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July OS: Dominion From Beyond the Rift



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Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:12 pm
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BrumalHunter says...



It is Thursday, April 20th, 2017, and until five days ago, the American Government had been running a classified research program called “Project Psi”. Its sole purpose was to determine whether hyper-dimensional travel was possible, and if that was indeed the case, establish contact with another of these dimensions. Theoretically, the scientists had proven it was possible, but it was only five days ago that they had finally managed to open a rift. See where this is going?

After the rift was opened, the scientists cheered and began thinking about setting the next phase into action: determining how to make hyper-dimensional travel safe. Unfortunately, their rift was so stable, it allowed a large, brown beast with horns that could shatter concrete and claws that could tear through metal to emerge from the other side. While there had been prepared for such an occurrence, the soldiers and scientists in the testing room were killed within seconds. The rift was immediately closed, but the beast continued to rampage; only once it had partially broken into the control room did they manage to put it down.

Thus, the government deemed hyper-dimensional travel too dangerous for this decade and ordered that the Project be disbanded. However, there was still the matter of the dead beast. Naturally, the government wanted to perform an autopsy, so they called in Professor A. Stokes, MBChB, one of the world’s most celebrated biologists and doctors – and Project Psi’s former lead researcher. They put him on a private jet that very same day, since they wanted everything to be wrapped up as quickly as possible.


The Infestation Begins…



Professor Stokes examined the corpse thoroughly, recording all of his findings in meticulous detail. The beast was interesting, but when the professor cut open its head, that’s when he became truly excited. A very large, bright orange worm was attached to the beast’s brain, so it was presumably a parasite, though it was undoubtedly as dead as its host. The professor was about to enter the worm’s presence in his report, when suddenly, many of the same orange worms, but much smaller, crawled out of the brain and began eating it.

Professor Stokes received quite the start, but he immediately began removing them and placed them in a large jar, although he placed six or so worms in a smaller jar, for study once he returned from his bathroom break. He placed the small jar on one of the benches and locked his report away in the laboratory’s safe. A good thing too, for when he returned, one of the scientists still in the facility had suffered from a psychotic break and had set the lab on fire. Said scientist was spirited away to some unknown location (poor soul), leaving the professor gazing upon the ruins of his afternoon’s work.

Fortunately, he remembered he had locked away his report – a declaration that made the government official in charge of disbanding the Project ecstatic. Professor Stokes mentioned he hadn’t added the data concerning the beast’s head yet, but the official said it was irrelevant; rather, he encouraged him to salvage what he could from the lab’s wreckage as a reward for his responsible thinking.

The curious professor wanted to study the worms further, but he found only charred nuggets in the large jar. The smaller jar had somehow fallen off of its bench, but all five worms were still intact, so the professor placed them in a new jar and took them, as well as some miscellaneous items, home with him. As fate would have it though, the professor had forgotten there were six worms, not five, and this last worm had hitched a ride in one of the professor’s pockets. That night, the little worm crawled up to the sleeping professor and burrowed into his skull, attaching itself to his brain.

And so, Professor A. Stokes, MBChB, became Patient Zero.


The Neurax Worms



Neurax Worms are manipulative organisms who burrow into the skulls of their hosts and attach themselves to the hosts’ brains. Since they come from a different dimension, the human characters of this storybook will know literally nothing about them – their knowledge of the worms will have to develop as time progresses. The worms themselves don’t even fully understand the limit to which their ability stretches. I’ll elaborate.

The beast that had emerged from the portal was, obviously, host to a Neurax Worm, but it was more than that: it was enslaved by it. Using such methods as hormone and neurotransmitter secretion and cerebral tendrils, Neurax Worms can manipulate their hosts into serving them. In this case, the Neurax Worm was confused by the sudden change in dimension and ordered its host to attack. When its host died, it did too, but just before its death, the worm laid the eggs which it had kept dormant inside it. (I’ll come to the eggs later.)

Now, Neurax Worms can either digest their host’s brain and move on to a new one once they’re done feeding, or they can expand their tendrils into the host’s brain and become a permanent “resident”. If a worm chooses the latter option, they become too attached to the host (literally) to survive without it. First, the worms must breach the blood/brain barrier to gain access to the host’s brain, and then, they must develop tendrils in the cerebral cavities. This process takes about two days.

