The Haze

## PRRN - Model 1

The **Pseudoregenerative Recombinant Nanoweapon Model 1**, abbreviated to **PR-RN1** or simply referred to as **the Haze**, was a violent and uncontrollable model of human-affecting calibration and refinement nanomachine. It was responsible for the extinction of humanity billions of years prior to the events of Hourglass, and is the primary antagonist of the game.

## Description

The Haze is a collection of self-replicating nanomachines developed for use by security and military personnel as a strengthening agent. It is applied to the user with the intention to improve muscle density, reflexes, reaction time, and bodily regenerative capability. It self-replicates and propagates using materials and energy present in the host body, and then binds itself to the host, increasing strength and reaction time.

However, PR-RN1 will also cause rapid muscle atrophy in areas deemed "extraneous" to protocol, causing degradation of mental faculties over time, chronic pain issues, and eventually brain death. This occurs due to erroneous biological selectivity - while the PR-RN1 will greatly promote the human body for short-term use, it will eventually affect the body in negative ways under the intention of solely increasing ability in areas that only count for heightened combat capability.

While it is not in a host, PR-RN will take on chameleon properties to better facilitate combat until it can find a friendly host. In groups, it will change shape to take on solid forms, coalesce into a fluid, or stay in its natural vaporous collection. PR-RN will act immediately on barriers such as solid concrete, vapourising obstacles quickly.

PR-RN is highly recombinant, using the host to propagate itself, as well as being able to repair damage done to the host quickly. It will spread to protect its hosts no matter what, and are almost entirely indestructible. A nano-threat is almost impossible to counter with conventional combat methods. It can survive high temperatures, submersion, and the continuous exposure to the vacuum of space for millions of years.

## History

The Haze, known as the PR-RN1 at the time of its inception, was developed by Hazel Alice Evergreen for the usage purposes of Silhouette Technologies as part of a mutually beneficial financial deal between the two entities. The Model 1 series was immediately put to use on the frontiers of a previously backwater arms war as part of the experimentation. After its remarkable effects were demonstrated, it was circulated, where it found a massive audience.

While it showed remarkable promise during its possession by Sil-Tec, early warning signs and protocol were fragrantly ignored by the corporation largely in part due to human error and a continuous chain of coincidental failure to follow integral portions of safe handling procedure.

Given that the PR-RN1 protocol was rudimentary at best, upon completion of all available tasks, it would immediately go into idle mode. All units following the same protocol are instructed to keep their hosts safe - a programming directive too wide to have properly set functioning units into dormancy upon task completion. In response, PR-RN1 units in idle mode followed this faulty instruction by simply injecting itself into anything it could find, ensuring that their hosts could not die if everything was under PR-RN1 influence.

This occurred silently and rapidly, and so by the time Sil-Tec caught onto what had happened, the machine had largely spread itself to such an area it was no longer able to be contained.

## Possession

The process of Haze indoctrination is known as *possession*, coined by Vistan onlookers, likely due to its otherworldly or ghostly nature to observers. A single nanomachine present in a host's system is enough to consider the organism possessed, but it is unlikely a single nanomachine is able to create a meaningful difference in the host's biology and behaviour in a short timeframe. It would require a large amount of Haze nanomachines in direct contact with a host to immediately consider them a lost cause (although, due to the nature of possession, a newly possessed host still has time to act; a few days or so before their condition worsens.)

Possession happens in three key stages, each exhibiting their own unique symptoms (or lack thereof):

### Stage One

* The Haze is present in the possessed’s body. A number of small symptoms can manifest, such as headaches, nausea, a persistent dull ache, and localised confusion. Light medications and remedies are enough to let this symptom go unnoticed.
* The presence of the Haze in a body is worrying, but ultimately harmless if the spread is not allowed to progress further. Stage 1 Infectees exhibit traits of what the Haze was originally designed to do - increased muscle density, faster reaction times, and better strategic thinking. If there is a way to directly interface with the machines, this can be maintained at a healthy level and can actually greatly expand the lifetime of the host.
* The subject will often complain of a persistent buzzing noise in their skull, signifying start to become frequent in the transition to Stage 2. It is suggested that this is indicative of the nanites attempting to integrate themselves into the nervous system.

