Parasite Queen

**The Parasite Queen** was an enormous parasitic creature that had its nest under the Bard College in the Ishtar Highlands. It manipulated the staff of the school above where it had its instructors insert its brood into aspiring bards. These parasites greatly enhanced the bard's oratory skills, but made them susceptible to the influence of the Parasite Queen. One such bard was the Tumultuous Klernt, who had one of her offspring forced into his body without his consent.

## Description

### Appearance

The Parasite Queen was a colossal mass of cancerous growth that vaguely resembled a gargantuan slug. She was primarily purple in coloration with some discolored clumps across her body. Where her face should be existed only a large maw, filled with rows of jagged teeth.

### Personality

The Parasite Queen appeared to have a simple personality, with her goals amounting to unleashing her offspring and infecting hosts to spread her influence. She was intolerant of any resistance to her domination, immediately resorting to violence to destroy the offending party.

## History

### Background

The Parasite Queen's origins are not known. It is likely that the infusion of Dae energy into the Highlands was responsible for its prodigious size and its enhanced capabilities. At some point, it made its lair beneath the Bard College in Southern Ishtar, where it began to exert its influence on the goblins inhabitants by making them hosts for her offspring. This relationship proved somewhat beneficial, as the bards found their oratory skills greatly enhanced, while the Queen found useful agents in her quest to proliferate her influence further.

## Story

### A New Host

In the Year 735, the Bard College began to prepare to move from its current location, shutting down its operation. It is unclear if the queen was in agreement with this arrangement or not. However, just before the school close, a travelling circus arrived, with one of their number, Klernt seeking a proper education. This led to Klernt to being enrolled, which resulted in one of the Queen's offspring being inserted in the reluctant goblin musician. Klernt then caused a scene that left the teacher dead and another student unconscious. In the midst of the scuffle, Klernt and his companions were whisked away by a group of strange wizards, taking her latest offspring with it.

### Left Behind

The Parasite Queen remained dormant beneath the college for the next few months. There were several instances of activity during the interim, such as a fight between wizards and a enormous worm terrorizing the college, and the arrival of a chief and his warriors. However, the Queen did not intervene or interact with any of the visitors. Eventually, the college fell silent and empty, leaving the Parasite Queen alone.

### Klernt's Return

Eventually, Klernt and his allies returned to the college via the leyline that they had previously left from. The return of her child and its host awoke the Parasite Queen. With her offspring's return, the Queen decided to reveal herself. Her stirring caused tremors beneath the college, which alerted the goblins to her presence. In the courtyard of the college, she erupted from the earth, telepathically welcoming the return of her child. With this greeting, the parasite inside Klernt became active and began to try and kill its host.

During the fight, the Queen employed several means to slay the goblins. She used her massive body to try and crush and obstructing her foes, vomited deluges of bile and parasites and sent tentacles to grapple and drain her foes. However, the goblins were just as ruthless, bringing their all to bear against the oversized slug. Klernt also managed to put the parasitic slug inside him to sleep, preventing it from killing him and allowing him to focus his efforts to defeating its parent. He animated a tree and two rocks which he then used to pummel the Queen to death. Upon the queen's death, the parasite inside Klert died as well, crystallizing itself in the process. Once the goblins finished looting, they then left the ruined courtyard, leaving the massive grotesque corpse behind.

### Legacy

The loot left behind by the Queen proved very useful for the goblins. Klernt was able to draw on the power of the crystallized parasite as before and was also able to insert another still living parasite into himself to further enhance his bardic prowess. He also learned the powerful Parasitic Surge spell the Queen had used against them. Kua meanwhile inherited Klert's previous mushroom growth when it was forcibly removed by the new parasite. Finally, Skagzag was able to integrate the callous nature of the Queen's hide into his own skin.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Telepathy**: The Parasite Queen could speak to the hosts of her brood via telepathy, allowing her to influence their thoughts.
* **Parasitic Control**: The Parasite Queen could freely command her offspring while they resided in a host. As see with Klernt, she could instruct the parasite to kill the goblin from the inside, which it did without hesitation.
* **Parasitic Surge**: The Parasite Queen could unleash a powerful attack where a putrid wave of vomit and parasites burst forwards from her, damaging all creatures in its path.
* **Parasitic Tentacles**: The Parasite Queen could create tentacles to grapple her enemies and drain them of their life force.
* **Slashing Resistance**: The Parasite Queen is resistant to slashing damage.

## Loot

* **Ishtar Dae Crystal Cluster**: Consumable item that adds +1 to a weapon or piece of armor to a maximum of +3.
* **Subdued Parasite**: A permanent attunement item that sets the user's base Charisma to 24.
* **Tome of Parasitic Surge**: Teaches the user Parasitic Surge, a 6th Level spell. The spell creates a 15ft by 150ft line that deals 10d10 piercing damage, which can be halved by a successful Dexterity Saving Throw. Increasing the spell's level adds an additional 2d10 to the total damage per level.
* **Parasitic Hide**: A +3 studded leather armor that gives the wearer resistance to slashing damage.
* **Crystallized Parasite**: A +3 dagger. Once per day, the wielder can heal themselves by the damage dealt by a successful attack with the weapon. This can be determined after the damage.
* **Parasitic Callous**: A permanent attunement item. The user's entire body becomes calloused. The user's natural AC becomes 16, but they cannot gain the benefits of other armors.

## Trivia

* As of time of writing, the Parasite Queen is the only enemy in the World of Io series to have a Tankbuster Turn.