Senilis Verminosa

## (K0) "Verminous Weakness"

Senilis Verminosa is a very potent supervirus created by the Old Kodian Republic during The Kodian Hemorrhage as a weapon of mass destruction to be used against the Dardarian Dominion's planets and facilities. Senilis Verminosa was discovered on the ruined OKR planet of Astara, along with a number of other very dangerous prototype weapons. Senilis Verminosa, although classified as a weapon of mass destruction, does have plenty of information released to the public thanks to the DOPI. Although the virus is contained to Astara, it is believed that certain planets have a tendency to breed illnesses similar to Senilis Verminosa and as such should be handled in a similar manner. To aid in this, the DOPI has released plenty of information on Senilis Verminosa and its various strands, to ensure that no planets affected grow unsalvageable.

## The Hivemind:

Little to nothing is known about the Hivemind that manipulates the Senilis Verminosa supervirus. What is known is that it is real, incredibly intelligent, and malignant. DOPI scientists have been unable to pinpoint whether or not the Hivemind has a physical manifestation, or if it is instead some biproduct of the infected individuals' combined psychic potential, but they do know that it is a sentient and thinking creature with the intent of destroying all life in the Universe.

Despite the fact that Senilis Verminosa was created by the Old Kodian Republic, it appears that the virus has created itself a master- some supersentient being with incredible knowledge of strategy, psychology, and the sciences. It is theorized that the Hivemind controls the forces under the Senilis Verminosa virus's effects, commanding the thralls to certain areas to counter and actively fight back against attempts to kill it off. It is also believed that the Hivemind can gift individuals immunity to Senilis Verminosa, but does so very sparingly. Only 1 individual has been spared by the Hivemind, and was given a direct link to the Hivemind's knowledge, allowing them to understand and know the virus's true intentions and all that it wishes to do to the Universe it inhabits. This individual has been reluctant to give over any information to the DOPI or his captors, but does hint every so often that the Hivemind has great plans for the sentient races, and plans on carrying out its original intended purpose of wiping the Universe clean of sentient life.

It is also widely accepted that the Hivemind is behind Senilis Verminosa's rapid mutations and the various-yet-standardized effects it has on an infected population, directing certain infected victims to become one mutation or another, in order to best benefit the Hivemind.

The Hivemind has never directly spoken to any uninfected individual, but has instead opted to speak through them, leading DOPI scientists to believe that its capabilities are directly linked to the virus itself, or the effects that it has on its victims. The DOPI and MRPU have dedicated extensive resources and many years searching any and all information on the Hivemind, but it is believed that most, if not all, of the OKR's knowledge of the entity was lost during the Hemorrhage.

### Types of Infected:

Although Senilis Verminosa has the capability to give each person totally unique mutations, it seems to favor certain ones over the variety. Especially in the early stages of an epidemic, Senilis Verminosa will make use of very specific infected types, specifically designed (and possibly stored in the viruses cells' own DNA) for certain tasks to aid the epidemic. Once the epidemic has taken over an area, mutations become far less predictable and less combat-oriented, often focusing on building defenses out of hardened flesh, putting virus spores into the air, etc.

