even a badly trained stormtrooper can hit this one.
• If not part of the Hive Mind. This creature is as unpredictable as they come. Prone to making small nests in trees and hitching a ride aboard unsuspecting ships or speeders. It will go anywhere. The more spider-like Ewokkemi variation especially likes spinning annoying lime green webs around the Hive.
• The mutations this species goes through make it unreliable. The DNA is by its nature in a state of flux.

CULTURE

Diet: Omnivore preferring smaller animals but can live off hive fed nutrients alone. Allergic to Ewoks, and will detonate early upon coming into contact with one.
Communication: Magma Signs, Body Language, Sight. The Hive's Mind, The Swarm's Will.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Swarms Will, Exist. The Surge Impulse, Expand.
General behavior: Be a general nuisance. Roll toward threats and explode. Nest in webs in the hive. Mutate and adapt to environments.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Ewok DNA combined with the Tyrant DNA caused explosions. Quite literally in the case of One Hive which is now an acidic cloud and crater where once there was life. Like all things, the Hive adapted, it changed things and got the balance right. The Swarm Ewokkemi are the first subspecies of this creature, sometimes found spinning webs and nesting in areas of the Hive. Most, however, are Surge Ewokkazi, little more than rolling Kamakazi balls heading straight for their targets to explode in a chemical shower of liquid and gas.

Endor proved a useful field trip for the swarm, not the great feasting it had hoped for, the DNA it was chasing even evaded it completely. The lush world of Endor, however, was nice pickings for its scouts and seeders over time, with smaller visits and more subtle approaches. Taking what DNA it could as its own and leaving the rest. The Ewoks provided resilient threats when the Hive visited them, so much so decided to integrate them into the Hive in larger numbers.

Like all DNA it is uncertain what use it will be at first, if at all. Though the Ewok DNA was first thought of as a mistake. The Hive was able to integrate it into the Tyrants DNA, finding some good matches and specific use. About the time the Centax Purifier was finally stabilized and under the Swarm's will, this species seemed to be the perfect method of delivering the result. Face first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEMm0DM6bXo​

 

[Akestos]

​

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Infecting Bacteria. Stage One, Class 1 Mutation, of the SwarmSurge | Membranes for Cushioning, Structures or Ships.
Image Credit: Broadband Bacteria | Video: Plague Inc Computer Game | Custom Text
Canon: Bacteria Mutation | Microbial Mat | Terminus D15
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SwarmSurge | The Infection | Wildgrowth | The Seeding

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Infection Agent #1b - Top Secret Classification TerminusFlux D-15b: Directive Level 15b. - Class 1 Mutation
Designation: Non-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 12 Hours
Estimated Population: Common
Description: Bacteria. Technically called a Bacteriophage being a carrier itself. Dividing every hour. Roughly 10 times bigger than a Terminus Microbe under the microscope it is still blue as with the terminus microbe, however, it has shades of purple and importantly carries other hive viruses, as bacteria are known to sometimes do. These viruses both alter the bacteria as they often do, helping it to adapt or mutate but also are carried by the bacteria to other hosts. Making it a dangerous Virus carrier as well as very unstable and likely to mutate quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1SerCnEWSM​

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: N/A Vacuum is fine.
Average Height of Adults: 0.2 Micrometers
Average Length of Adults: 0.4 Micrometers
Skin color: N/A
Hair color: N/A
Distinctions: The Swarm works in stages. Infection is the first, the agents the Hive Mind uses for this task are always being developed or mutating, but it prefers small. This Bacteria originates in hive funguses and other secondary hive organisms such as those surrounding the Centax Purifying liquids. There is an element of wildgrowth here that the hive had not experienced. The concept of wildgrowth is a struggle within the greater consciousness of the hive, whereby mutations occur that has not yet integrated into the greater consciousness. Sometimes the Hive will consume these mutations, causing secondary effects, other times the hive will exterminate them as threats and very occasionally they exist outside of the Hive Mind's node connection, in pure Swarm Will. In this case, the mutation has been consumed but is still unstable wildgrowth DNA.