### Stage Two

* The Haze has started to act outside of its original parameters. Original symptoms have now advanced into cluster migraines, shock, distress, and eventually loss of control over their own actions as nanites begin to manipulate the brain. The buzzing starts to form into actual voices, and from that point into involuntary thoughts.
* Nanites over-propagate in the host body and build up in the bloodstream, colouring the veins jet black. Patches of flesh may enter necrosis and immediately harden into a black mass as the nanites thicken in the area.
* Infectees exhibit further strength and mental improvements, but are generally left unnoticed due to the several negative effects that come with stage 2 possession. At this point in early infection, the host can survive if the nanites are removed or disabled immediately. The nanites start to form intricate systems that behave as cybernetic enhancements, and can create dependence after a certain point.
* Interestingly, Stage 2 possessed can be subtly and strongly placed under the control of Stage 3 possessed that have capability of controlling nanites in other hosts, without further change to their body.

### Stage Three

* The host has been lost to the possession, and has advanced into one of the three Stage 3 Possessed types. They are listed in detail in the rest of this document.
* The host would be entirely conscious to witness the modifcations to their body, but in some cases the level of mental degradation due to continued infestation may have damaged the brain enough that not even this is possible. The Haze is entirely in control of the brain. Hosts with remarkable willpower may still retain vocalisations, but are ultimately helpless. Other hosts, however, will advance to Stage 3 at a much quicker rate because of their willingness to accept it into their body.
* How long it takes to progress to the final stage depends largely on the will of the host. Resilience can give the most stubborn soul a window of about 3 to 4 weeks before their body is hijacked. Once the nanites have progressed the host to Stage 3 there is a very small chance of survival upon removal of the invasive nanobots.

## Possession Categories

At the point of reaching the third state of possession, hosts are no longer considered human, and are exceptionally deadly even by the standards of the Haze. They are classified into three states, or "categories", of stage-three possession, and the three states are further separated into four sub-categories.

### Brute

Brutes result from the makeup of a person who already exhibit a higher makeup of muscle mass, height, or any combination of phenotype characteristic that can be facilitated by simply increasing those traits. Continued long-term exposure to the Haze will generally result in hulking, muscular brutes who find their advantage in sheer size and speed. Where they lack is in the simplification of its brain chemistry, and rely entirely on finding targets and putting all of their energy into it. Which, for the most part, is enough to quickly end any threats to them. They are noticeably non-human looking, being changed from any semblance of who they were in the past.

#### Giant

When most people talk about Brutes, they mean these. Giants are formed from people who not only exhibit natural strength, but also height and support. They are transformed into biological shields, capable of absorbing any amount of punishment and remain standing. Giants are far from uncommon as far as the Stage 3 possessed go, owing to being the most straightforward transformation. If the infection takes hold of any unremarkable host with no particular advantage, they usually default towards being these if the host body can withstand it.

Giants guard weaker hosts with their bodies, a silent challenge to anyone daring enough to take them head-on. Dealing with them is normally a waste of time, and prolonged interactions are not recommended without vehicle-mounted weaponry. Preferably orbital vehicles.

#### Grinder

Grinder are specialised Brutes formed from hosts at the higher end of the bodily mass index. Rather than developing strength into powerful blows, the Grinder excels in one area- charging. While close combat with a Grinder is easier than most other Brutes because of this trait, it is an extremely disadvantageous situation to witness one running towards you - a Grinder relies on its own momentum supplemented by its massive forward mass to become an unstoppable force. It is, comparatively, similar to being run over by a truck.

A Grinder hitting a building will level it. A Grinder hitting a person will simply splatter them across the floor. They are immediate threats that cannot be easily outran or ignored.

#### Hulk

Hulks are slow and stupid. Taken from people who are little more than meat puppets, Hulks form the baseline offense for any Haze collective. To compensate for their intelligence and speed, Hulks sport massive limbs, sometimes even further mutated into ribbed whips and cudgels to further emphasise their strength. A single blow from a Hulk will pulverise a man.

Despite their superior strength, Hulks are the easiest to exploit for their stupidity. Hulks will beeline towards danger, run over traps, and occasionally even hit each other.

#### Thrall

Only witnessed into the latest stage of a Haze takeover, Beasts are thankfully only seen once there are steady supplies of corpses to assimilate, by which point any survivor ought to be already evacuated. Alphas and Eldritch spooks usually only assimilate a few of their own subclass, but Thralls will gore and devour anything. Even local fauna aren’t safe from them, and a rogue beast will cause irreparable damage to an ecosystem. There is no limit on the size of a Thrall either, and will continue devouring until it is beyond any recognition of what it once was. The forms it takes on as a result are hard to discern; they look like masses of flesh on four to twelve limbs, its gaping maw taking up a majority of its front side being one consistent factor.