1. The Weakened: These are the basic infected victims in the earlier stages of infection. They are drastically slower than the normal person, or the original victim prior to their infection, but no longer have the subconscious need for self-preservation, meaning that their full strengths are released. They can only spread the virus through bites, and are usually employed in large numbers. Tougher than their uninfected counterparts, and with a far higher tolerance for pain, The Weakened require that their entire brains are destroyed in order to put them down for good. If only one section of brain is destroyed or damage, the virus will replace that missing or damaged section with an improved and mutated one.
2. The Team: A slightly more advanced form of infected created when the corpses of multiple Weakened are placed in close proximity to one another. Even if their brains are destroyed, the viruses inside the individual cells continue to operate, and will still actively seek other Weakened for aid. If multiple corpses are placed near to one another, or multiple people are infected near one another, the virus will mutate them both in ways that will end with their permanent attachment. They will become physically bound together, kept in place through flesh and bone bridges or tumors. This leads to towering monstrocities, with many limbs and mouths and eyes. They are faster than The Weakened, as well as stronger, but lack the maneuverability and are no doubt infected beyond saving. The Team are often employed alongside large numbers of The Weakened, in hopes that Weakened will die and allow the Team to absorb them, adding more and more bodies to the biomass. The longer a Team is allowed to live, the larger and stronger and tougher it will become. Teams have been known to absorb entire buildings, if left for long enough. Teams can spread the virus through bites, or other contact with bodily fluids.
3. Smokestacks: These advanced infected monsters can be either humanoid or animals, and require at least a week of mutations before they can function at their best. Smokestacks are gifted, by Senilis Verminosa, with advanced mutations that give them large cylinderical tubes jabbing out of their spines, made entirely out of vertebrae. These stacks are attached to new organs contained within, that are filled with tumors of infected stem cells that breed the virus. Once an organ is full, the virus cells are released into the air. The tumors held within can also be launched out of the tubes like a bullet. The virus that is ejected into the air infects anything nearby, and also buffs monsters already into the more advanced stages of infection, often upgrading them and providing them with the necessary virus cells to adapt perfectly to the situation at hand. These creatures are often either hunched-over humans or quadrapedal animals, as their height and mobility are harmed severely as a result of the tubes. Smashing these tubes causes major bleeding and great pain to the creature, sending it into a ferocious rage. Contact with either the blood or the viral air is almost guaranteed to cause infection.
4. Draggers: One of the more advanced types of possible mutation keeps some things the same and completely alters others. The Dragger is a human that has been infected for over 3 weeks, giving the virus enough time to change the person's skeletal structure. The flesh and muscle around the hands have decomposed and fallen away, allowing the bones to fuze together and elongate to form large hooks. No flesh regrows over these new hooks, but an enamel-like coating is developed, something similar to that of human teeth, most likely done to ensure that the blades are extra strong and do not erode over time. These creatures have their eyesight lessened dramatically, as well as obtaining sensitivity to light. This light sensitivity is done to goad the creature to darker areas, where it can hide and await its prey. Draggers use their incredible hearing and intense speed (developed through the bolstering of arm and leg muscles) to charge from the shadows and drag unsuspecting survivors off into the distance. It is believed that Draggers bring their victims to the nearest Team or Weakened, where they can be infected. Draggers do not have any infecting capability themselves.
5. Collector: A rare infected type that seems rather basic in terms of physical mutations, but in reality is far more dangerous than they appear. Collectors can begin appearing only a few days after the first infection, but rarely pop up that early. Collectors are gifted with an extremely strong link to the Senilis Verminosa hivemind, allowing it to receive orders from its various infected brethren from almost anywhere. Collectors are the scavengers and medics amongst the various types of Senilis Verminosa mutations, using what was once its stomach to grow balls of Senilis Verminosa viral tissue (used to repair damage allies), and bringing dead bodies (of either infected or dead survivors) to other infected for absorption or reanimation. Collectors are almost never seen, even if they are present, due to their importance as battlefield scavengers and biomass collectors. They are sometimes seen during engagements, distributing their stomach-grown spore sacks to damaged friendlies. They can infect others through their stomach-grown spore spheres, through bites, or through contact with bodily fluids.
6. Lictor: A rather uncommon form of infected that is used in areas where uninfected individuals are strongest. Where the uninfected members of a population put up a fight the heaviest, Lictors are deployed to handle the toughest areas of resistance. They are large and hulking bipedal masses of flesh that usually stand at 8 to 10 feet tall, with at least one arm completely mutated into tentacles. Lictors are created in a similar manner to Teams, whereby a group of infected corpses are placed in close proximity and given enough time to properly mutate in a cycle that usually lasts close to a month. This allows for the creature to completely absorb and integrate the biomass, changing the skeleton as well as the muscle and tissue above it. This also means that the Lictor has the collective intelligence of all of the corpses necessary to make it, giving it an enhanced sense of strategy and allowing it to use its abilities effectively. Lictors use their massive arm of tentacles to constrict enemies, using the coating of Senilis Verminosa virus cells to infect anyone caught in its grasp. The tentacles are also used to flip vehicles and even small tanks, as well as tear through metal walls and other defenses. The holes covering a Lictor's stomach and other, smaller, arm were at some point created by severe wounds the creature suffered but survived, allowing the virus to make new use of the new holes. These holes can now ooze Senilis Verminosa spores and virus cells passively, infecting any area that they grace with their presence. The large plating of grey flesh that covers a decent portion of a Lictor is dead and is kept in a state of rigor mortis, making it act as an effective form of armor plating that is resistant to most conventional melee weapons and even kinetic firearms (but not railguns).

