Sozo

* Normal
* Follower
* Dr. Sozonius

**Dr. "Sozo" Sozonius** is an NPC in in *Cult of the Lamb*.

## Description

Sozo is a gray ant with red patterns under his eyes and on his forehead. He has two pair of long arms and one pair of long legs, with a large backpack behind his back. A couple of red mushrooms is growing from his tuft coat; the biggest one with a smiley face is protruding from Sozo's head, and, likely, his brain.

Sozo is a "specialist in mushroom research" and a leader of a small mushroom cult, residing in Spore Grotto. The cult consists of Mushroom Followers, known as Mushroomos, who collect Menticide Mushrooms for Sozo's addiction to these fungi.

The Lamb can get 1 Holy Talisman Shard from Sozo, if 10 Menticide Mushrooms are brought to him on request. Sozo will then be ready to teach The Lamb the Brainwashing Ritual, for 20 more mushrooms, and on task completion pledges his loyalty to The Lamb, constructing a small shrine for them. The Lamb also receives blueprints for the Mushroom Sculpture, which depicts a giant split mushroom with a Sozo statue inside it.

Some time after completing his final quest, if The Lamb returns to Sozo's house, he will be found dead on the floor with the mushroom on his head split in half. You can harvest the Seed of Sozo from his head afterwards, which when grown on a Farm Plot, brings him back as a smaller being.

From this point onwards, Sozo becomes a permanent follower, but your actions when talking to him affects how he will look.

### Follower form

He will request for 5 Menticide Mushrooms when he is first talked to after he has been resurrected.

#### Accepting his request

Sozo will become brainwashed, which leaves him permanently loyal due to the brainwash status akin to that of Brainwashing Ritual. He will not do anything (he can be sent on Missionary however) other than frolicking around the land, constantly making sounds. Any nearby fully grown Menticide Mushroom planted in your cult will be eaten by him if you do not harvest in time after its grown.

Every so often, Sozo will give a quest asking that you seek unique Mushroomo followers in Anura. Should you accept the Mushroomo into your cult, he will chase after it before consuming it alive. He will continue to do this for every other subsequent Mushroomo you bring unless you reject his next Mushroomo Quest.

#### Rejecting his quest

Sozo will immediately dissent and cannot be quelled through most normal means compared to normal dissenters. You will need to imprison and re-educate him inside the Prison while he is imprisoned. Once he has been fully re-educated and released, the mushroom on his head will fall off and he will turn into an elderly follower named Dr. Sozonius and awards you with a Mushroomo form.

Because he is considered an elder in this state, he will constantly wander around like every other elder Follower. If he was already reverted back after clearing the Mushroomo quest, he will not chase after them after indoctrinating them.

To return him to youth you can either feed him an egg meal or revive him if he dies from murder or old age. He will work like any other followers, but still retains the restriction of changing clothing via Tailor.

## Dialogues

### First meeting

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> "Greetings traveller... me? Why I am Sozo of course! Researcher of all things mushrooms... guess that makes me a fun-guy! Just a little joke Sozo likes to tell. Yes, yes! Mushrooms! Mushrooms are Sozo's passion. But Sozo need more! Sozo always need more... You will collect for Sozo, yes? Yes! Sozo can't trust my followers out there. They lie, they steal, they whisper secrets about Sozo. I JUST KNOW IT! Sozo will do anything! I'll worship at your altar! Sozo will devote myself to your cause! I'LL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD! Ahem... Sozo will show you how to use the power of the mushrooms to open the fragile little minds of your Followers! But you do not need to use it on Sozo! Oh no! Sozo will follow willingly. As long as you keep bringing Sozo mushrooms, Sozo will do anything. Take the path to Anura and find Sozo mushrooms! You may not have seen them before, but now you seek them, they shall be there now."
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### Given 10 Mushrooms

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> "Yes! Yes! Give Sozo give Sozo GIVE SOZO! Excellent... Excellent! But not ENOUGH. Bring Sozo more and Sozo will show you how to brainwash those Followers of yours. Sozo supposes you want something for your efforts? Of course! Sozo always pays his debts. Take this.
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> [Sozo gives you a Holy Talisman fragment]
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### Given 20 Mushrooms

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> "Yes, YES! These will do just fine! Okay, Sozo will share with you this ritual, but you must not show anyone! Stand back... or you will get brainwashed too."
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> [ Brainwashing Ritual unlocked ]
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> "DONE! As you can see now Sozo's loyal Followers are BRAINWASHED. They will do whatever Sozo say for a few days, and lose no Faith in Sozo. But afterward may of them will fall sick... but oh well! Now that you have seen, you can go to your temple and perform the Ritual yourself!"
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> [Sozo gives you a Holy Talisman fragment]
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### You don't have enough Mushrooms

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> "Sozo trusts you, only you, everyone else is out to get Sozo, but not you, Sozo loves you, Sozo needs you... What? Are you spying on Sozo!? Go away! Comeback with mushrooms!"
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### After you performed the Brainwashing Ritual

