Parascaphism

### ***"TIER 5 HAZARD: PARASITIC LIFEFORM DETECTED IN TIDE. STAY OFF THE SAND"*** - A regulated warning that is to be announced upon discovery of a Marionette octopus

**Parascaphism** is a one hundred percent fatal disease contracted on the planet of Wole, given by the aquatic invertebrate Marionette octopus, which is about 1-2 millimeters in size and is always mistaken to be a grain of sand in any and all cases. The highest concentration of Marionette octopi is located four miles off the coast of Walbé, in a barrier coral reef. This reef is the most common breeding grounds for the octopi.

Marionette octopi are ingested through either of two methods; consumption of unclean, impure water that has been bottled, or the intake of similar waters through the ear canal or sinuses. The octopus's minuscule size makes this incredibly easy.

## Medical Textbook #31: On Aquatic Parasites, Pages 72-73

> Parascaphism is an often fatal illness caused by the adolescent Marionette Octopus, a small parasitic octopus found exclusively in temperate climates, with the highest concentration being off the coast of Walbé in the Northwest Calbean ocean. Unknown prior to the Wreck, it is believed to have spread during but data thus far is inconclusive. The octopus finds a host through either the consumption of unclean drinking water or the washing of infected ocean water into the sinuses or ears. Given it’s small size of 1-2mm, it can easily be mistaken for a large grain of sand and accidentally ingested. Once inside the body, it travels along the olfactory nerve if in the sinuses/throat or the inner ear canal if in the ear. From there, it burrows into the brain tissue until it reaches the hypothalamus. While certainly painful for the host, it’s generally reported as no more painful than a sinus infection and is often mistaken for one. How the octopus knows where to burrow is currently unknown. After it reaches the hypothalamus, it begins excreting high concentrations of both ghrelin, inducing a constant state of hunger in the host, and a unique protein that mimics the host's own tissue, preventing an immune response. The octopus also produces an anti-nausea neuroleptic-like chemical to prevent the host from vomiting, encouraging even more rapid eating. The metabolism of the host reduces sharply following an infection and weight gain is typically substantial. The tongue and throat are frequently callused and white, the jaw may swell, and the stomach distends. Speech is difficult. Because the octopus floods the brain with potent dopamine analogs, friends and family concerned about this strange behavior are met with extreme resistance from the host, and thus, self-isolating is not uncommon - nor is violence. The high mortality rate is, surprisingly, unrelated to patient resistance however and instead the inability to kill the octopus while leaving the host unharmed. As the octopus grows, its arms spread and push through the brain. Should the octopus die at any stage beyond its initial journey into the brain, the comprehensive integration of the octopus within the brain’s structure quickly leads to tissue necrosis and death. Attempts have been made to surgically remove the octopus but all have been unsuccessful - the octopus creates a suction-like hold on wherever the arms grow and external movement of the arms results in immediate and massive hemorrhaging. As the host’s body begins to deteriorate from the near constant and extreme caloric intake (post-mortem examinations almost always indicate a near complete destruction of liver and pancreatic tissue), the host will seek relief in the ocean. Reasons given by the host for traveling to the ocean vary - interviews with infected patients are inconsistent - but the sense of impending doom should they stay on land is universal. Consequently, attempts to restrain and prevent a host from fleeing should always be considered with extreme caution, as to the host, it is literally life-or-death. Chemically, it’s not fully understood how the octopus is able to manipulate the host in this way. What is understood is that the octopus uses adrenaline in large quantities to cause the fight-or-flight response and state of increased agitation; it is is able to shift the chemical response to hydration of the host, convincing them to seek water; it will raise the body temperature of the host to near fatal levels, forcing the host to find a method to cool themselves. But despite all these known chemical manipulations, how it causes the extreme fixation on ocean water specifically is very much still a mystery. When the host reaches an ocean body, they will use the last of their energy to swim out no less than a mile from shore. Once a sufficient distance is reached (we can only assume the octopus is able to detect the differences between deep vs shallow ocean water), the host will lay face down in the water until they drown. The now-adult octopus will exit through the nose and re-enter through the belly button, splitting itself in two. While one half initially withers and shrinks dramatically, this decline is quickly reversed and the two halves rapidly grow into two separate and distinct full-size adult octopods (note: interestingly, the adolescent Marinette Octopus has two separate genomes, one being inactive throughout most of its life. When it physically splits, one half activates the second genome and deactivates the first set. Its initial shrinkage is believed to be from the repair needed after this activation) After reaching their full size, the two octopods mate and typically lay hundreds of thousands of eggs within the body cavity, each egg having up to 50 viable embryos. The male octopus dies almost immediately after copulation and the female follows soon after egg laying. The eggs hatch within a week and use the body as their first source of food. From there, they swim back to shore to find a suitable host. Because of the rapid response needed for effective treatment, any patient complaining of sinus pain or ear pain with a recent history of Atlantic ocean water swimming should immediately be given an x-ray to rule out a Marionette Octopus infection.
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originally written by Tim Oxton, for the game Captain Midnight.