## Description:

Senilis Verminosa is a dangerous, highly resistant, mutative virus with incredibly high rates of infection and adaptation. The virus was designed by the Illuminati as the bioweapon that would be responsible for bringing about the end of the world.

### Stages of Infection:

The rate of infection of an individual can vary greatly, depending primarily on the medium through which the person was infected; injection results in almost immediate mutation and development of the Nova Cerebri (a painful and sudden process), with ingestion through the lungs being the second fastest-acting; ingestion via food is the slowest mode of transmission, mostly due to the virus's dormancy while contained in a host's stomach and the consumption of the virus's cells by the intestines after digestion, slowing the infection process by almost 24 hours until the person's immune system has been blinded. A person is contagious as soon as their immune system has been blinded, and a corpse remains contagious for up to 3 weeks after death unless properly treated.

#### Living Infected:

1. When a person first comes into contact with the Senilis Verminosa virus, it immediately works its way into the DNA of individual cells within the host's body and, before having any other effects, mutates the host's immune system to treat SV cells as part of the host body; SV then bolsters the person's immune system, enabling it to fight off far more bacteria and viruses than a normal human being.
2. Once a host's immune system has been blinded to the presence of Senilis Verminosa, the virus itself mutates and changes as the infected cells begin producing a new version of the virus; this new variation is responsible for the development of the Nova Cerebri.
3. Once the Nova Cerebri is fully grown and contact with the Hivemind established, the host loses their sense of self and begins operating as a member of the collective group of infected, lashing out at non-infected with the full strength behind a human body and losing all sense of fear or self-preservation.
4. Now fully assimilated, infected individuals are sustained through the consumption of flesh (human and animal), edible foodstuffs, and SV spores/biomass produced by special forms of the infected. This method of sustenance can keep infected individuals up and active indefinitely.
5. Living infected individuals are faster and stronger than normal human beings and pose a significant threat even in small numbers. The longer a living infected remains active, the more intelligent they become, as the virus gains access to more complex parts of the host's brain and body. Living infected individuals that have survived for weeks or months can use rudimentary weapons, open doors, and conduct basic problem solving. Living infected alive for years have not been recorded as of the time of writing.
6. After their assimilation, infected individuals begin experiencing new mutations as the Hivemind determines what roles need filling to best continue to spread the infection and defend themselves from harm by non-infected. In areas of strong resistance, these mutations may be subtle or drastic, but will be geared towards combat in some form; areas of total infection will see a large proportion of infected individuals (60%+) degrade into large piles of biomass, sprouting various boney chimneys from which SV spores can be expelled or holes from which biomass may be retrieved and consumed by the active infected as sustenance.
7. As the outbreak continues to spread and increase in intelligence, the mutations continue to compound and increase in complexity and scale until very few normal infected remain active; if enough biomass is collected and stored, the Hivemind will begin constructing new forms of infected from nothing but raw recycled biomass, using templates from the Hivemind's collective gene bank to reproduce identical copies of the outbreak's most successful forms. Areas of strong infection will be coated in several inches of living SV biomass that can adapt and mutate in reaction to the presence of uninfected individuals or unused biomass (e.g. animals, plants, etc.); SV will begin producing stationary defenses around regions where the biomass is recycled and produced.
8. Infected regions and individuals will continue to recycle biomass over and over again, allowing the hordes to sustain themselves indefinitely; the longer an outbreak is allowed to exist, the smarter it will become until it develops fast and efficient modes of transportation and transmission for large quantities of biomass, allowing massive gas-filled tumors to float across oceans to drop infected individuals and biomass on new landmasses. No obstacle or challenge will impede SV for long, as the Hivemind is ever-growing and ever-expanding.

