Work In Progress The Obsidian Slug Virus

[XaraXunia]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To provide RP justification for the gigantic size and the aggression of Kobok insectoids on the planet Koboth.
• Image Credit:
• Canon: Not canon, but it is insinuated in the Koboth article that solar flares profoundly affects about one third of the planet Koboth.
• Permissions: Semi-canonical entry
• Links: Koboth (Planet); Kobok (Species); Solar Flare

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Scientific Name: Ilamarada Desgarradora which is Kobothi for "Solar Rending Disease".
• Abbreviation: Type 4 Koboth Infection - Second most advanced form of Solar Rending Disease.
• Common Name: "Obsidian Slugs" - Necrotic rending caused by intense exposure to solar flare radiation activity on Koboth.
• Virus Family: Desgarradora Virus Family
• Origins: Type 4 Infection exclusively affects insectoids, Morneaus, and species which share DNA that is mixed with one or more species of fauna. ID-43 can also be induced in humans through bad cloning techniques, or through a spinal fluid transfer instigated by the Obsidian Slugs.
• Other Locations: Obsidian Slugs seem to originate from Koba Prime, the sun of Koboth. Type 4 may be carried by both regular insects and Kobok insectoid hosts. Type 4 can be found in spaceports across the galaxy. Obsidian Slugs can spread in locations where there are many insects, such as on agricultural planets or on dustbowl planets with a locust species. Obsidian Slugs can also be common in Wild Space, as ships eject them as soon as they are noticed, but other ships will graze the slugs and gain an infection themselves.
• Description: Obsidian Slugs are fully conscious beings that use "gain of function" to acquire control of the cerebral cortex of the affected host. Once they are in control, the mass moves into the victim's heart, trying to cause their passive death through heart and spinal conditions. The Obsidian Slug enters inside of the host's spinal system. Once the Obsidian Slug infection reaches the brain of the insectoid in question, typically through the amygdala, it causes a severe inflammation of the adrenal glands of the bugs. This virus exclusively affects Kobok, insectoids, and other Morneaus carrying strange DNA. There are higher levels of infection in the "Desgarradora Virus Family", and other types of viruses that are capable of infecting any being.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

• Morphology: Obsidian Slugs are fully conscious beings. They appear as a pooling mass of black mold, but they can formulate into large black cysts that look like beetles or slugs. When the swarm reaches a critical mass, the Obsidian Slug swarm can separate itself and replicate itself one time into a swarm half its size.
• Size: A "critical mass" swarm of Obsidian Slugs is only about the size of a human hand, which would be 6 inches by 6 inches. Individual Obsidian Slugs are microscopic.
• Color: Under a microscope, the Obsidian Slug mass is midnight black with grey strains along the helix transitions.
• Distinctions: The Obsidian Slug mass is visible to the naked eye.

VIRUS SPECIFICS

• Source: Naturally-occurring bio-radiation entity from Koba Prime. It incubates inside of insectoids during Koba Prime's solar flares.
• Host Species: Insects; Insectoids; Kobok; Morneau Species; Near-Humans; Bio-Masses
• Host Range: Narrow . Affects insectoids and Morneau characters only. The virus has been quarantined to the Koboth system.
• Viability: The Obsidian Slug can survive in a wild variety of environments, but it will die under extreme temperatures (fire-hot or ice-cold).
• Lethality: Low. The Obsidian Slug is a parasite. It does not "want" to kill its host. Its goal is to feed from the host. However, if the Obsidian Slug feels that it is threatened or it needs to replicate, it can decide to kill the host immediately by replicating. This causes the host's heart to explode, but the Obsidian Swarm duplicates.
• Severity: Moderate. The Obsidian Slug infects the adrenal gland of insectoids, making them ten feet tall. It makes the insectoids incredibly aggressive and bloodthirsty. The Obsidian Slugs can also make insectoids delusional, believing that they are having a religious experience. The Obsidian Slugs cause heart and spine problems, and they can decide at any time to kill the host by exploding their heart.
• Infectivity: High. The Obsidian Slugs are capable of choosing whether to infect a host, or simply to cause necrotic damage to them. When the Obsidian Slug chooses to infect a host, there is little that the host can do. The Obsidian Slug is a cunning virus that will head straight to the spine of the host, quickly compromising their spinal fluids. The Obsidian Slug will drink from the spinal fluids of the host until they are unconscious, and then they will take over.
• Modes of Transmission: Open wounds. This severely limits the spread of the Obsidian Slugs / Type 4 Infection. The Obsidian Slug Virus is often placed on "ceremonial" insectoid weapons, which are then jabbed inside of the intended host. It is considered a holy experience to receive the Obsidian Slug Type 4 Infection from the insectoids.
• Incubation Period: The Obsidian Slug chooses how long to necrotize its host. It can be anywhere from one hour to seven days. The average amount of time for an Obsidian Slug incubation is three days. The incubation can be slowed with cold temperatures, such as cryoban or bacta technology.
• Re-Infection: Yes. Obsidian Slugs can re-infect insectoids who have had the disease and purged it in the past. This was learned by the silver insectoids, and demonstrates how resilient this virus is to attacks. The Obsidian Slug swarms must be fully destroyed with cryo-cold temperatures or they will infect a new host.
• Vaccine/Cure: Only highly wealthy and distinguished Kobothi Warriors receive a vaccine for the Obsidian Slugs. Even then, the vaccine is just a mitigation for the aggression side-effects. The insectoids actually welcome being infected by the Obsidian Slugs and they consider it to be a religious experience.

