Approved Species Vir

[Soliath Devin Talith]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To sub an interesting species for Thral that was first RP'd years ago.
• ​Image Credit: chris-illustrator
• Canon: N/A
• Links: N/A

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Name: Vir
• Designation: Semi-Sentient
• Homeworld: Thral
• Language: N/A
• Average Lifespan: 2-3 Months Without Host, Lifespan of Host
• Estimated Population: Planetary
• Description:

The Vir are a creature that can only be described with some difficulty.

As organisms on their own they appear to be little more than tiny little worms. In their infant form they dwell within the stagnant waters of Thral, hiding within swamps, ponds, and blocked off streams. These little Parasites on their own grow to only be about an inch or so long, jet black and easily missed unless in the direct sunlight. They appear little more than tiny little specks most of the time, and thus are easy enough to miss.

Once within a host however it becomes an entirely different story.

The Vir attach themselves to a victims spinal column, utilizing tiny hook like appendages to attach themselves to bone and 'locking' themselves in place. They then use their tendril like mouths to hook into their hosts nervous systems. From their they perform their function and initiate their symbiotic relationship. Once this process begins the Vir grows exponentially, becoming larger and larger upon the victims spine as well as growing it's tendrils throughout the body.

At it's largest point The Vir will quite literally spread through every inch of it's victims body, taking over it's nervous system and co-mingling to such a degree that removing the creature becomes completely and entirely impossible.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

• Breathes: Type IV(Water, inside of a body)
• Average height of adults: N/A
• Average length of adults: N/A
• Skin color: N/A
• Hair color: N/A
• Distinctions:

Vir are parasitic worm like creatures that dwell within the waters of Thral. These odd little creatures can be found all across the planet, usually within stagnant water such as ponds, blocked streams, puddles, and anything else that allows them to live in relative safety.

Outside of a host the Vir are practically docile. They do not do much of anything except for float within the water and wait for any living being to cling or catch onto. This is their only purpose in their lives, and if they find no life to cling to they will eventually die after two or three months. Luckily for the Vir, there are plenty of creature on Thral who do not have the sense to avoid stagnant water.

Once inside of a host the Vir moves itself through the bloodstream, eventually catching onto the hosts spinal column. There it begins it's work, growing into a large worm like creature that digs into the bone and 'slices' into the hosts spinal column. From there it encourages and grows through the use of the force, spreading throughout the body and allowing the host to draw on more and more power until eventually the parasite is able to gorge itself almost continuously upon the force.

At this point the parasite becomes a mass of writhing tentacles, having spread throughout the hosts nervous system and bloodstream making it impossible remove even by the most skilled surgeons in the galaxy.

• Races: N/A
• Strengths:

[+]Force Enhancement: The Vir primarily feed upon the force. They are a creature that was created as an act of cruelty to those who can touch the unique source of power. The parasites essentially work by infecting a host and taking their place on the spinal column, from there they act as a unique sort of 'conduit'. This conduit allows the parasites host to draw upon more of the force than is usually possible for said being. This power increase is gradual, going up further as the creature grows and spreads throughout the body. The Vir encourages the use of the force through simple nudges of emotions, allowing it to gorge itself upon the force and grow throughout its host.*
[+]Symbiosis: At it's core the Vir requires a host to survive. Due to this the creature will sometimes 'lend its strength' to it's host. Though the parasite does not have the same effect as bacta or anti-toxins, the creature does have the ability to aid in healing somewhat. With the Vir aiding them one is able to heal slightly faster, survive certain toxins more easily, and generally have more stamina than normal.

• Weaknesses:

[-]Parasite: The Vir is not your friend. These creatures do not seekk true symbioses, they do not have your best interest at heart, and in the end prolonged 'use' of the Vir will lead to ones death. These parasites are exactly that, they seek to gorge themselves upon the force so that they may grow and further take over their host. The only goal that a Vir has is to spread throughout it's host, crawling and sprawling throughout ones veins and nerves until eventually the body is literally ready to explode. The Vir will push someone to use the force again and again, encouraging them to unleash their power so that it may feast and grow. When it is large enough, literally at the point of eruption, the Vir will kill it's victim and 'burst' from it's host's corpse, unleashing its children into nearby bodies of water in order to further spread the parasite.
[-]Dependency: Once inside of a host the Vir acts as a 'conduit' for the force. It essentially allows the host to utilize the Vir as a way to access the force rather than usual methods of concentration or emotion. This act of being a 'conduit' feeds the Vir, and of course wishing to create a dependency the Vir itself will allow the user more power as well as eliciting dopamine and serotonin reactions. In effect, the Vir will drug it's host, encouraging them to draw upon the force through it and it alone. This allows the Vir to feast and grow, spreading throughout it's host's body.
[-]Mood Swings: Due to the intertwining of the Vir and a host's nervous system, the Parasite tends to cause extreme mood swings within it's victims. These mood swings can range from terrible anger to extreme depression. This effect is not an intentional one on the part of the parasite, and is in fact more of a reaction of the creature being unable to understand or comprehend emotion. These Mood swings often occur more frequently and more harshly the longer the Host goes without using the force through The Vir.
[-]Control: Even though the Vir enhances ones force use on a base level, there are difficulties in it's utilizations as a 'conduit' of power. Because the Vir feeds off of the force that is utilized, the effects of ones abilities are sometimes different than they intend. This means that if someone utilized the Vir to attempt a force push, said force push might at times be far weaker, or far more powerful than they want it to be. The same goes for every other force power utilized through the Vir. This can become extremely perplexing and even dangerous when in combat, and can lead to the force user harming himself and or others around him.
[-]Electricity: The Vir does not enjoy electricity. When inside of a victim, and at a point where it becomes truly intertwined, the Vir will react violently and harshly to even the most dialed down electric shocks. A small static Shock to the finger would be enough to send the Vir into a violent rage, triggering one of the above mentioned mood swings. Anything more would cause the host of the Vir to feel extreme pain far beyond the usual reaction. This damages the Vir to the extent where it can cause extreme paralysis and even death, mostly due to the adverse reaction of the Vir itself.
[-]Blue Shadow Virus: Though thought impossible to remove once spread throughout the entire body, there is one method to killing The Vir even when it is fit to burst from it's host. A direct application of the Blue Shadow Virus into the creature will kill it. This procedure needs to be done extremely carefully and consists of cutting into the host's spine and injecting the creature directly with the Virus. If this is done the Parasite will die, and over the course of several days slowly 'retract' from the host until it can eventually be cut from the spine. Obviously the host is still left with extreme damage throughout their body, their muscles, nerves, veins, and arteries would likely suffer permanent damage unless substantially healed and surgically repaired.
[-]Connection: Once removed from the Body besides extensive physical damage, a victim once infected with the Vir will find difficulty within using the force. This is mostly due to the fact that the Vir was once a 'conduit' to the Force, and once the parasite is removed that conduit is as well. Many Force Users must relearn to utilize the force after the Vir is gone, a troubling prospect for those whom had frequently relied upon the creature in the past.

CULTURE

• Diet: The Force
• Communication: N/A
• Technology level: N/A
• Religion/Beliefs: N/A
• General behavior:

The Vir are parasites.

Their one and only goal is to infect a being that is capable of utilizing the force. Of course since every living being save very few are connected to the force itself, this means that the Vir strikes it lucky with generally anything alive.

Once inside of a host the Vir acts as a conduit for the use of the force, essentially becoming a new method of accessing the hidden powers of the universe. Each time a victim utilizes the force through the Vir the creatures grows. Utilizing the force itself the creature becomes stronger, spreading through the host and taking deeper root within it's victim. This trend continues over and over again, with the Vir effecting the users body and emotions as much as it can.

This is the Vir's behavior, 'gracing' a victim with more power in the force while utilizing said power to grow and eventually root itself in the hosts body.

Once the Vir has sufficiently grown, the creature begins it's reproductive cycle. Parts of it's system become dedicated to morphing itself hermaphroditic, producing thousands upon thousands larvae inside of itself. Once this process is complete, the Vir utilizes it's hosts nervous system to trigger a massive emotional burst in the hope of forcing it's victim to reach out and use the force.

This act is intended to kill the victim via literally bursting. The Vir will gorge itself on this mass outlet of the force, growing until the Host quite literally 'pops'. Once this occurs the larvae that had been growing within the Vir's body will be spread, and from there go on to hopefully infect other victims.

All in all this process can of course take months depending on several factors including the Host's relative strength in the force, how often the host utilizes the Vir, and conditions around the Vir when has taken root fully in ones body.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Though the Vir were only recently 'discovered' by the Moross Crusade, they actually have quite a long history within the outer rim worlds that surround Thral.