#### Reanimated Infected:

1. Once a living infected individual is killed, or dies of starvation, the SV cells in the victim's body do not die or decay normally; instead, they remain dormant. If the cells detect living biomass in the vicinity, or if the disease receives signals from the Hivemind to restart activity, the SV cells will reanimate the dead corpse, almost regardless of bodily damage or active necrosis. SV's reactivated cells will also halt decomposition and, in particularly long-term cases, even reverse it to the point that the infected individual regains as much use of their body as possible; while extraordinary, this poses a considerable long-term threat, even though the regenerating process takes a long time (~1-3 weeks) and requires extensive active biomass to complete. Recently reanimated individuals will be completely feral in an attempt to sate their hunger and support the CV cells which keep the host body active.
2. Reanimated infected are much slower and dumber than their living counterparts and pose less of a threat overall; while intelligence is lowered thanks to decomposing brain matter and much fewer electrical signals moving through the body, the Nova Cerebri remains intact. As such, reanimated infected individuals will gather in large groups of as many reanimated infected as they can find, urged to do so by the Nova Cerebri's psychic signals and the will of the Hivemind. Additionally, reanimated infected are considerably more durable than living infected; the only way to fully dispatch one is to destroy the head, although incineration or explosives also work equally as well.
3. Infected individuals who had mutated before dying retain their mutations and knowledge of how to use them, although their general effectivity decreases due to the drop in available brainpower and muscle control.

#### 2nd Reanimation:

1. If a reanimated infected individual is killed or dies of decomposition a 2nd time, the Hivemind seeks to recycle and repurpose their now-useless biomass. While biomass may be absorbed and recycled from any infected individual at any level of infection, including living infected or uninfected individuals, the Hivemind prefers to reuse the biomass of newly slain reanimated dead.
2. This biomass is used to mutate the infected and reanimate them again, now with so many mutations that the infected individual is no longer recognizable as humanoid. Multiple bodies may also be formed together to create these particularly monstrous mutated specimens to further amplify effectiveness.
3. Released twice-reanimated infected are incredibly dangerous but generally rare. It is believed that only certain individuals, or specific people with certain genetic conditions or those in a specific stage of decomposition are eligible for complete conversion in this way, contributing to their rarity.
4. Twice-reanimated individuals may be absorbed for biomass and recycled in other ways, however, most commonly as molds, stalks, terraforming structures, and other forms of infected infrastructure to serve the Hivemind.

### Nova Cerebri

The Nova Cerebri, or New Brain, is an additional chunk of brain tissue grown as a result of infection with the Senilis Verminosa virus. The section of new tissue grows attached to the brain stem and links with the limbic system to control the host's emotional state according to what the virus deems necessary for the given situation and desire of the Hivemind. The Nova Cerebri grants infected individuals with access to the SV Hivemind, but eliminates all sense of ego and individuality in the process as the person's knowledge and personality is "uploaded" to the Hivemind's collective consciousness. The Cerebri can be grown in a lab without the presence of an infected host, and can then be surgically implanted into a living and uninfected individual to give them access to the Hivemind, although the sanity of individuals that undergo this procedure tends to slip away shortly after regaining consciousness; opening the door to the Hivemind is a two-way street, and the Hivemind will scour the person's mind as much as the person searches the Hivemind's consciousness.

### Origins & History:

The Senilis Verminosa virus was developed by Martinus Biological Containment Inc., a medical research and development firm contracted to fight bio-terrorism and study outbreaks to help contain such events. Martinus Biological Containment Inc. developed the Senilis Verminosa virus in secret, under the watchful eye of the Illuminati, to ensure the project's success. Developed by Dr. [REDACTED] in early 2028, SV was created to act as the ultimate bioweapon, designed to spread at record speeds, convert infected individuals into controllable mutants, and resist methods of containment, inoculation, and destruction by known medical practices.

To devise such a devious virus, Martinus Biological Containment Inc. established a series of testing facilities across the globe where simultaneous parallel experiments could be conducted to test and develop the virus. The virus was designed to target and change a host's DNA in accordance with environmental factors and trigger pheromones that could be spread by the Illuminati over entire regions or spread through a population through more subtle means; these pheromones, when detected, would tell the virus when and how to mutate an infected individual. To convert infected individuals into mindless slaves for the Illuminati, the virus was designed to attack the brain and form the Nova Cerebri, an additional piece of brain tissue attached to the brain stem that filters and edits received information, puts out pheromones for unspoken communication between infected individuals, and conducts the mutations within an infected person; early tests of SV noted the unintended consequences of the Nova Cerebri, most notably the amplification and alteration of the brain's electromagnetic field, which granted infected individuals with the ability to link with one another telepathically to create a Hivemind.

