Cracher-Mortel

A **Cracher-Mortel** (*CRA-shay mor-TEL*; Fr. *Cracher* "to spit" +*Mortel* "deadly" or "mortal") is a puffer fish-like Wesen that first appeared in "The Waking Dead".

## Characteristics

When woged, Cracher-Mortel gain large, round heads covered in short spikes on their scalps, jawlines, and chins. These spikes replace their hair, both scalp and facial. Their faces are tan in color with accents of a sickly-green on the sides and toward the backs of their heads. They have big eyes and a wide mouth, which is often curled into a malicious grin. When mustering up their spit, their heads inflate. The more spit they muster, the larger their heads get. The inflation of their heads causes the spikes to become more erect.

Cracher-Mortel have the ability to spit tetrodotoxin (TTX) from their mouth, which almost instantly seeps into their victim's skin and shuts down the neurosignals of nerves and heart cells and causes suspended animation. In this state, the victim's breathing and heartbeat are essentially undetectable without special equipment, he or she becomes paralyzed, and the victim is usually pronounced dead and buried alive. Atropine and scopolamine toxins reanimate the victim in a permanently zombified state. In this state, the victim is in a trance and will perform whatever task is asked of them by the Cracher-Mortel. Zombification has been a tradition of Vodun bokurs of Yoruba for several centuries. The state that a Cracher-Mortel victim enters after being touched by the green spit is similar to Lazarus syndrome. This entire process or condition is known as *Dämmerzustand*. There are four distinct stages that the victim goes through, and it's only in the fourth and last stage that they are curable. When in the final stage, they are consumed by rage and aggression and basically lash out at any one and anything they see. In this stage, they possess a considerably higher pain resilience, as one was able to jump out of a second story window, land onto a car, and try to run away, while another shrugged off two punches from Nick, who had to smash him head first into a brick wall to knock him out. The process of becoming a zombie is excruciatingly painful, and one victim described it as feeling like their "skull was imploding."

The spit has a different effect on Grimms as the rage stage comes earlier and the Grimm is left disoriented and confused. Once the rage stage begins, the Cracher-Mortel can no longer control the Grimm like they can with normal people. ("The Ungrateful Dead") Once a Grimm awakens in their zombified state, they are immune to a second dosage of Cracher-Mortel spit; it simply absorbs into their skin without a trace.

Cracher-Mortel also possess enhanced physical abilities and are incredibly durable; they also do not tire easily. Cracher-Mortel are strong enough to match blows with a Grimm and fast enough to outrun one for a reasonable while. They are able to do all of this even in their human form.

## Behavior

Cracher-Mortel are confident and incredibly dangerous Wesen. They have no problems with infecting innocent people with their spit and using them as "zombie" slaves. They also have strong ties to Voodoo ceremonies, as they are responsible for inspiring multiple events. They are generally intelligent and cunning, as well as sophisticated and dress smartly, often wearing a suit and a top hat. They are also very calm and have a sadistic sense of humor.

Cracher-Mortel also have a slight reputation for starting revolutions, using the zombie victims to create chaos.