These creatures are something deeply rooted in myth and legend, both that of the Moross Crusade and the histories of the people of Wild Space. It appears that the Vir have for some thousands of years been utilized as weapons by various tribes and warring civilizations within the reaches of Wild Space.

Though Jedi and Sith are of course the greatest of force using traditions within the galaxy, they are hardly the end all be all of force users. Many thousands of civilizations have known of the force and those in wild space are no exception. Through research, the Moross Crusade discovered that several civilizations within Wild Space not only knew of the force, but of the Vir and what they could do with it.

Admittedly it is unlikely that these people knew exactly what they were doing, but it is known that some, at least, were aware of the forces capabilities.

To these civilizations the Vir were not something to be feared, but rather a weapon to be utilized.

Ships were sent to Thral early on to 'harvest' the Parasities. Warriors and innocents alike were infected with the Vir, then utilized and combatants in interplanetary and continental wars. Those who used the Vir were pushed to fight and use the force as much as they could, their increased power being seen as nothing less than tools of war. These traditions apparently continued for centuries until eventually the dangers of the Vir were finally too much for the various tribes to bare any longer.

Thousands of years after the tribes of Wild Space ceased utilizing the Vir, Moross Crusade researchers stumbled upon the tiny parasites.

The Crusade was the first truly studied the effects of the creatures, logging their development and coming to understand what the creatures were capable of.

Soliael Devin Talith, then the Moross God known as Neth experimented upon the creatures. Utilizing his vast knowledge Soliael infected the creatures with a variant of the Technovirus, eventually installing one of the Parasites into himself and utilizing it to gain further control of the force. For years the creature remained in his body, growing and feasting even as it succumbed to the TechnoVirus.

It was only by the grace of his new found love [member="Kira Talith"], that Soliael managed to free himself of the creature.

After this experience with the Vir, and the knowledge of what they could become if truly allowed to revel inside oneself Soliael declared the creatures a plague. The Moross Crusade destroyed all of it's samples of the Parasites, though the knowledge gained was kept and recorded(now held by Soliael himself as well as a few others). It was shortly after this that the Crusade collapsed, and all memory of the Vir once again forgotten.

*Obviously this has an upper limit in RP, utilizing the Vir inside oneself doesn't automatically make them a force god, rather their 'potential strength' is simply upped. Padawans become only slightly stronger in raw potential, and the growth tops out at a certain point for even masters. NFU's are not made equal to Force Masters or even Knights, rather they can at most become equivalent to acolytes or untrained padawans. I would leave this to the discretion of the RP'er, and as always if someone seriously pushes the limits it can and should be reported.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Hi, I'll be reviewing your worms today. If there is any questions regarding the submission, just feel free to tag me in response to this thread and I'll get back to you ASAP.

As soon as I read everything over, I'll respond accordingly with any questions I have, if any at all.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Just a few things before I give this approval;

[-]Electricity: The Vir does not enjoy electricity. When inside of a victim, and at a point where it becomes truly intertwined, the Vir will react violently and harshly to even the most dialed down electric shocks. A small static Shock to the finger would be enough to send the Vir into a violent rage, triggering one of the above mentioned mood swings. Anything more would cause the host of the Vir to feel extreme pain far beyond the usual reaction.

Mood swings and extreme pain are good, but considering that this parasite does allow NFU's to become FU's, I'm not sure all the weaknesses really add up to make this balanced. I'd say electricity could more likely kill the parasite, essentially killing the user, if not seizures or something else along the lines of spasmatic action that would pull someone out of action. Just to help balance out the power this actually gives.

[-]Blue Shadow Virus: Though thought impossible to remove once spread throughout the entire body, there is one method to killing The Vir even when it is fit to burst from it's host. A direct application of the Blue Shadow Virus into the creature will kill it. This procedure needs to be done extremely carefully and consists of cutting into the host's spine and injecting the creature directly with the Virus. If this is done the Parasite will die, and over the course of several days slowly 'retract' from the host until it can eventually be cut from the spine.

As far as injecting a toxin to kill the creature, is there a reason it is only the Blue Shadow Virus? Could it not be anything from a heavy metal poisoning to more alchemic means, or is there something that stops it from being affected by conventional poisons? My real concern here is how much of the submissions says you can't fix it, but there is obviously this saying you can; especially since there is no point in the entire process that there is no turning back. Are there lasting damages from utilizing the parasite, such as nerve damage or even straight paralysis since it replaced a portion of the spine; or something else even? There certainly has to be an actual offset to this.