Stage one
Bacteria infect differently to smaller microbes such as viruses. They do not require a host or cell to live, able to exist and grow on their own. Stage one is done for them. With no need to integrate into a host such as a virus might. In stage one they simply infect the bloodstream and split into more bacteria, at this stage no outward signs of infection are likely. Immediately however the immune system will fight the bacteria, and any viruses it is carrying.

3 Days.

Stage Two
The infection is more visible under a microscope. The bacteria have no special properties in this stage. They are dividing rapidly, however, faster than a regular Terminus Microbe. The rate of this really depends on the host, its immune system, and how many bacteria the host has consumed or picked up. The time indicated here a likely average. It is also likely at this stage still the host has no idea what's going on, but it is easier to spot a TerminusFlux infection than a Terminus infection for medical personnel. Due to its level of mutation, it is also likely harder to stop one. The immune system will be in full swing here, and fighting hard.

6 Days - Contagious.

Stage Three
Coughing, Sneezing, the patient is contagious. The bacteria is less subtle than a regular Terminus microbe. It is however also more resilient to antibacterials and cures. Building up resistances as they come, through mutation. A brute force approach is taken by the infection. Usually, a battle occurs here within the patient and often any doctor. Sadly for the patient, it represents as a minor cold still, whatever that would be for the species. For example, it would come as a sore throat, tickling cough or running nose in a human. Here the bacteria is beginning to replace the Hosts own bacteria with copies of itself, early stages though, the host body begins to adapt to the new bacteria and slowly over time new cells are produced. Viruses carried on the bacteriophage assist with this, but it is mostly down to the bacteria causing the host's own body to adapt to it. The immune system tends to be slowly overwhelmed here, with it being a primary target.

9 Days - Contagious.

Stage Four
The Bacteria at this stage likely have a good hold on the host's body. There may have been some internal adaptation, but nothing serious. Again brute force is the approach of the infection but more important mutation. Mutation and unstable wildgrowth DNA happens, quite likely causing small visible signs, certainly internally if not externally. Rashes for example, or soreness inside a host creature. This is in part reflecting the wildgrowth and the Hive's own struggles with each other to find a balance within the Swarm's collective will. Any flu symptoms are very serious here. The bacteria has a good hold on the body and has replaced a good portion of the hosts own bacteria with copies of its own. The immune system may well be assisting the infection at this stage, a tipping point from swarm to surge.

12 Days - Contagious.

Stage Five
It's very difficult not to notice a stage five infection. Outward signs are very very likely all over the body, exoskeleton growth for example. Inward signs as the bodies cells adapt to the bacteria, changing how they operate and thus becoming the Terminus organism. Any carried viruses still assist with this. It is likely the immune system has been overrun. The patient will likely be extremely ill and needs immediate medical assistance. Get them into quarantine fast! The bacteria are so numerous and very well established, they come back almost as fast as they are destroyed. This is a Surge bacteria at this stage, seemingly unending amounts of new bacteria to fill what you remove. However, the patient can be saved, don't give up on them!

15 Days (Directive 15) - Usually Not Contagious.

Stage Six
Stage Six does not officially exist. At this point, there is little left of what they were before the infection, they are part of the Swarm's will, the Surge's impulse, and the Hive's focus. With perhaps wildgrowth tendencies. To a greater or lesser degree intelligence or autonomy can remain, depending on what the Hive was wanting to do with the specific individual, species or creature. At stage six there is much more peace within the body, and so the host isn't near as contagious as it was. Most host species end up not contagious at all when fully integrated, depending on the species, it is usually down to specific host species to carry infection to a new environment.

Races: Infecting Agent 1a - Top secret classification: TerminusFlux D-15b: Directive Level 15b. - Class 1 Mutation
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

+Fast Mutators. These Bacteriophages mutate significantly faster than the Terminus Microbe or virus. Which means treating them requires different methods and technology. Just throwing antibacterials at them, can cause strains of them to build up immunity.
+Virus Carrier. As with other bacteriophages. Hive Viruses can assist with the Bacteriophages evolution, it also carries them.
+The bacteria spread on their own. Not just from Plants or Creatures. Because they don't need a host creature, they are much harder to remove from a biosphere, from circulating around a population or for that matter hitching a ride aboard a ship, or in a vacuum. Fire is advised. Lots of fire.
+Very Resistant to Cold or extreme temperatures. Vacuum for example. They linger and do well in chilled environments, extending their lifespan by 50%.
+Is used to grow various Terminus Armors around organisms. Taking 15 days or more depending on the size.

