Noctis Motus

## Description:

The Noctis Motus infection, or "Movement of the Night," is a fungus-based serum with reanimating properties created by Martinus Biological Containment Inc. in 1990 as part of an Illuminati-led project conducted in a secret facility in Eastern Romania designed as a form of super-soldier serum to improve the Illuminati's forces and turn opposing populations against themselves.

### Stages of Infection:

Noctis Motus is a chemical serum created from a genetically engineered fungus found originally in Eastern Europe, and is believed to be linked to the local folklore surrounding Vampires in Romania. The primary method of infection comes in the form of injection into the bloodstream of a living person or into a corpse, either from a syringe or an infected individual; as a result of the serum's specific and limited manner of infection, its rate of spread and infectivity is remarkably low for an Illuminati project. The serum is most remarkable for its reanimating properties, and makes it therefore primarily nonlethal, although the mutations and other changes it induces in its reanimated hosts classifies it as a biological weapon with incredibly deadly potential.

1. The serum is first injected into a corpse, at which point the serum spreads through the host's body and assimilates the body's genetics collected from whatever flesh/bones remain; this process can be conducted regardless of the decomposition of the host, so long as they have not been cremated, and almost always succeeds at reanimating the host.
2. The host then undergoes a ~40-day period of liquefaction and then reassembly by the serum, during which time the corpse is dissolved into raw biomass and reconstructed in its entirety, appearing as a boneless gelatinous mass for several days after initial infection; this process is expectedly faster if the host died relatively recently, but still dissolves the host regardless of the current stage of decomposition.
3. At the end of the reassembly period, the host's rebuilt heart and organs are then restarted by the serum, which has reconstructed the body with several notable mutations and changes; the host is hereby referred to as a Type-A. Mutations and physiological features of infected individuals are detailed below.

In the case that Noctis Motus is injected into a host body shortly before the injection of bat DNA into the deceased host's spinal column, the 40-day reassembly period spawns a Type-B instead of a Type-A, an outcome preferred by the Illuminati. In the event that Noctis Motus is injected into the bloodstream of a living human, the following stages of infection occur:

1. Shortly after initial infection, the host falls unconscious and enters a comatose state which lasts ~5-7 days; during this period, the serum works its way throughout the host's body and dissolves/reassembles much of the host's internal organs.
2. Waking up from their temporary coma about a week after initial infection, the host features pale skin, a pair of sharpened and elongated "fangs," intense regenerative abilities, immunity or resistance to most illnesses/ailments (including Senilis Verminosa), an unlimited lifespan, altered senses, an aversion to bright light and skin sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, access to more of their strength and agility, faster reaction times, a preference for nocturnal activity, etc. Notably, these Type-C's retain their mental faculties, unlike the Type-A's and Type-B's, which has led researchers to believe that, while reanimated, Type-A's and Type-B's have Noctis Motus controlling their reassembled bodies and have no higher brain functions, relying only on the instincts programmed into human DNA. It is this phenomenon that has led researchers to the conclusion that Noctis Motus is incapable of fully replicating the complex nerve structure of brains, and may instead be replicating the simpler nervous system of its hosts by using the fungus itself as a replacement.

### Types of Infected:

1. Type-A: Reanimated corpses infected with Noctis Motus are feral, gaunt mutants with split lower jaws, large fangs, a pair of large hornlike ears that somewhat mimic the appearance of a bat, fungal stalks protruding from the top of their heads instead of hair, a distinct lack of eyes, an ability deemed "Blindsight" by researchers, elongated arms and shortened legs to allow for greater strength and easier climbing, sharpened nails that act as rending claws, and a few dozen sharpened and hardened fungal stalks that protrude from the user's back which can be fired out via contraction of the back muscles to infect others at a distance. Type-A's, like many of the Noctis Motus infected, rely on the consumption of human blood to stay alive, and express an aversion to diurnal activities and an allergy to ultraviolet rays; tend to hunt in packs, and are notably proficient ambush predators, which goes against mankind's original instincts and evolution as pursuit predators, which has raised many unanswered questions among research teams. For communication, Type-A's rely on pheromonal signals put out by other members of their kind, in addition to loud screeches and clicking sounds; commands are given by Type-As' Illuminati masters via pheromones, usually in the form of sprays, darts, etc.
2. Type-B: A more specialized and refined variant of reanimated Noctis Motus specimen, designed with greater intent behind their mutations to allow for bat-like features; using their large leathery wings, Type-B's can fly and use echolocation for hunting while still retaining use of their eyes and powerful night vision. These creatures are larger than Type-A’s and are proportionally more deadly, although slightly weaker in raw upper body strength; Type-B's excel in agility, stealth, and intelligence, and are known to use their large claws to shred body armor and flesh alike despite their relative weakness when compared to Type-A's.  Type-B's are also more durable than Type-A's, but their increased metabolic needs and size force them to hunt in smaller packs, or outright hunt alone, and are less cohesive when used in larger units. Unlike Type-A’s, Type-B’s are smart enough to understand trained orders and commands from their masters, and do not need to rely on pheromonal triggers to comprehend friend from foe.
3. Type-C:
4. Type-D: [HALF-BREEDS]

## Origins:

Developed in 1990 by scientists working for Martinus Biological Containment Inc. as part of the Illuminati's "Operation: Nightstalker," the Noctis Motus fungal serum was designed at a remote facility in Eastern Romania; after initial lab testing proved successful, the scientists began injecting corpses in the nearby village's graveyard as part of an early Illuminati "large-scale experiment." Less than a month after the researchers infected the village's graveyard, locals began complaining of "vampire attacks" in the night.

The scientists, working in the facility that sat beneath Castle Valentin, conducted a follow-up series of experiments on kidnapped villagers to test the serum's effect on live subjects. These early experiments found that living hosts retained their mental faculties but gained all of the benefits of the fungus's influence, including some new previously undiscovered side effects, like an unlimited lifespan; negative side effects remained mostly consistent between living and deceased subjects, but the project was still deemed a success.

After the success of the previous tests, the nobles of House Valentin, long-time ancestral members of the Illuminati, were allowed to become the first generation of living Noctis Motus hosts as a means of extending their lives. With their bodies now transformed, the nobles of House Valentin quickly decided to use their newfound powers to extort the local villagers in exchange for safety from the "vampire attacks." Later experiments on Noctis Motus saw the development of the Type-B's and the improvement of the Type-C strain of infected individual.

Experiments on Noctis Motus continued until 2038 A.D., when the nuclear war annihilated most of the village and valley that contained it; the Illuminati's underground facility remained relatively unscathed, but was deemed too radioactive to reclaim for several decades after the war. Members of House Valentin are confirmed to have survived the apocalypse, and are believed to continue acting as leaders and influential members within the Illuminati to this day.