Wandering Wisps

The Wandering Wisps is a large region on the surface of Mazovia home to a vast interconnected network of bioluminescent trees that are capable of autonomous stolid movement. The Wisps were first discovered in 2412 after a small patch of the Toruń Forest began to glow. Over the course of a century, this patch has grown to be the size of a small town, now comprising of less than one-fourth of the gargantuan Toruń Forest. These trees have become a centerpiece of Mazovian culture and Nov Polćsi paganism, as well as some smaller sects of Nov Polćsi Catholicism. 
The most notable characteristic of the Wisps is their glow, and mist-like radiance that surrounds each tree. This biological component makes traveling through the Wisps to be similar to walking through a fog that becomes denser the deeper you move to the center and possible origin of the Wisps. 
As the newly established Nov Polćsi culture began to grow, the rise of a new pagan religion began to attribute the Wisps as part of a supernatural divine entity, capturing the souls of those who had died unjustly or without a proper send off from the living universe. This belief further entrenched itself when the Wisps were discovered to not be a naturally occurring phenomenon elsewhere on Mazovia, and that further study into the trees, especially it's rings found that the majority of the trees had only grown following the arrival of permanent human settlement. Further credence was later lent to the fact that the Wisps had been discovered only a year after the first recorded human death in 2411, and that the Wisps have been expanding and converting the Toruń Forest in shocking correlation to Mazovia's annual death rate. 
Whether it be true evidence of the supernatural intersecting with the real world, or simply a natural phenomenon unique only to Mazovia remains unclear well into the 26th Century, the Wisps continue to grow and has attracted the minds of humanity's brightest to learn its origins and biology. 
==History and Appearance==
The Wandering Wisp forest as it came to be known was discovered by hikers in 2412. They reported a strange glow coming from the trail they were on, which was later investigated by the Toruń Forest Ranger service. The initial size and inviting appearance made the phenomenon a popular tourist attraction. But the unexplained nature of the forest soon drew the attention of the Office of Naval Intelligence. ONI surveyors arrived on Mazovia to investigate the forest in 2419, discovering it had grown more than twice its original size at the point of discovery, and was slowly consuming the surrounding Toruń Forest. 
The Wandering Wisps were soon closed off from the public in 2420, but this did little to stop the growth of it. This became a major point of protest by Mazovian citizens, which had come to revere the forest for its beauty and spiritual symbolism in association with many of the colony's religious organizations. By the middle of the century, ONI had created three layers of walls around the forest, in the hopes of preventing its spread. At the turn of the century the Wisps had completely overgrown past the first layer, and continued their slow march to the second. 
In the Colonies, there was nothing quite like this. The Wisps would attract a far-reaching range of talent, making the Kampus Scientifica one of the foremost universities in the Outer Colonies. Studies into the Wisps revealed a shocking level of details that rattled the scientific communities of both civilian and military alike. It was discovered that the Wisps were not a natural occurrence, and could not be replicated elsewhere on other worlds. Nor could humanity's current level of technological understanding replicate them in a lab. They were exclusive to the planet, and artificial creations of non-human origin. 
In experiments, a Wisp would seek out any organic plant material in the area and immediately begin a process of consumption. Transforming the plant's DNA into its own, which itself existed in a flux state of organic DNA and simultaneously. They were capable of independent movement albeit at a pace nearly unnoticeable by the human eye. 
Touching a Wisp with one's bare hand induces no ill effects or infects a human body. However, local animal life native to the Toruń Forest was found to be exhibiting minor infections to their bodies, though none that were found to be infected were harmed by these effects. The only organic life that seemed threatened by the Wisps were plants, whose entire biological structure was seemingly rewritten into . 
One of the most remarkable discoveries made about the Wisps was its composition. After being transformed, a Wisp was made almost entirely of vector boson molecules, forming an intricate pattern of that made up its body. This gave the Wisps a solid state and weight making them bodies of solid light. The Wisps were warm to the touch, and could be carried without the aid of equipment. 
==True Purpose==
===Known Apparitions===
====Crawlers====
Organically produced from the leakage of the Domain into reality, Crawlers were primarily controlled and manipulated by the artificial construct known as Noumenon. These manifestations were highly animalistic and deadly, sporting razor sharp claw-like appendages and teeth capable of cutting through Titanium-plated hulls and even on one observed occasion, MJOLNIR armor. Crawlers displayed a similar appearance and characteristics to that of the , of which it later drew its name from. However this manifestation was organic in design, and featured a heavily altered and corrupted appearance to invoke as much fear as possible into its target.
Crawlers were capable of standing on its hind legs, or running on all fours on a whim. Distant observations have measured their top speed at roughly 100 kph (62 mph) while in quadruped locomotion. Crawlers were first encountered by UNSC personnel on Mazovia in the year 2556. Initial contact left no UNSC survivors (two KIA, two MIA) but also resulted in the elimination of dozens of crawlers, owning to the idea that these crawlers exchanged low endurance for high lethality and speed. Swarm tactics and ambushes are their primary means of dispatching prey, and are known on some occasions to commit abductions, most notably of UNSC personnel. It remains unknown what is done with the abductees. 
The high lethality and swarm-like behavior of these creatures has resulted in them being considered highly dangerous, with a recommendation total avoidance if possible, even for SPARTAN teams. Crawlers have no ocular or olfactory organs, and it is believed they detect their prey via echolocation and a heightened sense of hearing. As a result, avoidance or picking them off from a distance are the primary means of bypassing or eliminating these creatures. 
====Four Horsemen====
====The Father====
====The Kindly Woman====
===Notable Individuals Affected===
Humans and other sentient lifeforms who come into close contact with Wandering Wisps suffer from no physical infections or effects as animals or plants do. However being in close proximity leaves the individual permanently marked by the Domain, and thus may begin to experience strange hallucinations and dreams pertaining to their ambitions, fears, and day-to-day life experiences. Those affected believe they are given visions of the future, can see through the eyes of others in the present who are light-years away, and can perceive the ancient past. Such experiences can drive a person into insanity, as knowledge they can sometimes be presented with overstimulates them, leaving them catatonic for hours or at worst, months. 
When in direct contact with a Waking Wisp, an individual may be guided by them to some task or objective. One notable infected, Noah Sówka will encounter these apparitions often taking the form of doors, where passing through said door will reveal to them where they must go, or what purpose they must serve. Individuals who have been touched personally by a Waking Wisp can have these visions passed down genetically, even to offspring who were born prior to contact. 
====Affected Individuals====
*Noah Sówka
*Emma Sówka
==Appearances==
*Halo: Safewind
Category:Commonwealth Misc