Weaknesses:

-Bacteria are bigger. While still needing equipment to see, TerminusFlux is ten times larger than the Terminus Microbe and easier to spot by medical staff.
-Not Airborne. Though they can be coughed, sneezed or otherwise sent a short distance. They must spread across a surface. Ocean worlds, for example, are much less affected. Birds are great carriers of the TerminusFlux! Insects as expected as well, but birds even more so.
-Takes 15 Days to Establish itself fully. Its methods are more brute force than the Terminus Microbe.
-Vulnerable to a good cleaner! At least until it's in the body.
-Vulnerable to a Doctor who knows what they are doing.
-Short lifespan. 12 Hours. Being a living organism, they live and die quickly, sometimes mutating as they do.

CULTURE

Diet: Other Bacteria. Picture drops in an ocean, some of those drops are eating other drops, but they are still few in number overall.
Communication: None but contact with Cell(s) around it.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Swarm's Will, The Surge's Impulse and The Hive's Mind.
General behavior: Infect Brute Force | Seed Target Creatures

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

As doctors around the galaxy begin to look for cures to the terminus microbe. As the first signs of eyes begin working out what is going on. They better act fast. While most are still oblivious to the infection spreading day by day or have yet to experience it. The Hive has noted some attempts from the forward thinkers emerging and has responded. In what might be a very long battle of biological warfare, plague vs medicine, doctor vs drone, to see who comes out on top.

Enter what certain interested parties are calling the TerminusFlux Bacteria. This bacteria spreads from Fungus, for example, those located around Centax Purifying liquid, or other secondary plant infections. Usually, plants are the most common carriers, fungus even more so, but occasionally creatures are bio-engineered for carrying TerminusFlux. Wildgrowth, so far, has been limited to plants, so far.

While the Bacteria feeds off other bacteria, the scale and number of regular everyday bacteria in any area is beyond imagining. A normal human in one hour will put thirty-seven million regular bacteria into the room around them, a few million of these might be TerminusFlux. So the number eaten is still relatively small, even in heavily infested areas. The ecosystem doesn't die off but does take a small hit till things stabilize.

Wildgrowth. A peculiar concept that the hive is struggling with internally. The Swarm's greater Will seems ready to accept it, but the Hive's Mind does not. Whether growth that seeds the Hive's reach outside of its immediate control is acceptable or not, is a matter that is being experimented upon now. Watch this space.

 

[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Surge Predator | Heavy Armored Charging Unit | Magma Breather | Burrower
Image Credit: Starship Troopers Film | Custom Text
Canon: Kubaza Beetle | Magma Spitter
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SwarmSurge | The Hive | The Swarm | The Surge

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Tank Eater
Designation: Non-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 72
Estimated Population: Scattered
Description: As big as a house, as black as a beetle, and as hungry for tanks as one insect could ever be. This eight-legged monstrosity is commonly seen surrounded by a hardened exoskeleton of Terminus Barab Armor. The Tank Eater can be orange, red, or yellow but in a rare twist for hive species, it is most often black. Its body has an excess of fluids to help keep it cool from a large amount of magma it carries in its stomach and throat. While its eyes are blue when at rest, taking on an orange hue when hunting or spotting creatures via their heat signature.

​

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Type IV Environments or Better

Average Height of Adults: 20 meters | 65 ft
Average Length of Adults: 28 meters | 91 ft


Skin color: Black, Orange, Red, Yellow.
Hair color: None
Distinctions: Tank Eaters as their name implies are suited for eating tanks. Burrowing like beetles they love heat, and they love hunting by vibration and heat. Especially gifted at tracking heat sources from vehicles, large groups of people or other predators even at night. It likes nothing more than coming underneath tanks, structures or large groups of enemies and chewing them to pieces. Other times you'll see it skittering over the surface with the Surge. Skittering is a nice way for saying a two-story house is moving on eight legs toward you and spitting a stream of magma as wide as a tank. The ground will shake, the tanks will be eaten and the enemies of the hive will burn. Now when's lunch?