### Stalker

Stalkers result from hosts who possess more subtle traits, such as natural stealth or a more agile build, as well as high sensory sensitivity. While a brute can be fashioned by simply exceeding muscle density, a stalker is created by performance adaptation - they possess excellent low-light vision, move entirely silently, and can only be detected by the flitter of an incandescent eye. The notable characteristic of any of the variants of Stalker is in their cunning, ranging from excellent mimicry to psychological manipulation. In spite of this, they don’t possess the higher mental function of a normal person, with their brain chemistry built towards their already present talents. They are considered by some to be the most grotesque, as they hit the “uncanny valley” more than their respectively non-human to vaguely human Brute or Spook cousins, especially in the case of Lunatics.

As such, it is rare to find stalkers who can be described as entirely similarly to each other. Stalkers are adapted to their bodies, and as such exhibit numerous personal traits that make each encounter with one an entirely different battle.

#### Nightmare

Nightmares are silent, and make the absolute maximum of any stealth situation to gain the upper hand. They make almost entirely no noise through some unknown mechanism, likely a combination of biological adaptation and infusion magical in nature. Nightmares only generally appear once the Haze has taken a firm grasp on the land it encroaches on. They are the Haze’s assassins and intelligence units, appearing in the night to strike with inhuman precision and withdraw before even suspicion is ever aroused. Those who do see Nightmares in action will have an advantage, but they won’t like what they see, as Nightmares are true to their name in their appearance.

Combat with a Nightmare is equal parts interesting, infuriating, and absolutely one-sided - after all, one cannot hit a target they cannot see. Nightmares are masters at hiding, so the very first thing one can do when faced with the prospect of encountering one is meeting in an open area. The only thing they can rely on is not being seen, and therefore gaining the upper hand on a Nightmare is paramount. Light, cohesion, and absolute focus is necessary to getting out of the confrontation alive. Nightmare Stalkers turn violent in reaction to light, and will not react kindly to bright light or fire.

#### Lunatic

Any person would be reluctant to strike down a friend, family member, or even any other person who clearly isn’t Possessed in a situation where every friend is necessary. As a direct consequence, the Haze has taken this to their advantage, resulting in the Lunatic. A Lunatic is neither as incredibly stealthy as a Nightmare, nor is it an excellent pretender like the Mimic. What it specialises in is direct psychological tactics and the manipulation of human emotion to gain the upper hand. Lunatics are all too aware of their possession. They scream in agony, only stopping to insert words to instinctively call for help. They stumble in pain and scratch at themselves to get your attention - and then they leap towards you with claws outstretched as soon as you get too close.

From an outsider’s perspective, a Lunatic is hardly similar to the lumbering heap of a Hulk, or the broken, misshapen mass an Alpha is. While it will rush you on all fours as most Stalkers will, you will notice more than other infectees that it really is a human in pain.

#### Mimic

Stalkers of this type do not hunt in the more animalistic nature that others do, with using cover and stealth to their advantage. As you may guess, Mimics specialize in imitating regular human behavior. They are fairly uncommon, as this particular transformation manifests in individuals with practice in allure or performance arts, from courtesans to concert singers. Most are still wearing the clothes they were wearing upon their full transformation.

All Stalkers stray noticeably from human anatomy somewhat, but Mimics are capable of posing in certain recognizable ways, leading you into more suitable areas for them to gut you with their shorter but still razor sharp appendages. They will not always be able to speak at you in full sentences, but their giggling, singing, and crying are all excellent acts that can convince even the most skeptical.

#### Alpha

The latest stage of Stalker transformation, Alphas do not simply blend the body mass of other infected individuals as the Beast does. It will specifically hunt remarkable prey and assimilate parts from them. An Alpha is identifiable by its extra eyes, spider like limbs, and unnatural growths across its body, almost as personal trophies. Alphas are built for hunting down and striking, and are far more capable that their other counterparts.

While Alphas definitely cannot rely on stealth as much as the Nightmare does, it is absolutely not an easier target. Alphas are ridiculously fast, have enough strength to crash straight through walls, and are totally single-minded in its mission to amalgamate prey.