SYMPTOMS & EFFECTS
(Authors Note: These effects apply to Kobok insectoids only. Other races will need to investigate the effects that the Obsidian Slugs may have on them, although the effects are likely to be similar.)

• Rage effects: The Obsidian Slugs make insectoids conquering and aggressive.
• Adrenal inflammation and uncontrolled growth: Insectoids grow to twice their size when infected with Type 4 Infection.
• Growth of unwanted extra arms: Very large, 12ft tall insectoids like Xaraxunia may grow two extra arms if they continue to be infected.
• Muscular Atrophy: The insectoids' backs hurt because the muscles in their backs are slowly being eaten by the Obsidian Slugs.
• Heart issues: When fully infected, the insectoids will also experience pain in their carapace. This is the Type 4 settling near their hearts.
• Death: At an indeterminate time in the future, the Obsidian Slug will explode the host's heart and use their body to replicate.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
(Author's Note: The strengths and weaknesses are written from the perspective of the insectoid hosts.

Strengths:

• Twice in Size: The insectoid Koboks double to twice their size once infected by the Obsidian Slugs / Type 4.
• Stronger bugs: The elite 10ft tall insectoids are much stronger than their 5ft tall tan cousins.
• Specific to Koboth: Obsidian Slugs only infect insectoids and Morneau, and it has been quarantined to the Koboth system.
• Easy to infect insectoids: The insectoids are easy to infect with Obsidian Slugs, and many Kobok will voluntarily subject themselves to a 'spiritual' ritual that will infect them with Type 4 Infection.
• Spreads to all species: If the obsidian slugs decide to infect other species, they can (but it is not as effective as infecting insectoids).
• Hosts enjoy having the Obsidian Slugs: The insectoids consider it a religious experience to be infected with the Obsidian Slugs, and insectoids who gain control of the Obsidian Slugs are said to be "favored" by the Koboth Hive Mind Queen.
• Grows double when exposed to fire: The Obsidian Slugs can survive extreme fire, and in fact, this heals them and doubles their size.

Weaknesses:

• It's a Girl!: If the Obsidian Slugs decide to replicate inside of a long-time host, that host immediately dies. Their heart will explode!
• Necrotization from the inside out: The Obsidian Slugs can decide to feed on (necrotize) the host, which can cause long-term medical complications that will cause death if they are not healed by a doctor / healer / alchemist-type character.
• Rage virus: The Obsidian Slugs cannot control when adrenaline is released by the host, and so it has the effect of being a rage virus because it irritates the adrenal system. A vaccine was developed by the Silver Tribe to mitigate the effects of the rage, but the vaccine is administered only to the biggest and strongest bugs (so that they will not do friendly fire). There is no cure for the Obsidian Slug infection except to purge the Slugs from the body, and then destroy them.
• Inflammation and spinal pain: The insectoids receive severe spinal complications due to spinal inflammation. The bugs also develop poor posture from having to look down at other species.
• Heart Issues: Once the Obsidian Slugs have fully infected a host, the parasitic mass forms inside of the victim's heart. This can cause issues such as heart attacks, strokes, improper heartbeat, etc.
• Dies under extreme cold. Furthermore, on snow planets, the Obsidian Slugs are half as effective as they are in room temperature.
• No cure: Being "blessed by the Obsidian Slugs" is considered a lifelong commitment.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
[ Include a description of the founding of the virus, what it could be capable of, and its history thus far. Who discovered it? Are they able to contain it or has it gotten out of control? If it was synthesized - What was the intent? Was it on purpose or by accident? Has it already affected an area?]