Verottet
Size/Catagory: Small invertebrate (worm)
Stats:
Mind: Untrained 20
Body: Novice 17
Magic: Untrained 20
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: By infection
Special Attacks: They can eat away soft tissue
Special Defenses: Horrible scent, and a strong acidic tolerance
Special Abilites: None
Magic Resistence: Nil
Stats:
Mind: Untrained 20
Body: Novice 17
Magic: Untrained 20
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: By infection
Special Attacks: They can eat away soft tissue
Special Defenses: Horrible scent, and a strong acidic tolerance
Special Abilites: None
Magic Resistence: Nil
Climate/Terrain: Verottet prefer warm humid environments. They are most commonly found around soft soils near fresh water sources.
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Hive mind
Activity Cycle: Nocturnal
Intelligence: primal
Language: Primitive telepathic links
Alignment: Evil
Description:
Verottet are small worm like creatures. Their violet skin glisten with a slimey outer coating. They are approximately a half a centimeter in diameter, less as they stretch themselves. The worms give off a heavy stench when exposed.
A verottet has never been seen alone, unless removed from a colony. Some appear as two or more bodies connected, having not finished splitting into individual members of the hive. The worms often writhe, stretch, and seemingly peer about when they are exposed to open air.
Vero, the term given to those infected by verottet, have several characteristics that one might notice. The victim often reeks of the worm's stench, though to a lesser extent then the actual verottet. They often appear sick; eyes bloodshot, pale skin, and glistening with cold sweat. Dark discoloration often appears on the skin. Animals will lose patches of fur. A victim's eyes may also become discolored in some parts of the whites. Cuts and wounds sometimes heal around a verottet, leaving the worm caught and exposed to the air, squirming around the wound.
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Hive mind
Activity Cycle: Nocturnal
Intelligence: primal
Language: Primitive telepathic links
Alignment: Evil
Description:
Verottet are small worm like creatures. Their violet skin glisten with a slimey outer coating. They are approximately a half a centimeter in diameter, less as they stretch themselves. The worms give off a heavy stench when exposed.
A verottet has never been seen alone, unless removed from a colony. Some appear as two or more bodies connected, having not finished splitting into individual members of the hive. The worms often writhe, stretch, and seemingly peer about when they are exposed to open air.
Vero, the term given to those infected by verottet, have several characteristics that one might notice. The victim often reeks of the worm's stench, though to a lesser extent then the actual verottet. They often appear sick; eyes bloodshot, pale skin, and glistening with cold sweat. Dark discoloration often appears on the skin. Animals will lose patches of fur. A victim's eyes may also become discolored in some parts of the whites. Cuts and wounds sometimes heal around a verottet, leaving the worm caught and exposed to the air, squirming around the wound.
Combat:
Verottet do not fight themselves except to eat into an open wound. This requires that they either crawl onto the victim or they are somehow otherwise placed there. The worms smell horrible, preventing many creatures that would otherwise crush them from coming close enough to be a threat. This smell also lures in scavengers looking for an easy meal.
Vero fight in accordance with what comes naturally. However, the worms drive their hosts to violent tendencies in order to further spread their infection. Humanoid victims often revert to a more primitive, tooth and nail style of fighting.
Ascended vero have the advantage of moderate control over their fellow hosts. They can use them to fight for them in some cases. However, the pain inflicted upon the other vero will be partially transferred to the ascended. Otherwise they fight in much the same way as the vero do.
Verottet do not fight themselves except to eat into an open wound. This requires that they either crawl onto the victim or they are somehow otherwise placed there. The worms smell horrible, preventing many creatures that would otherwise crush them from coming close enough to be a threat. This smell also lures in scavengers looking for an easy meal.
Vero fight in accordance with what comes naturally. However, the worms drive their hosts to violent tendencies in order to further spread their infection. Humanoid victims often revert to a more primitive, tooth and nail style of fighting.
Ascended vero have the advantage of moderate control over their fellow hosts. They can use them to fight for them in some cases. However, the pain inflicted upon the other vero will be partially transferred to the ascended. Otherwise they fight in much the same way as the vero do.
Habitat/Society:
Verottet live in moist soil near watering holes. This allows them to move into the water so they can infect those drinking from the water. They also find homes in meaty corpses where they will be ingested by scavengers. They avoid areas in which the sun beats down too fiercely, or areas lacking in water.
The verottet act as a loose group, communicating to each other the proximity of potential hosts. Their primitive telepathic link will usually interfere with the host's mind. The results are the spread of the colony to a new host through bites and other wounds, increasing the strength and intelligence of the hive. The more worms that can be sustained, the more minds that are available. The verottets' mind will never achieve sentience, but it will become more cunning, able to direct vero and use their senses to gather information.
