The Butcher
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
The Midi-Dren were developed in the biological weapons division of Al-Khālī's Academy of the Dead by Sith alchemist Seras, who sought to create an infectious supercell bioweapon by merging Drengir spores with midi-chlorian and maxi-chlorian properties. Using Sith alchemy and bioengineering, Seras extracted midi-chlorians from Force-sensitive captives and maxi-chlorian techniques inspired by Darth Tenebrous's experiments, fusing them with Drengir biology. The resulting hybrid was designed to infiltrate living hosts, particularly Force-sensitives, transforming them into pliable, predator-enticing vessels that spread the infection. Initial tests on remote worlds demonstrated their horrific potential, with infected populations succumbing to the root-mind and luring predators to propagate the spores. The Midi-Dren's ability to exploit Force sensitivity and manipulate host behavior made them a devastating tool for Sith campaigns targeting Jedi and populated worlds. Seras continues to refine the Midi-Dren, aiming to enhance their infectious range and resistance to Force-based countermeasures, solidifying their role as a catastrophic plague in Sith biological warfare.
- Intent: To create a drengir variant
- Image Credit: N/A
- Canon:
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Al-Khālī: The Academy of the Dead
- Name: Midi-Dren
- Origins: Al-Khālī: The Academy of the Dead
- Other Locations: Various worlds it is seeded to for biological weapon attacks
- Classification: Supercell
- Average Growth Cycle: The Midi-Dren lifecycle begins with microscopic spores, engineered from Drengir biology and infused with midi-chlorian and maxi-chlorian traits, released by augmented Drengir upon contact with organic hosts. These spores infiltrate living cells via blood or tissue contact, merging Drengir's botanical sentience with midi-chlorian's Force-connecting properties and maxi-chlorian's persistent consciousness. Within days, the spores propagate within the host, transforming cellular structures and rooting tendril-like growths. Full maturity is reached in 2-4 weeks, with the host becoming a hybrid entity driven by the Drengir root-mind. Reproduction occurs through spore dispersal, which can infect new hosts or environments. Midi-Dren persist as long as their host lives, potentially for centuries if sustained by Force energy, and die only if the host is destroyed or the spores are eradicated.
Viability: Midi-Dren require living hosts with blood and cells, thriving in oxygen-rich environments with abundant organic life. They do not need sunlight or soil, as they derive energy from the host's cellular processes and Force energy. They are most effective in Force-sensitive hosts, where their midi-chlorian traits amplify their influence. Harvested spores remain infectious for up to 24 hours outside a host, losing viability in a vacuum.
Description: Midi-Dren are microscopic supercells that manifest as green-black, tendril-like growths within infected hosts, softening tissue and enhancing its appeal to predators. Invisible to the naked eye until they root, they exude a subtle dark side aura, detectable by Force-sensitives, that induces a compulsion to seek out Drengir or other predators.
- Average Height: Microscopic
Average Length: Microscopic
Color: N/A (microscopic); visible growths are dark green to black with faint bioluminescent pulses.
Nutritional Value: None; consumption by non-Drengir predators spreads infection, making the host toxic and unpalatable.
Toxicity: Highly toxic via blood or tissue contact, infecting and converting host cells rapidly. Lethal to most organic species, particularly non-Drengir, as it breaks down tissues and integrates them into the root-mind. Force-sensitives are especially vulnerable due to midi-chlorian interactions. - Other Effects: Leucochloridum Infection softens host tissues, making them plump and appealing to predators, while inducing a compulsion to seek out Drengir or other carnivores, facilitating spore spread. In Force-sensitives, it amplifies Force sensitivity temporarily before subsuming their consciousness. No medicinal qualities; side effects include pain, disorientation, and loss of autonomy.
- Distinctions: Midi-Dren are defined by their cellular-scale infection, combining Drengir's predatory root-mind with midi-chlorian's Force connectivity and maxi-chlorian's persistent consciousness. They morph host bodies, creating meaty, tendril-covered forms that attract predators. In Force-rich environments, their growths are more pronounced, with bioluminescent pulses signaling active infection.
- Collective Domination: Midi-Dren combine the Drengir's root-mind with maxi-chlorian's persistent consciousness, enabling rapid coordination and assimilation of host knowledge. Infected hosts act in unison, driven to spread the infection by seeking out Drengir or predators, amplifying their reach.
- Force Amplification and Corruption: Their midi-chlorian heritage enhances Force sensitivity in hosts temporarily, making them more susceptible to the root-mind's control. This allows Midi-Dren to manipulate Force-sensitives into betraying allies or delivering themselves to Drengir maws.
- Force Nullification: Force-nullifying fields (e.g., ysalamiri) disrupt their midi-chlorian and root-mind connections, halting infection progression and severing host control, rendering them dormant or ineffective.
- Force Light Vulnerability: Light side Force abilities, such as Force Light, destabilize their dark side-infused structure, destroying the supercells and reversing infection in early stages.
- Atmospheric Dependency: Like Drengir, Midi-Dren require oxygen to propagate and sustain infection; exposure to a vacuum halts their cellular activity, leading to spore death.
- Progenitor Dependency: Tied to a Great Progenitor, Midi-Dren suffer disorientation, dormancy, or destruction if the Progenitor is neutralized or killed, depending on the severity of the Progenitor's fate.
The Midi-Dren were developed in the biological weapons division of Al-Khālī's Academy of the Dead by Sith alchemist Seras, who sought to create an infectious supercell bioweapon by merging Drengir spores with midi-chlorian and maxi-chlorian properties. Using Sith alchemy and bioengineering, Seras extracted midi-chlorians from Force-sensitive captives and maxi-chlorian techniques inspired by Darth Tenebrous's experiments, fusing them with Drengir biology. The resulting hybrid was designed to infiltrate living hosts, particularly Force-sensitives, transforming them into pliable, predator-enticing vessels that spread the infection. Initial tests on remote worlds demonstrated their horrific potential, with infected populations succumbing to the root-mind and luring predators to propagate the spores. The Midi-Dren's ability to exploit Force sensitivity and manipulate host behavior made them a devastating tool for Sith campaigns targeting Jedi and populated worlds. Seras continues to refine the Midi-Dren, aiming to enhance their infectious range and resistance to Force-based countermeasures, solidifying their role as a catastrophic plague in Sith biological warfare.