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> "You did it, didn't you? You tasted the power of the mushrooms... yes, you are just like Sozo. Sozo knows you are a friend! Here, you must take this. A sign of friendship between two lovers of the Menticide Mushroom. Keep it safe! You can trust no one... NO ONE!
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> [Sozo gives you a Holy Talisman fragment]
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> I wish to give you something else. Something to symbolise your undying adoration for the Menticide Mushrooms and their limitless potential.
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> [Sozo gives you the Mushroom Sculpture]
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> No need to thanks Sozo. Build it at your Cult then come back to me. Sozo shall grant you one last gift. Sozo is always fair. Always repays this debts. Not like those LIARS out there."
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### After the Mushroom Sculpture has been built

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> "You did it! Now I know I can trust you... not like those nasty liars outside. They are always watching, always listening! Here take this. You are Sozo's best friend, you are Sozo's only friend."
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> [Sozo gives you a Holy Talisman fragment]
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> "Sozo can trust you now, Sozo will pledge himself to you! You will protect me from those liars outside and bring Sozo mushrooms!"
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### Talking to Sozo again after this

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> "Sozo is so happy! Sozo has never had so many mushrooms before. If it wasn't for you, Sozo would never be able to get so many at once! Sozo cannot wait to see what happens!"
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### Meeting during Crusades

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> "Mushrooms, where are you? I hear you call to Sozo..."
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> "Ah! Mushroom! Mushroom the size of a lamb! Mushroom, remember when you met Sozo?"
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> "Sozo had friends... Followers... family... now Sozo has mushrooms..."
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> "This is better! Is this better? Ha! Hahahaha! Ha..."
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### Follower Form

#### After being brought back from the Farm Plot

> “Sozo just had the CRAZIEST dream. Sozo dreamt that Sozo had too many mushrooms and…”
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> “…and was happier than Sozo has ever been before!”
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> “Now all Sozo can think about is mushrooms, mushrooms, MUSHROOMS… They don’t leave mush-room for anything else! Ha!”
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> “Sozo must have more… it’s been so long… Sozo miss the taste… the feeling! Sozo will live here and be happy if you just bring more MUSHROOMS!”
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### Given 5 Mushrooms

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> “Precious, perfect little mushrooms, Sozo is here now, Sozo will always be here…”
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> ”Sozo is busy now… Sozo must commune with the ‘shrooms. You GO AWAY!”
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### Mushroomo Quest (First Time)

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### Mushroomo Quest (Repeat)

Wording 1:

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> “The little Mushroomo had to... *burp*... leave! Yes, yes, it had to leave!”
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> “But Sozo knows where there are others! Lamb must bring Sozo more, yes? Yes! Good.”
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Wording 2:

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> “Yes, Mushroomo had to go, but... another! How about another? Oh, it is so hard to be apart from Mushroomos!”
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> “You would have to *lock Sozo up to stop!* But Lamb never do that to Sozo!”
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Wording 3 onwards:

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> “Sozo wants more Mushroomos... I mean, Mushroomos need Sozo! Another? All alone and trapped in Anura. You must help it!”
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### Mushroomo Quest (Complete)

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> “Yes, yes! Thank you Lamb, Sozo will be very good to Mushroomo.”
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### Denying Mushroomo Quest

> “You… deny Sozo? You hate Sozo? Then Sozo hates you too.”
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> “No… no! You have to help Sozo, you have to, Sozo begs, Sozo needs the mushroom…”
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> ”Give… Sozo… MUSHROOM…”
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### Putting Sozo In Prison while dissenting

> “Fine! Lock Sozo up! Sozo would rather be in prison forever than see stupid Lamb!”
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### Re-educating Sozo (Becomes Dr Sozonius)

> “Where am I…? Where is… my family…?”
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> ”My name is Dr Sozonius. I was researching the Mushroomos that live in Spore Grotto… strange creatures, neither animal nor plant…”
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> ”They gave me Menticide Mushrooms, and then… that’s the last thing I remember…”
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> “I can’t help but feel that I have to you to thank for… something. You have my loyalty, I will remain here and serve you. Please, take this!”
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> [Dr Sozonius gives the Mushroomo follower form]
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## Gallery

Sozo's mushroom-infested corpse.Sozo welcoming you!Sozo saying YesSozo talking while on MushroomsSozo saying NoSozo LaughingSozo's Follower FormDr. Sozonius in Follower Form
## Trivia

* Sozo appears to be possessed by a parasitic fungi similar to the real-life fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, known for turning its host (i.e an ant) into a zombie, and effectively killing it in the process. This explains Sozo's obsessiveness with mushrooms and later finding the ant dead in his own lair, with the shroom on his head split open to spread more spores.
	+ This was confirmed in the Sins Of The Flesh update, as once the mushroom is removed from his head, Dr. Sozonius is completely different in personality than the mushrooms "Sozo" alter-ego.