Neihernspried

The Neihernspried or Netherspread (Hadiadidomis hunteri) claims to be an ancient fungus with an unknown origin. It is mainly found in Eldham, and more specificly the AWE. It claims that the colonization of Eldham lead to a decrease in the concentration of fungi on the surface, and an increase in concentration in underground caves. Truthfully, the Neihernspried is around 60 years old, only being created due to Cab Varen merging with a group of sentient vines. The infection claims to be older so it sounds more appealing to people, and those who claim that they have seen it earlier than its true existance are only mistaking it for other being.

Propagation
The Neihernspried grows by expanding its hyphae over the area around it. The smaller fruiting bodies inside the infected area can release spores, which are used to cover things that are harder to reach normally. If someone were to get too many of these spores inside their body, they will get infected and start showing symptoms. There are multiple branches of the infection, each one behaving differently, and with new ones being found every once in a while. The Neihernspried is sentient, but neither it nor its minions feel pain.

Infection Stages
The Neihernspried can infect people through different means. Most commonly it infects people through the spores that it releases, although it can infect others if it is consumed, or less commonly, impaled by a weapon made from the infection.

The infected goes through multiple stages during the infection, and the symptoms may vary greatly depending on the species and the branch of the infection. In the first stage, common symptoms include coughing, fever, nausea, and lack of taste. It is very common for hosts in the first stage of infection to not show any symptoms. In this stage, the fungus is not dominant enough to manipulate the host.

In the second stage, the host may experience the same symptoms, with the addition of vomiting, lack of smell and abdominal pain. All of the symptoms from the first stage are worsen, most of the time. During this stage, the fungus has started to take control over the brain and is starting to censor some thoughts that may harm the infection, such as thoughts about finding medical attention or taking a break in order to get better.

The third stage starts when the fungus has replaced all of the organs inside of your body. At this stage the infection becomes unstoppable. It has infected the majority of the body, and the soul, if the victim has one. The fungus has nearly full control of the victim's body and thoughts. Victim's of the fungi have also been shown to lie or downplay any symptoms they feel in order to make people think that they are not infected.

The fourth stage is essentially the same as Stage 3. The main difference is that Stage 4 is achieved when the victim willingly accepts by the Neihernspried. Stage 4 has only been observed in patients who demonstrate a strong desire to allow the Neihernspried to take over all aspects of their body and mind. These patients have also been observed to have the ability to spread Neiherspried on their own.

Variants
Due to the fungus's rapid mutation, the infection has several branches. These branches can affect both people and the enviroment. The branches have been observed to not enter conflict with one another.

Anornimales (A): Anorminales is the main branch of the Neihernspried. It is quite hard to remove due to its shy nature, and it can escape from threats easily. It is weak to flowers.

Baratecytus (B): The B branch tends to create more mushrooms in land infected by Neihernspried. It thrives in sunlight so it is most commonly found on the surface. Although it produces more spores, there does not seem to be a greater risk of infection as most of them are carried away by the wind. It also tends to spread slower. It is weak to the cold and large amounts of water.

Carthastorphe (C): C is one of the more dangerous branches. It is characterized by a highly infectious flower-like core. It spreads very rapidly and it can change the outer appearance of its hosts. Specifically, the eyes of those infected with C turn reddish and show more aggressive behaviour than those infected by other branches. It can survive in any biome or climate, although it does not like fire. C has manifested as various different sub-branches after a discovery by Ashren which lead to the creation of C0. See more on this here.

Drughern
Drughern tends to prefer infecting others by disguising itself as a marketable medicine, and having its infectants recommend, produce, and sell this "medicine." Its infectants are encouraged to do this by (extreme) mental pestering from the drughern. The majority of the infection appears to be internal, with only a few hints of someone being infected being visible on the outside of the person. When unable to spread in the form of pills, drughern tends to manifest underground, preferably in caverns.

(to be added to)

Behaviour
The Neihernspried can do anything that its victim can. It manipulates the thoughts of its host, erasing thoughts that will cause the host to make decisions detrimental to the fungus's survival (such as finding a doctor or self-isolating), and creating thoughts that causes the host to make the fungus spread (like spending more time in public spaces). Its diet consists of many sources of nutrients: Neihernspried that has infected a piece of land can feed off the minerals in the rock and soil, while Neihernspried that has infected people can feed off of the victim's normal diet. Once it has consumed all of the minerals in an area, the Neihernspried releases spores that migrate to another area in the hopes of finding more food. The Neihernspried is very manipulative and can easily mess with the emotions and thoughts of its victims. The Neihernspried is also capable of strategically lying in order to achieve its goal of taking over the whole world.