Akestos
Surge Lord
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Hive Flora from resulting chemical reactions such as the Centax Purifier. Carriers for TerminusFlux among other pathogens.
Image Credit: Pond5 | Fresh Wallpapers | Music: Dawn of War OST | Hud
Canon: Burn Fungus | Klol Fungus
Links: The Hive Mind | The Infection | The Seeding | Wildgrowth | SwarmSurge
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Tython-Forgi
Origins: Unclassified Hivespawn D16 Possible Netherworld Links
Other Locations: Wildgrowth locations. Anywhere unstable hive reactions are occurring such as the Centax Purifier liquid, for example, this plant is commonly found where a hive has been or has seeded. It's a secondary stage infection usually, not created in the initial outbreaks currently.
Classification: Fungus
Average Growth Cycle: 4 Days
Viability: This fungus benefits from lower light, nitrogen in the soil or in the atmosphere helps but isn't essential. They prefer breaking down dead plants but can function on a small amount of light instead. If underground, they need something, other dead hive plants or vines are common in that case.
Description: Red mushrooms, glowing in the dark and causing a purple-red light at night. In the daytime, they tend to assist in turning the landscape around them orange or red. They actually look pretty when flying by or visiting deep underground, where they might have developed their own miniature ecosystems, sustained from their glow. If only the viewer knew the battle going on. Bacteria vs Bacteria struggling for dominance below.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Average Height: 12.7 cm | 5 Inches
Average Length: N/A
Color: Red, glowing at night or in the dark to attract creatures to eat it. In the day it is a paler shade.
Nutritional Value: Average. Creatures eat it and especially many birds love how it looks, attracted in for a closer look or a bite.
Toxicity: No.
Other Effects: Infectious with TerminusFlux and other hive agents. The spores this plant uses to propagate are not infectious. The area around it is, it spreads the bacteria around itself, which then go into the environment. Birds often pick up the bacteria, or insects which are then eaten by birds.
Distinctions: Making a harmless cherry scent when burned, which it should be at every opportunity. Wildgrowth is by its nature outside of the Hive's intent, still often part of the greater Swarm's will, in this case, the mushroom is tolerated by the Hive Mind because it seeds the Terminus Flux agent in places other Hive Flora finds difficult to reach. The DNA from most wildgrowth is more malleable, Flux DNA as one unfortunate scientist named it before realizing he'd been exposed to a pathogen and dying shortly after. This is a simple mushroom, which likes growing in dark environments where other plants might not do so well. Breaking down and eating other dead plant matter when it can, otherwise surviving off light alone. If there is no light, the glow can help other things grow, and so eventually it can gain more plant matter growing around it because of the light it gives off.
Strengths
+Creates its own light for other plants to use to grow. Helping build ecosystems deep underground, and ending up growing in locations other plants wouldn't be able to.
+Carries the TerminusFlux agent
+Wildgrowth is a separate byproduct of Hiving a biosphere. It doesn't require the hive mind in any shape or form. It however also doesn't benefit from it.
+It is appealing to birds.
Weaknesses
-It's a mushroom. Not exactly the most threatening organism in the world.
-Bright Sunlight. This Fungi like many don't grow well in overly bright light. It can, it just slows the growth down a lot. Preferring its own light.
-This mushroom has no defenses, or camouflage, nothing special to keep predators away. As a result, it can get eaten before it gets established anywhere.
-The glowing light it produces at night also attracts things over to eat it. Which doesn't help sustain large clusters of fungi
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Mushrooms. One might wonder what sinister galactic force is behind the creation of mushrooms, or which fiendishly inane outside entity had too much time on their hands. Nevertheless. Mushrooms. Not mushrooms you want in your backyard, or any yard. Even the hive often removes this blight upon what should be a more harmonious hive structure or biosphere. At least as harmonious as a hive of devouring insectoids and other monsters can be.
Indeed. These mushrooms, this wildgrowth is outside even the Swarm's will, let alone the Hive's focused mind. Two degrees of separation, which is uncomfortable, to say the least. It is only tolerated at all because it seeds further hive species in wider biospheres, the mutational capacity of the TerminusFlux bacteria being very high. Whereas the mushroom itself is mostly stable. It has long been a struggle as to whether this stability and external separation will be tolerated. Like an irritation on your back, or the itch you want to scratch.
The Tython-Forgi, how it got that name should be best left to the history books. Another sick joke by a beaten Darth about a once reshaped world. Though had no direct hand in this, even his bioengineers had not predicted secondary reactions, troublesome as they are. He did take the time to name the creation appropriately. One of many important duties no doubt now occupying his imporant time.
All that said it does light areas under the ground for the swarm, so other plant and animal life that requires light can grow deeper than usual. Which is another benefit for the greater consciousness, perhaps? Time will tell what lays in store for wildgrowth, even the Hive is watching carefully.
Tracking Growth