Another thing on this, what's stopping the Blue Shadow Virus from simply killing the host as well considering how contagious it is? If their symbiotic relationship is so intertwined, I'd have a pretty good feeling that the host would get infected and suffer just as much as the parasite itself, leave along the logistics of it 'retracting its body' once its killed like this. Wouldn't having an extremely ingrained parasite in your body still be difficult to pull out, whether it was a corpse or not?

Answer those questions, edit them into the post itself, and tag me when you're ready. I think this is a great submission, just want to work through some of the issues before hand!

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="The Slave"]

Added further weakness to Electricity, basically stating shocks will debilitate and sometimes kill.

As for your questions of the Blue Shadow Virus and permanent damage;

I picked the BSV mostly because it is canonically known as an extremely effective toxin that is lethal to pretty much everyone and everything in the galaxy unless the antidote is delivered within 48 hours. This is important because the Vir is resistant to other toxins(hence why it can aid in the survival of them when inside of a host). I imagine that other poisons could hurt it, but the Blue Shadow Virus is the only thing that will kill it and cause it to shrivel and retract into itself. Why is this? Well because I say so and I think it's a neat aspect that this super deadly Virus is the only thing that can save someones life.

As for it's contagious property, in it's original form the Virus was a waterborne entity, and was only later 'extra' deadly when it was turned airborne. We never really learn if it can hop from creature to creature or is just already there, that's my excuse for it not spreading to the host. Thin in real life medical terms, but this is star wars.

Your last point is a great one, and I have edited in that even once removed the Parasite leaves behind extensive damage within the host. Honestly this was sort of obvious and I just completely forgot about it, but yes I imagine muscles, tendons, nerves, would all be damaged quite a bit. I've also added that ones connection to the force suffers after the Removal of the Vir since it once acted as a 'conduit'. Something my Character had to go through.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As for it's contagious property, in it's original form the Virus was a waterborne entity, and was only later 'extra' deadly when it was turned airborne. We never really learn if it can hop from creature to creature or is just already there, that's my excuse for it not spreading to the host. Thin in real life medical terms, but this is star wars.

This may be star wars, but if I'm entirely honest I'm not concerned about how medically accurate it is; so much that much of the weaknesses mentioned seem to counter themselves directly following. For instance, much of the submissions says how much of a death sentence these truly are, yet follow that up by saying you can actually remove them if you want. Or that they cause severe permanent damage, unless of course you get surgery and medical operations to assist with it.

[-]Blue Shadow Virus: Though thought impossible to remove once spread throughout the entire body, there is one method to killing The Vir even when it is fit to burst from it's host. A direct application of the Blue Shadow Virus into the creature will kill it. This procedure needs to be done extremely carefully and consists of cutting into the host's spine and injecting the creature directly with the Virus. If this is done the Parasite will die, and over the course of several days slowly 'retract' from the host until it can eventually be cut from the spine. Obviously the host is still left with extreme damage throughout their body, their muscles, nerves, veins, and arteries would likely suffer permanent damage unless substantially healed and surgically repaired.

This entirely isn't a weakness, considering its contradictory mention to most of the submission. I'd list this more in the description rather than anything else.

Now as far as weaknesses do go, I can meet you in the middle here; make mention that the use of the force isn't anything extreme and can top out pretty early for NFU's (Think Acolyte/Low Knight at the end of the cycle), while even FU's are bound to get some other serious drawback. I want to see something viable, that if people do RP this, they will be forced to display a weakness and realize it, rather than just make fictional positioned excuse of 'Oh no, my character got this surgery' or 'oh, the parasite just isn't that far along yet.' Something truly concrete that draws it back, and I'll give this the go ahead.

Its a great submission, I just don't believe its balanced just yet.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="The Slave"]

I'm not sure I follow your logic on the Virus not being a weakness. One can remove them yes, but only by acquiring one of the rarest and deadliest poisons in the entire galaxy. Which while the parasite itself wouldn't transmit it, is still incredibly dangerous to actually utilize, not to mention difficult to get your hand on in the first place. Sure someone could just handwave that they magically have it in one post but if they want to do that...why would they RP any downside I put in anyway? In my opinion it absolutely is a Weakness because the only thing that can help you is acquiring this incredibly deadly and rare toxin. Not to mention that even after it is removed someone has to have extensive surgery and operations in order to get better, something that's not all that far-fetched in a universe where a dude that literally got cut in half is walking around just fine for 20+ years.