To ensure SV's infectivity within the Illuminati's given parameters SV was designed to infiltrate a person's body without triggering an immune system response, which prevented an infected person from experiencing any symptoms and left the person's immune system untouched and unimpeded; this makes the virus very difficult to detect without medical testing, and makes it impossible for a normal person to know if they are infected. Once mutations begin taking place within the host body, the virus hijacks the person's immune system and makes it nearly impossible to rid the host of the virus without killing the host in the process. SV is also transmissible through water, air, bodily fluids, injection, consumption, and through the pores of the skin, and can survive for up to 3 weeks on a surface or in a corpse without an active host before expiring; this versatility in infection options and longevity makes SV very durable and difficult to hinder or impede once introduced into a population.

#### First Applications

The Cancun Crisis was a test of SV's capabilities in the field and proved to be a resounding success. SV demonstrated the ability to infect large populations with staggering speed, proved resistant to modern medicinal treatments, and overwhelmed local authorities with ease. The virus also demonstrated remarkable efficiency in its mutations and adaptations, developing immunity to local illnesses and preventing the expiration of the infected individuals over time.

The Cancun Crisis, being the first non-lab test, also yielded unpredicted data; Senilis Verminosa was actively learning from the individuals it infected, adding their consciousnesses to the Hivemind and assimilating their personalities. While infected individuals are not capable of conventional speech due to the limitations of the virus and the degradation of their individual minds over time, infected individuals expressed a considerable degree of coordination and strategy and intelligence that had otherwise not been exhibited during laboratory testing. Infected individuals would, after being infected and mutated, grant the Hivemind with information regarding the survivors' campsite and defenses, and lend aid in strategizing against the survivors they knew about in life.

In addition, the Hivemind also adapted the individual infected on the fly, creating new forms of the standard infected types as situations called for slight changes; the more individuals were infected, the more drastic and immediate these changes and mutations became, until many of the oldest infected individuals within Cancun no longer resembled humanoids at all due to the sheer number of mutations they had undergone over the course of the test.

#### The Novi Hominem

"New Human" is the nickname given to the "1st Generation" of Senilis Verminosa infected individuals. After the Cancun Crisis, the Hivemind's existence was confirmed and intensive research into its applications began.

After only a few weeks, researchers within the Illuminati and Martinus Biological Containment Inc. devised a plan to feed the SV Hivemind with intelligent individuals in the hopes of bolstering its effectiveness. Dubbed "Operation: Thought Bubble," researchers took the brightest minds from areas near Illuminati outposts and sacrificed them to the Hivemind, allowing Senilis Verminosa to assimilate them; the impact of the feedings was remarkable and almost immediate. As the researchers continued to feed it more and more people, they quickly discovered that SV infected individuals in Eastern Europe were linked to the same Hivemind as the infected individuals in Mexico and in Asia despite the groups being entirely disconnected from one another; the process by which this connection occurred is still unknown. This development led to an increase in sacrifices, eventually culminating in the first direct communication with the Hivemind.

The Senilis Verminosa virus chose one of the sacrificed individuals, seemingly at random, and developed only minor mutations in that host, retaining the host's personality and mental faculties; the host spoke in a variety of languages at first, mixing words from several languages in the same sentence. Interpreters and translators were brought in to make sense of the jumbled mess, which allowed researchers to inform the host of their switching of languages mid-sentence; the host expressed a lack of awareness about their unusual vocalizations, but quickly learned to speak in 1 uniform language. It became clear that the host retained knowledge of all languages which had been known by the people given to the Hivemind, including Spanish, Russian, English, Mandarin, Arabic, etc. This infected individual was deemed The Diplomat, named after his role as mouthpiece for the virus's ever-growing Hivemind.

The Hivemind immediately made a proposal to the researchers: the researchers were to help create a 1st Generation of "true infected" that would serve the Hivemind's interests, but would retain their individuality and personalities, receive access to the Hivemind, and receive their normal human appearances and superhuman abilities. Operation: Thought Bubble concluded weeks later, when Martinus Biological Containment Inc.'s Board of Directors willingly infected themselves with SV and became the first Novi Hominem.

The development, experimentation, and continued creation of Novi Hominem would continue, with many of the Illuminati's high-ranking members volunteering for the procedure. They became super soldiers with telepathic links to one another, incredible intelligence, superhuman physical attributes, and psionic capabilities, in addition to an amount of telepathic influence over nearby infected individuals.