Like the Kubaza Beetle they were bioengineered from, the Tanker bug will explode in a shower of magma when killed. Meaning its charges into enemy formations are not just terrifying but deadly. When this thing appears, it's one of the creatures you want to be shooting first. If you hear it underground, focus fire!

Races: Tank Eater
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Spits tank sized magma streams up to 120 meters.
• Temperature. Regulates Heat, Gives Off Heat, Can Survive in Magma temperatures and help fuel hive structures that need magma to operate. Carrying magma means cold doesn't affect this bug much either.
• Eats Tanks! Hunts by vibration and heat, doing so well at night or in the day.
• Can take a larger tank shot. It's bioengineered to be the creature that deals with tanks. Underneath the Terminus Exoskeleton, its own natural body is absorbent and resilient.
• Explodes when near death, sending a magma shower 25x25 meters wide. There are about five seconds of warning, it begins to shake, the cooling fluids in its body evaporate and the creature explodes outward.
• Fearless. The Hive's Mind, The Swarm's Will and the Surge Impulse control this completely.

Weaknesses:

• Small arms fire does better against this creature. Concentrated smaller shots finding gaps in the armor that larger munitions cannot hit. Whereas large projectiles and larger energy shots are going to have a harder time unless they are pinpoint weapons. Explosives might do okay, in this case, fragmentation is better than piercing.
• Magma sounds great. Until you realize magma burns most things, including other hive creatures. Exploding magma can harm every hive creature nearby depending on its heat resistance or armor.
• Inside the mouth, if it opens to spit fire, it is a good spot to throw a grenade.
• Slow to heal. Due to its immense heat and a large amount of bodily cooling fluids rather than tissue. This creature doesn't heal quickly on its own. There are Hive buildings or creatures to help negate this weakness but it doesn't help on a battlefield often.
• Can be misleading by moving heat signatures or vibrations elsewhere. This instinct can override regular Swarm Will suggestion, just not hive mind direction which is much rarer for any one creature in a surge of thousands.
• If topside. It isn't very hard to hit the thing, or see it coming, even if finding a specific weak spot takes more effort or a closer range.

CULTURE

Diet: Minerals and Ores
Communication: Magma Signs, Body Language, Sight. The Hive's Mind, The Swarm's Will.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Hive Mind, Build. The Swarms Will, Exist. The Surge Impulse, Expand.
General behavior: The Hive uses these large creatures to eat tanks and hunt vehicles across the ground. It also uses them to burrow from time to time and often clear out blockages. In fact most of the food it eats it finds as it goes about its duties, maintaining tunnels made by larger Surge Worms. If left to its own devices, it will probably nest in a tunnel, breeding once every 5 years if it can find the opposite gender.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION


The Hive likes Mustafar for the heat. Shame nothing ever grows there for it. Nothing from Mustafar integrated into the hive when they engineered the first magma creature and still nothing has now. All the Hive has been able to do is harvest DNA. Which it keeps doing. Collecting what it can for integration, and creating two genders for self-sustaining populations going forward.

Tank eating bugs are a new concept to counter the larger dead metal the hive has encountered. Although not very nutritious, they do still make tempting meals for these creatures who hunt them for their heat and vibration. A good thing to charge a tank or artillery line with and take some of the fire. They stand out as big targets, and you want to kill them fast because of their explosive reaction, so it's not a bad plan. Only it can be wasted fire better saved for when they are closer for infantry, only more dangerous as a result.

It has used these creatures a few times now to breach structures or clean out any dead Surge Worms in tunnels, which its magma is well suited for. In fact other than heating hive structures and refueling them at times with its magma, it is well suited to removing any kind of blockage in a hive tunnel, interlinking Hive connection, or passage to the site of any surge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NANfJ5IYCbM​

 

[Akestos]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Surge Soldier | Magma Spitter
Image Credit: Original Link (Dead) Pin Link | Muse Videos: Sucker Punch and Lord of the Rings Films | Custom Text
Canon: Tulrus | Xandank | Magma Spitter | Blistmok | Lava Eel
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SwarmSurge | The Hive | The Swarm | The Surge

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Magma Keeper
Designation: Semi-Sentient
Origins: The Hive Mind, also known as the Swarm Mind when speaking collectively.