Symptoms of the initial infection include dystonia (rapid eye blinking) and once tendril production has begun, an allergic reaction which causes a fever that lasts for approximately forty-eight hours. After that, hosts will experience anxiety and possibly dizziness and high body temperatures for varying periods of time, but rarely more than three days. Further symptoms depend on the role a particular worm has been assigned. There are four:

Aspirants will make up the majority of the Neurax Worm population on earth. They are the worms who aspire to enslave humanity, rather than devouring it, and may or may not come to grow attached (figuratively, this time) to their hosts. Both the leaders and the populace are Aspirants.
Sweepers are the Neurax Worms’ equivalent of a soldier. Aspirants just want to live a pleasant, peaceful life, so the Sweepers are there to ensure they remain happy. If there is a threat to the general worm population, they will influence their hosts to… take care of the matter.
Cleaners appear on the scene when a more subtle solution than that offered by Sweepers is required. Sometimes, assassinating or converting a prominent rival would raise too much suspicion, so Cleaners remove this rival from the spotlight and ensure his or her act ends without any drama.
Denigrators serve as a last resort when neither Sweepers nor Cleaners would be effective. If somebody needs to be discredited or defamed, Denigrators go to work creating dirt on their new host. They can even put said host in the dirt, if need be…

These four roles demand different symptom combinations in their respective hosts. (The symptoms are in chronological order.)
Spoiler! :
Aspirants

Frontal Mesh – The Neurax Worm’s tendrils mesh with the frontal lobe, the conscious thought centre, and gain the ability to mentally manipulate the host. This phase generally starts soon after the tendrils have been created.
Contentedness – Regulation of the host’s melatonin levels helps him/her sleep better and be friendlier in general. Syrup traps flies better than vinegar, so having a positive effect on the host’s life is the best way to gain his/her trust.
Joy – An endorphin surge fills the host with happiness and delight, making the host enjoy his/her life more. It is at this point that the Neurax Worm will make contact for the first time and begin explaining its involvement with the host’s bliss.
Devotion – Surges of dopamine and serotonin compel the host to constantly think about the worm and triggers intense rushes of pleasure. If the worm asks the host to do something, he/she likely will, but if the host doesn’t approve of the request or if it goes against his/her beliefs, he/she will not.
Transcendence – An overdose of oxytocin and vasopressin forces the host into a permanent state of acceptance, treating the Neurax Worm as a partner in symbiosis, rather than a parasite. The host will now actively perform any assignments the worm has given him/her – and out of his/her own free will…


Sweepers

Frontal Mesh – The Neurax Worm’s tendrils mesh with the frontal lobe, the conscious thought centre, and gain the ability to mentally manipulate the host. This phase generally starts soon after the tendrils have been created.
Mania – The Neurax Worm triggers the production of excess serotonin, causing the host to suffer from manic episodes. These episodes lead to increased activity and the inability to focus, which makes the host restless.
Obsession – Severe damage to the orbital cortex triggers Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Once this occurs, the Neurax Worm will reveal itself to the host, forcing him/her to obsess over the worm and any worm-related tasks.
Aggression – Manipulation of the hypothalamus causes irrational hatred and violence, especially towards the authorities and anyone identified by the worm as a threat. The host will now be prepared to attack and kill anybody not affiliated with the Neurax Worms.
Insanity – Neuropathic manipulation causes severe emotional and behavioural abnormalities, making the host extremely unstable. This will cause the host to go on a killing spree, eventually resulting in both the host and the worm’s deaths, but it takes effect instantly, so it’s perfect for inducing last stand-mode.


Cleaners

Adrenergic Constriction – Beta-receptor blockers are released, dampening the anxiety in the host and lessening the severity of the allergic reaction to the Neurax Worm’s infestation. This allows the fever to break much faster, which attracts less attention.
Anxiolytic Infusion – The worm begins mass synthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter, which significantly reduces the host’s anxiety and ceases the other allergic reactions. After this, few will continue to suspect an infestation, if they ever did.
Hypothyroidism – Manipulation of the hypothalamus reduces the amount of thrytrophin releasing hormones in the blood, which causes depression and psychosis. People may attribute this to stress or loss, which suits the worm just fine.
Despair – Altered serotonin levels impact mood regulation, inducing feelings of despair in the host and lessening his/her self-preservation instinct. Other hosts may have to influence the host’s life in a negative manner to justify these symptoms to the public.
Suicide – The worm’s tendrils release neurotoxins which causes the host to experience severe disorientation and suicidal impulses. This way, the public will see a person who couldn’t cope with the stresses of life or the grief of losing a loved one, and not an assassinated target.


Denigrators

Indulgence – The worm releases leptin blockers, which causes the host to eat and drink far more than he/she should, often resulting in nausea and vomiting. People will wonder what has gotten into the host, and words like “bulimia” or “gluttony” will arise in conversations.
Insomnia – The delayed release of melatonin causes the host to stay up well past midnight and wake up tired and irritable. The host will become restless at night and will want to find a way to keep himself/herself busy at those late hours.
Revelry – Serotonin adjustments encourage hard partying, lots of socialising and loss of inhibitions. The host will now start going to nightclubs, consuming more alcohol, and sleeping around more often, possibly also getting into fights.
Intoxication – An increase in opioids in the blood encourages overindulgence, including the abuse of substances like alcohol and drugs. Once the word spreads, the host’s reputation will be ruined and he/she may end up being incarcerated or sent to a rehabilitation facility.
Addiction – The release of high amounts of dopamine while the host is abusing substances causes him/her to become addicted. The worm will then strategically reduce the amounts of dopamine released, which will make the host abuse substances more frequently, eventually leading to a fatal overdose.