So yes, the BSV counter-acts the 'deadly' portion of the Vir, but the recovery from the parasite would and should still take years of extensive treatment. Not to mention that even finding the Virus would be extremely difficult. If someone doesn't RP that out...that's on them, not the submission.

I have added the NFU Disclaimer to the bottom yellow portion of the sub.

As for your request for a more palpable weakness, i added this;

[-]Control: Even though the Vir enhances ones force use on a base level, there are difficulties in it's utilizations as a 'conduit' of power. Because the Vir feeds off of the force that is utilized, the effects of ones abilities are sometimes different than they intend. This means that if someone utilized the Vir to attempt a force push, said force push might at times be far weaker, or far more powerful than they want it to be. The same goes for every other force power utilized through the Vir. This can become extremely perplexing and even dangerous when in combat, and can lead to the force user harming himself and or others around him.

I believe that satisfies your request for something that people cannot ignore while utilizing the Vir.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

If someone doesn't RP that out...that's on them, not the submission.

While this may be true, my job is to balance the submission; not the writer.

So, to add; while your 'Control' weakness is certainly a great one, its what I'd consider a soft weakness. The difference between a soft weakness and a hard weakness is just that; what are up to the writer to write into their RP (IE: Expensive Sword, Gets Hungry Quick, Etc), things that are subjective to the writer's whim, and ignorable should the situation arise they don't want it to interfere with them. While they can certainly add together to be great, they aren't what I'm looking for in balancing, because they aren't what balances a submission.

A hard weakness is something that can not be avoided. It is a defining drawback that must be followed should anyone use the submission, regardless of intent. What I'm looking for is a singular hard weakness, think something like 'Can only be used for Telekinesis force powers' or 'Any electrical shock will cause severe seizing, resulting in the debilitation of the user' or even 'Any light side power utilized by the user will result in immediate feedback from the force, resulting in severe injury', something that is concrete and can not be handwaved by either fictional positioning, nor the requirement of the writer to follow the other sections of the submission.

All I require is a singular concrete submission that, while it certainly can be prevented, is not avoidable should it occur; by either the writer nor anyone else.

Sound alright? That'll be my singular true requirement for approval, as everything is more nitpicking on story than anything else.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="The Slave"]

'Any electrical shock will cause severe seizing, resulting in the debilitation of the user'

A small static Shock to the finger would be enough to send the Vir into a violent rage, triggering one of the above mentioned mood swings. Anything more would cause the host of the Vir to feel extreme pain far beyond the usual reaction. This damages the Vir to the extent where it can cause extreme paralysis and even death, mostly due to the adverse reaction of the Vir itself.

This was edited into the sub on your first request. Literally any electrical application above a small static shock will cause extreme pain to the host that can lead to paralysis and even death.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Literally any electrical application above a small static shock will cause extreme pain to the host that can lead to paralysis and even death.

Pain is one of those things people ignore, unfortunately, so the wording isn't quite what is intended; and mentioning death is just like anything else, entirely up to the writer if it happens. This still stands, or you'll have to look for a second chance.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="The Slave"]

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking? I literally have included a weakness that you yourself suggested and including the wording. You suggested seizures and debilitation. Paralysis is debilitating and so is death. I can add in seizures if you really want me to but by your logic that also wouldn't really matter because it's subjective.

How would you like me to further change it?

 

[Darth Empyrean]

This damages the Vir to the extent where it can cause extreme paralysis and even death, mostly due to the adverse reaction of the Vir itself.

Simply change 'can' to will, and we'll be good.

Its simply a matter of wording, and how others can spin that later on down the road.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="The Slave"]

Okay I have done so, but I am going to point out to you that this actually doesn't even matter.

I understand your thought process in trying to "force" someone to RP the weakness, but due to the rules of the board it doesn't actually even matter and the change of wording in this submission doesn't really change that. If for whatever reason someone doesn't want something to happen to their character then it won't happen, regardless of the language in a sub or what anyone else tries to do. That's just how chaos works. This is why the language of the sub was "can", because no one on Chaos can force any action on anyone else. That's godmodding.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Primary approval given, pending secondary.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Quietus]

Simply change 'can' to will, and we'll be good.

Its simply a matter of wording, and how others can spin that later on down the road.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

I'm going to disagree with my Codex Judge here as, like stated, you cannot force a writer on Chaos to comply with something like this. The weakness itself is fine, the wording in this manner is not. Please change the wording back to "can" and this will be ready for approval.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Mahet"]

Done

 

[Quietus]

Approved.