The Scourge

The Scourge is a extended variant of Scoiris that originated in an experiment gone wrong by Riden Blue. The Scourge is now connected to Shriek (formerly Blank) and can be manipulated by him.

Origins
The origins of The Scourge is an odd one. The invasive plant life was originally made by Riden Blue on accident in his experiments with Neihern. He handed the infected fungus to his summon, Blank, who was at the time unsure of what to do with it. Blank later planted the infection on the ground and allowed it to grow. Soon, the infection integrated with Blank and gave him the ability to control/manipulate the fauna around him. Soon, the infection grew to decent proportions, which caused Imploryx to try to contain it. Ultimately, the containment failed, allowing all of Imploryx to be consumed by the infection.

Spreading Methods
There are multiple ways to be infected by The Scourge.

Spores/Airborne
The most common way for the infection to grow is through spores released by blossoming fauna. The wind around it can carry the spores very long distances allowing the infection to escape most ways of containment. Spores can also leave infectants lungs due to the spores preserving all tissue.

Water
The spores can fall into water and travel to coastal areas and river beds. As of now, the infection has no way of actually infecting underwater environments. The fauna can also discharge liquid called, "Scourge Honey," into the water and spread it across waterways.

Decay
If an infected entity dies, the infection leaks out of the decay and onto the ground, causing patches of Scourge to appear. Killing any form of infected entities, rather it be plants or creatures, will cause this.

Direct Contact/Open Wounds
While the infection struggles to infect simply on contact, it can easily infect an individual with open cuts and other wounds.

Stages of Infection
There are multiple stages to a Scourge infection.

Stage 1 - Whispers Phase
This phase, the victim may only feel slight drowsiness and potential temporary numbness to skin. They will begin to hear the whispers of Shriek, asking them do they wish to commit to The Garden and it's life. Strangely, infectants who say no with no signs of doubt will experience Scourge go dormant, never to be activated again as it decays.

Stage 2 - Connection Phase
At this point, the victim may show signs of psychosis. The infectant will talk to Shriek aloud, usually talking of their life or their desires. The infectant may begin to have their eyes change to a shade of blue and any nearby plants may begin to shift if they are in prolonged contact. The infectant may experience a need to visit the AWE, "Old Imploryx," or, "The Garden."

Still curable, but would require Wonderian magic, blood, and/or remedies. Neihern spores can counter this phase as well.

Stage 3 - Punsladgesplis Phase
The victim experiences no further symptoms aside from perfectly communicating with Shriek. The victim's mind can be altered by Shriek to protect the Garden, but no further means of control have been viewed. Any other foreign infections, such as Neihern or The Overmind, can be hijacked inside the individuals body. Can not really effect the infection, but results can vary, such as Shriek being able to mimic the Overmind's connection to infected Swarm.

At this stage, only Wonderian blood can cure the infection. Even then, the chance of death is present and for people such as the Neihern, their infection will die with it.

Stage 4 - Devotion Phase
This stage is entirely voluntary. This stage is when the victim allows themselves to be given entirely to the Garden. The victim gave up their free will to Shriek and can be commanded in an instant. The infectants will be able to have limited control of the infected fauna around them.

There is no cure at this stage that doesn't involve death.

Stage 5 - Divinity Stage
This stage can only occur when a Caretaker for the Garden is chosen. This monstrosity is nearly impossible to kill.

If you engage a Stage 5- Run. Curing or containing this beast is impossible.

Weaknesses
At the moment, only Wonderian magic seem to be able to properly effect any and all infection types. While the infected entities can be damaged, their bodies can be mimicked by the forest and regrown, so Wonderian magic/blood is the only proper agent to kill.

Extra Information & Gallery

 * Currently, no behavior is properly documented due to Shriek having complete control over all Scourge lifeforms.
 * The Scourge can mimic voices and in Stage 4 cases, people.
 * If your body has a high resistance to the infection, the infection will become lethal to avoid losing the host. Cures are vast and unknown.
 * If you reject Scourge at any stage past Stage 1, you will suffer Scourge Withdrawal. This causes you to vomit up the parasite. Be warned it attempt to cling to your mouth to suffocate you. The higher the Stage, the more deadly rejection is.