Average Lifespan: 38
Estimated Population: Scattered
Description: Magma Keepers are large brutes. Stocky, with thick arms, thick skin and generally considered among the hardiest members of the regular hive soldiers. Their legs are especially thick, and their bodies hardened. Often covered in more advanced versions of terminus armors, even without this naturally they are brutes. Their mouth produces a near constant state of magma which breaks down their food into a liquid and gaseous form. While their large retractable claws are a danger also. Their natural tail is smaller but can still be used in combat effectively for holding or choking opponents. Their neck is smaller behind their head, shielded behind the broad shoulders and arms, but also a weak spot with its thinner skin.

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PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Type IV Environments or Better

Average Height of Adults: 2.2 meters | 7.2 ft
Average Length of Adults: N/A


Skin color: Purple, Black, and Orange
Hair color: None
Distinctions: Most of the magma this creature carries is in its mouth. That said it does run around its outer body, keeping it and the surrounding environment very warm indeed. When struck at close range, the magma is a hazard for nearby Hive Creatures as well as enemies. Thankfully with its heavy mass, the Magma Keeper is not fast. Originally from Mustafar, the Tulrus, along with various Vong Techs the One Sith were working on were incorporated into a single form. The bioengineered creature is asexual and breeds through laying eggs, the eggs take about three weeks to hatch, and about another three weeks to grow into an adult. This creature will almost certainly be in Terminus armor or better, and quite likely carrying bio-grafted weaponry.

Races: Magma Keeper
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Can Operate in a Vacuum for 12 Days.
• Heat. Regulates Heat, Gives Off Heat, Can Survive in Magma temperatures.
• Very Hardy Natural Skin and Large Muscle Mass.
• Can spit magma up to 200 Meters - 328 Feet in a football-sized glob or a jet stream to about 80 meters.
• Cold barely effects it at all.
• Well-Coordinated with other creatures. Not so much a singular strength, but the beasts it came from hunted in packs.

Weaknesses:

• Slow. Heavy. This creature is not fast.
• Vulnerable in the neck. The neck is short, with the shoulders and head being in the way, but it is a weak spot.
• Bleeds Magma when wounded badly enough. This is bad for what's around it. Unless its another one of the same. Though hive armors are often highly resistant to heat, this is still magma.
• The tail while useful in combat to choke people, is probably the smallest part of the creature, and while it might not kill it, removing the tail would hurt it badly.
• Slow to heal. Magma Wounds. Due to its immense heat, this creature doesn't heal quickly on its own. There are Hive buildings or creatures to help negate this weakness but it doesn't help on a battlefield often.

CULTURE

Diet: Carnivore, preferring humanoid sized creatures. Allergic to the Starburst Plant, the Nysha Plant, and the Waha Plant
Communication: Magma Signs, Body Language, Sight. The Hive's Mind, The Swarm's Will.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: The Swarms Will, Exist. The Surge Impulse, Expand.
General behavior: The Hive uses these creatures to backup smaller drones in a regular surge. They are all around useful soldiers. With some range, strength, and toughness. When not fighting, these creatures are excellent at creating D13 structures. Their heat assists the mineral to form dense structures through evaporation, then their weight is useful in the initial compression, finished off by more specific drone creatures. They are also commonly found on Hive Structures or Hive Ships in space, their natural heat assisting to keep their temperature regulated. If cut off from the Hive they tend to rampage around, being dangerous to everything and everyone.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The hive doesn't have a lot of soldiers compared to drones. Soldiers are numerous enough but not the main weight of the surge. There is usually some limited in conscious intelligence in soldiers, rudimentary but nothing here capable of calling itself true sentience, that would be a stretch. They could fire a weapon grafted on themselves but in this case, that would act more as an extension of its own magma weapon shots which it has some ability to understand ranges for.

As some may know, the Hive likes things warm and dry. Absolutely ideal conditions are a lot of moisture and biomatter, which it can then consume, making the area drier, hotter, and ready for its structures. However, things are often not ideal. The Hive adapts to challenges the greater Swarm's Will faces. This is what makes it so dangerous to the galaxy as a whole. Here it uses one of its more numerous soldiers, to give off a large amount of heat, both to assist with Hive Growth but also to keep it warm in space and on colder worlds. Not negating all the challenges extreme cold gives it entirely but assisting.