### Spook

Spooks are a classification of possession resulting from the recombination of a host who displays high susceptibility to radioconstitution. Whereas in the case of Brutes and Stalkers the body composition and overall build would be taken into consideration, Spooks are formed under one criterion and one criterion only - they are natural casters of magic.

The Haze places special emphasis on the adaptation of the brain and neural activity to better promote this talent, to the point where cranial area has begun to glow. Neurological activity is advanced rather than hampered, allowing a Spook total control of the magic it commands. Spooks rely neither on strength nor stealth. They purpose the world around them - the room you find a Spook in becomes a whirlwind of floorboards, the corridor you find a Spook in suddenly collapses on itself.

The fact Spooks retain higher mental faculties consequently means they retain what humanity was once left in them. Unlike other Possessed, Spooks communicate with non-possessed, though in the interests of the Haze, they are unlikely to do this for any reason than psychological tactics. Not many who have experienced prolonged cases of speech by a spook lived to tell of it, but they often repeat phrases they often said or had significance to their life prior to their possession.

#### Faustian

Named for the tale of Mephistopheles, Spooks of this type are one of the very few Stage 3 infected that aren’t outwardly hostile. Rather, they act as a voice for the Haze. They retain the most human traits, but are noticeably different enough from a Stage 2 infected for one to recognise their purpose. Most Faustian Spooks are possessed bodies of people who were trusted leaders or close family members of those they wish to bargain with, and they are fully conscious. Individuals who transform into Faustian Spooks possess a certain willingness to submit to it, making them honest bargainers, and thereby more dangerous.

They may actually allow non-infected to leave alive, but they will assure that other Stage 3 possessed in the area know you were there, acting as intelligence agents much in the way that Nightmares do. When they do turn hostile, they employ Destruction, Equal, and Movement magic.

#### Seraphim

Most spooks are encountered entirely on their own, but Seraphim are often found leading groups of other possessed individuals. As a leader to these groups, it heralds them with mind control, completely enthralling anyone influenced by the Haze, and even having a stable grasp on those without. Adding to this, they bolster its allies with magic, improving their stamina and healing their wounds. They are easy to spot from a distance, as their gross luminosity makes them hard to look at for extended periods. While they do have an angelic feel to their presence, they are anything but.

Unlike Faustian Spooks, they will not attempt to reason with non-infected. They deal mainly in Sanctity and Energy magic.

#### Elemental

Elementals, as one may guess, excel in the four elemental magics. This choice is no coincidence, as this results from them usually being found in the wild. Even though most hosts that transform into spooks are found in cities where the mage schools are, Elementals are almost entirely found in rural areas, in sanctums and forest sanctuaries.

Faustian and Seraphim Spooks dominate an encounter with their alien tongues and deathly aura, but Elemental Spooks are quieter and are much rarer. Their hosts consist of highly skilled mages, evolved to use their natural surroundings rather than interact with other infected or enemies. It’s supposed that they serve as effective scouts for the more remote and less populated regions where one would otherwise be able to avoid the infestation in towns and villages.

While Spooks are already inundated with magical energy, Elementals in particular exhibit emphasised radioconstitutive saturation. It is unlikely a battle against an Elemental can be won through attrition - Elementals will fight entire groups single-handedly with cold proficiency.

#### Cherubium

A late stage transformation, Cherubim are made up of multiple spooks, as with Beasts and Alphas. Like the beings of Revelations, the amount of body parts they have can seem grotesque and arbitrary. Unlike the other late stage transformations, these extra parts are not co-opted into the body for the sake of function, seemingly just added on as a consequence of the bonding of multiple bodies - on top of this, the decay of the bodies is much more prevalent, along with their skin turning a more metallic grey. The nervous system in itself seems to glow throughout them. Other than these facts, not much is known about this type of Spook. Some theorise that they invoke amnesia in their victims, though it is rumoured that it simply changes timelines in themselves so that you don’t encounter them, similar in a way to what is described as the ‘Mandela Effect’. When they do appear, they are normally carrying out some unknown purpose, using loud, thousand-voiced chants that are too garbled to make out.

Cherubim pull at the very fabric of the universe, defying all known physics. It’s hard to predict what spells they use, and some of the ones they use are alien to even the most experienced mages. Observation seems to suggest that they employ advanced forms of Impulse, Power, Creation, and radioconstitutive magic.

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