Vero usually become the senses and tools of the hive. Directed by disjointed thoughts sent through the verottet link. The instructions becoming more intelligent, but only slightly clearer, with each new host. These instructions fill most victims with madness. Once the infection is complete they will do what they are asked, regardless of their dementia.
Sentients infected by vero have the best chance for retaining independence. While most fall into insanity, others have been able to recognize what was happening to them. Even then, however, it is a great struggle. They must learn to somehow cope with the seemingly insane ramblings. Even fewer then those whom have been able to accomplish both of the following, are those whom have learned to add their voice to the verottets'.
These vero eventually become active participants of the hive, understanding the primitive commands to a limited extent. A strong mind can not only do this, but force their own thoughts into the hive. The colonies can not understand complicated thoughts, the host having to learn to make their thoughts more direct, repeating like the worms'.
In such a way the vero can ascend from host to symbiont. Few cases have reached such status without falling to madness. The ascended vero can direct the actions of other vero. Their senses become intermingled with that of other hosts, feeling soft echoes of their sight, smell, touch, hearing, and pain.
Verottet live in moist soil near watering holes. This allows them to move into the water so they can infect those drinking from the water. They also find homes in meaty corpses where they will be ingested by scavengers. They avoid areas in which the sun beats down too fiercely, or areas lacking in water.
The verottet act as a loose group, communicating to each other the proximity of potential hosts. Their primitive telepathic link will usually interfere with the host's mind. The results are the spread of the colony to a new host through bites and other wounds, increasing the strength and intelligence of the hive. The more worms that can be sustained, the more minds that are available. The verottets' mind will never achieve sentience, but it will become more cunning, able to direct vero and use their senses to gather information.
Vero usually become the senses and tools of the hive. Directed by disjointed thoughts sent through the verottet link. The instructions becoming more intelligent, but only slightly clearer, with each new host. These instructions fill most victims with madness. Once the infection is complete they will do what they are asked, regardless of their dementia.
Sentients infected by vero have the best chance for retaining independence. While most fall into insanity, others have been able to recognize what was happening to them. Even then, however, it is a great struggle. They must learn to somehow cope with the seemingly insane ramblings. Even fewer then those whom have been able to accomplish both of the following, are those whom have learned to add their voice to the verottets'.
These vero eventually become active participants of the hive, understanding the primitive commands to a limited extent. A strong mind can not only do this, but force their own thoughts into the hive. The colonies can not understand complicated thoughts, the host having to learn to make their thoughts more direct, repeating like the worms'.
In such a way the vero can ascend from host to symbiont. Few cases have reached such status without falling to madness. The ascended vero can direct the actions of other vero. Their senses become intermingled with that of other hosts, feeling soft echoes of their sight, smell, touch, hearing, and pain.
Ecology:
Verottet grow from small eggs that travel into the blood stream or out the digestive tract. Once outside or in an acceptable new position, they grow into a conjoined mass of tendrils. These will split into individual worms to continue their lives as verottet. They will burrow into rotten flesh or take up residence near drinking water. There they wait till they are eaten or drank. They move to the digestive system, eating upon the host's meals. As they gather more nutrients they lay eggs to further spread.
When the verottet sense a potential host nearby, they will go into a frenzy. The vero is driven to injure the host, while the verottet squirm in the vero's gut. This creates a great nausea in the vero, the host vomiting up the contents of it's stomach along with a large number of verottet. They will seek out wounds and orifices on the new potential host, infecting it.
Verottet will live indefinitely until they die of starvation or dehydration, barring violence. Cures have been found to combat the infections. However, these are of little help to any but the most recent victims.
Verottet grow from small eggs that travel into the blood stream or out the digestive tract. Once outside or in an acceptable new position, they grow into a conjoined mass of tendrils. These will split into individual worms to continue their lives as verottet. They will burrow into rotten flesh or take up residence near drinking water. There they wait till they are eaten or drank. They move to the digestive system, eating upon the host's meals. As they gather more nutrients they lay eggs to further spread.
When the verottet sense a potential host nearby, they will go into a frenzy. The vero is driven to injure the host, while the verottet squirm in the vero's gut. This creates a great nausea in the vero, the host vomiting up the contents of it's stomach along with a large number of verottet. They will seek out wounds and orifices on the new potential host, infecting it.
Verottet will live indefinitely until they die of starvation or dehydration, barring violence. Cures have been found to combat the infections. However, these are of little help to any but the most recent victims.