Nothing from Mustafar integrated into the hive. Absolutely nothing. So over time, a harvesting creature stripped enough DNA from its native creatures, specifically Tulrus, Xandak, Lava Eels, and Blistmok species, to try something new. Adapting. Always looking for expansion. A combination organism of pack creatures, of Swarm Will, of Vong tech and naturally hardy skin was bioengineered. This also marks a change and evolution in Swarm Tactics when it hits a wall, which a certain Darth is keeping close tabs on.

Muse Videos: Fire | Larger​

 

[Akestos]

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: Wildgrowth Hunter around hives, sometimes driven by the surge to hunt further afield, a warning a surge is coming.
Image Credit: Edge of Tomorrow Film | Custom Text
Canon: Nautolan | Halkra | Arrgar Vine
Chaos: Kae Vine | Centax Purifier
Links: [member="The Hive Mind"] | Akestos | [member="Kylraya"] | SwarmSurge | Wildgrowth | The Swarm | Forcegrowth

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: Wildgrowth Lurker
Designation: Semi-Sentient
Origins: Wildgrowth | Centax Purifier

Average Lifespan: 55
Estimated Population: Scattered
Description: Wildgrowth Lurkers are a result of mixing Nautolan DNA with the Kae Vine. Dense cartilage for the Nautolans made them tough and resistant. While Kae Vines running along its body, act as flailing weapons as well as defensive armor. Usually dark green in appearance, as with all hive creatures orange and red are common, yellow and black less so. They often walk on all fours, stalking across jungles or up trees pulling their prey into their waiting jaw, throwing them about until they are unconscious, or crushing them with their many vines.

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PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Breathes: Type IV Environments or Better

Average Height of Adults: 2.0 meters | 6.5 ft
Average Length of Adults: 2.5 meters | 8.2 ft


Skin color: Dark Green, Orange, Red, Black or Yellow.
Hair color: Kae Vine
Distinctions: Many Nautolan were experimented upon for a variety of purposes. The Kae Vine being a fast-growing plant, mixed with the Dense cartilage of the Nautolan, and the Centax Purifier reactions created this monster. Wildgrowth can be compelled by the Surge Impulse, to mutate and expand, but it cannot be directly controlled. A catalyst for worse to occur in an environment but not that calamity yet itself. The battle between Hive Purification and Chaotic adaptation will be a long one, and this creature is at the forefront of it. Breeding once every two years, it is asexual but does require pollen from other Kae plants or Wildlurkers

Races: Wildgrowth Lurker
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive

Strengths:

• Positioning. Hides as if it were a Kei Vine or Part of the Hive, can lay completely dormant or even burrow under the ground. As with trees. It is a great climber, their vines can naturally pull them, or form traps to capture prey with their many vine tendrils.
• Dense cartilage, add to that the Kei vine, and although the Lurkers don't usually have an exoskeleton they take a bit of shooting to kill, mostly because the vines try to fill the gaps as other vines are shot away.
• Vines don't regrow on the spot, but the Kei vine does regrow. Accelerated to be closer to an Arrgar Vine in speed. Maybe ten hours to grow a new vine, twenty if there is no rush. This takes food, so the time does depend on hunting and food supply.
• The Lurker is able to operate 100% without any aid or contact with the hive whatsoever. Although it can often be found hunting near Hives themselves, the vine's in the environment a natural cover!
• Moves at blinding speed in bursts, its many vines shooting out to catch or throw its targets. Often preferring to come up from underneath or above them.