While Aspirants and Sweepers cannot survive without their hosts, Cleaners and Denigrators can. As such, the way they lay eggs differ. Neurax Worms are technically genderless, meaning they can both fertilise other worms and be fertilised themselves; however, Neurax Worms don’t immediately deposit their eggs. Instead, they keep them dormant inside of them and only lay the eggs once the host dies. In the case of Aspirants and Sweepers, laying the eggs is their final act, but Cleaners and Denigrators mate more often, seeing as they frequently acquire new hosts. The little worms are collected at the coroner’s before the host’s body is buried or cremated, and they are kept safe and are fed until they can be assigned a host.

But how do Neurax Worms live in a society? Well, understand this first: an organism’s intelligence is dependent on the size of its brain in proportion to its body. Humans have large brains for their bodies, which is why they are intelligent. Neurax Worms, like most worms, are not, but once they mesh with a host’s brain, it kind of becomes an extension of their own. As such, their mental capacity increases colossally once they find a host. So to answer your question, Neurax Worms communicate via telepathy. They can contact each other and their hosts that way, but if they contact a worm that isn’t in a host, that worm obviously can’t reply. Also, hosts suffer from intense headaches when their worms contact other worms, but it goes away after an hour or so. (If the worms speak to their hosts though, the hosts don’t get headaches.)

The worms decide what their role will be once they are put into an introductory host. (This is usually an animal.) They can still telepathize with other worms, so they simply speak their mind, after which they must leave the animal host and wait until their new host is assigned to them. Each worm has their own personality and memories, but these can only be accessed once inside a host, though they remain constant, even when changing hosts.

One last detail: the Neurax Worms know nothing of their origins, since their predecessor is dead. As such, they will have to learn as they go along, which I mentioned earlier. Fortunately, they don’t have to study history or anything, since they can tap their host’s memories once they have meshed with the cerebrum. The only consequence is that if they access these memories, the hosts will remember them too. Therefore, it is best if the worms do this at night so that the hosts think they are dreaming. Oh, and if a Neurax Worm infests a sixteen-year-old, that worm will only have the teenager’s limited knowledge at their disposal (assuming the teenager isn’t a prodigy, of course).


The Plot



So, is this a storybook wherein our characters enslave humanity? Heh, no! Well, the Neurax Worms would love that, but the humans won’t. Truth be told, this can go either way. (If you’re really enthusiastic, it could even end unresolved and require a sequel. :P) I shall keep it fair by assigning six slots to the worms and eight to the humans (they get more because it’s their planet). The worm characters will want to enslave humanity, but the human characters will want to resist and remove the worms from the planet. The outcome will depend on everyone’s actions, although I strongly encourage everyone to follow the SSS-method (strategize, scheme, and sabotage) if you want your side to succeed.

Before I supply the character pages, I must insist that you keep the OoC discussions, which will occur in the DT, exactly that – out of character. If a worm infests your human character’s best friend, you can’t have your character immediately realise it. If your character notices the symptoms and has, by that point in the SB, realised there are specific symptoms that appear after an infestation, then it can work. But if your character suddenly suspects the governor is infested simply because it was mentioned in the DT, I shall accuse you of meta-gaming, slap you with a dead fish and ask you to edit your post. (Well, maybe not slap you with the fish, but you get the idea.)

All right, here are the spots and the character pages:

Neurax Worms
Aspirant One – King (Professor Adrian Stokes, MBChB) – @AstralHunter
Aspirant Two – ... —
Sweeper One – ... —
Sweeper Two – ... —
Cleaner – ... —
Denigrator – ... —

Code: Select all
[b]Name:[/b] [likely a noun, and not an actual name]

[b]Gender:[/b] [they generally associate with a specific gender, despite their sex]

[b]Role:[/b] [Aspirant, Sweeper, Cleaner or Denigrator]

[b]Personality:[/b] [their personalities remain the same, even if they change hosts]


[b]Attitude:[/b] [towards humans; be detailed]

[b]Host Information:[/b] [keep it general; I don’t want a complete CP]


Humans
Leader One – Professor Stokes’ son –
Leader Two – ... —
Supporter One – Professor Ralph Oliver Sebastian Vasquez, PhD – @TheClockworkConjurer
Supporter Two – ... —
Supporter Three – ... —
Supporter Four – ... —
Neutral One – ... — @Wolfie36
Neutral Two – ... —

Code: Select all
[b]Name:[/b]

[b]Age:[/b]

[b]Gender:[/b]

[b]Sexual Orientation:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]History:[/b]


[b]Attitude:[/b] [towards Neurax Worms; be detailed]

[b]Solution:[/b] [how does this character propose to deal with the Neurax Worm threat?]


The rules for this SB are in the sidebar. If there are any questions concerning any matter, feel free to ask them in the DT. Welcome to the cause!
But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
— Paul the Apostle

Winter is inevitable. Spring will return eventually, and AstralHunter with it.








There is nothing more radical or counter-cultural, at the moment, than laying down one’s cynicism in favour of tender vulnerability.
— John Green