Weaknesses:

• Compells Forcegrowth, known sometimes as Darkgrowth or the Anti Hive reaction which can occur in the force. Not a great bastion of light or friendly nudge, think of it like nature's jaws biting back with ferocity. Forcegrowth isn't good for The Hive, Wildgrowth, or anyone else much. It is the natural answer in the force to any imbalance being created by the Hive Mind or rather wildgrowth. What forcegrowth is, has yet to be seen or experienced.
• As Wildgrowth, a secondary reaction. It is often in conflict with the Hive. Sometimes Wildgrowth Lurkers have been taken by the hive, other times they are operating independently and other times they are in an open conflict. It depends on the greater Surge Domain tendencies, the environment and whatever other factors are in play. Lack of food, other hostility or environmental pressures in the biosphere etc.
• Rapid firing weapons are best against this creature. Explosives will work as will regular blasters, but they are not going to be as effective as something which fires rapidly like a blaster carbine for example. Weapons such as sniper rifles that can penetrate more than one vine at once will also be useful.
• Not particularly lethal compared to many predatory species, though being thrown around is certainly dangerous. It is however very disruptive and can cause a real mess of organized formations. It does have teeth, and the crushing strength of the vines can overpower if not dealt with.
• Sonic weapons. Sonic weapons do really well against this creature's vines for some reason, a vine can often be slowed as it tries to move, or be stunned in place entirely. It is likely this comes from the vines origins, which would often be attached to Hive Convergence Nodes, carrying nutrients to them as they sent sonic signals of their own out.
• Acts as a weakness to the surprise factor of the Hive's overall seasonal cycles, in that it can give people warning a Surge is coming their way.

CULTURE

Diet: Carnivore. Preferring dog or ewok-sized animals.
Communication: Vine manipulation. Hissing. Sight.
Technology level: None Existant.
Religion/Beliefs: Wildgrowth! Mutate. Expand. Hunt.
General behavior: Wildgrowth is best described as unpredictable. The creatures hunts, breeds and nests high up usually. It can form small groups to move about in but the social order to these is very chaotic. Quite often they may kill each other, other times they will work as a unified force, only to rip each other to pieces in their sleep. There is no way to predict how two of them will act in a given moment. Which is the essence of Wildgrowth. Generally hostile however is the best way to describe it, sometimes compelled outward by surge impulses on the fringes of them, as the main hive expands it knows to look for new territory elsewhere. A precursor or warning ahead of time for anything living there.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Wildgrowth. Destined to happen. The first creature purely formed from wildgrowth, which is a secondary hive reaction from chemicals and other mutations the hive releases into the environment. These mutations allow it to expand and learn at a faster rate, although they contradict Hive Purity or Pure Swarm Will, which is the counterbalance to the mutations. The hive uses all these reactions, mutations and experience to adapt itself and design Purer Swarm Will by experience. A more elegant refinement, based on these initially erratic mutations.

The first noted encounter of this creature was on Byss by [member="Kaida Taldir"] and Khia Varad, which is really where the first wildgrowth had properly occurred. Though rumored other mutations had existed previously. Heavily open to mutation, this creature is a mess in all respects. The Hive often hunts them itself, preferring to eradicate the vermin that plague it. Though rarely they will be captured and used as hunters to protect hives or sent out ahead of surges, often merely compelled to move in an expanding circle outward before the main bulk of the surge arrives.

Further adaptation of the Nautolan genecode perfected this creature slightly more, from the outbreak on the corebound stations. How the DNA was released into the atmosphere so readily for mutation is a story best left to the archives of bitter Sith Lords and their scheming. Though it is far out of their control, they still like to meddle in shaping the hive's development. Futile as their efforts are at present, perhaps one day one Hive Member worthy of guiding Gene Purity will arise [member="Tera Lynx"].

An as yet unexplored concept. Forcegrowth or Darkgrowth for the dramatic. Is that which the hive has no connection with whatsoever, not even as a secondary mutation or reaction. This concept is alien to the Hive. The Hive is the known, the Wildgrowth is pushing the unknown, Forcegrowth is Dark and unknowable. The force reactions playing out ahead of the Hive, always one step ahead of mutation, and perfection to chase. The appearance of this creature means Forcegrowth is possible, not guaranteed, but possible in an area. If it were to encounter it, chances are the forcegrowth or force reaction would cleanse the wildvermin. This creature does not have an easy life.

One final note. It is an excellent precursor or warning ahead of time for anything living in an area, that a surge might be coming, because this creature has been pushed outward ahead of time. It knows when the hive is about to surge, and although not part of it, will move by instinct when this is about to happen.