[✗] Feat Lore - The Paroth

[Trigamar 77]

Feat Lore - Paroth

Parasitic Marvels of Evolution

 

 

~~Origin~~

The Paroth are an ancient species of parasites, who feed off a host's blood after establishing a mental connection with it. Little to nothing is known of the origins of this species, as they were undiscovered until recently, by an explorer and researcher by the name of Tacitus De Bakker. De Bakker and his one-armed research partner were exploring a series of caves on an island far out to sea, when they stumbled upon the rubble of some sort of ancient vault. Remarkably, the vault door itself was in near-perfect condition, despite the decorative structure being near dust. It is reported that ancient carvings depicted hints of what was to come, but De Bakker was impatient and began the relatively simple process of opening the vault door; a simple push was all that was required. What was inside shocked the researchers to their very cores. Quivering lumps of flesh, gaping maws that gnashed at anything that got near them.

The Paroth.

 

“It is incredible… These creatures, their capabilities, their potential! Sure, the ancient residents of this island may have sealed them away, but they did not see the Possibilities! Imagine, what we could do with this power! These… things.”

- Excerpt from De Bakker’s Journal

 

De Bakker : Quickly now!

Assistant 1 : Sir, are you sure, there could be a reason that these things were…

De Bakker : I am! Do it, now!

Assistant 2 : *Grumbling*

De Bakker : Are you still transcribing this? Stop! Stop writing!

- Transcript recorded by a scribe

 

“It is incredible… While experimenting with a portion of the Paroth, one leapt across the testing area and slammed itself into my research partner’s stump of an arm. This is progress, previously they would only pair with animals. My partner seems reluctant to continue. But this is far too much potential for me to ignore. Far, far too much.”

- Excerpt from the expedition’s research logs.

 

“It has fully paired with my partner now. He marvels at the ease of control the parasite provides. There are almost no negative effects. He does seem quite pale, and perhaps a bit more frail than he was… There is a commotion outside. I shall finish my entry upon my return.”

- Excerpt from De Bakker’s Journal

 

“The Paroth… they’ve gone mad! Their first taste of human blood in what could be milenia, they must have been starved. The things launch themselves at everyone, draining their life blood within seconds. Almost all of my research crew… dead. The power, too much power. Why, why us?”

- Recovered scrap of paper.

 

Tacticus De Bakker returned to the mainland raving mad, ranting of blood sucking monsters that he claimed to have followed him aboard the vessel that he piloted alone back to the mainland. Further inspection of the vessel revealed no evidence of such creatures, and De Bakker was taken away to a remote hospital where he could recover.

 

Magic Explanation

The Paroth are parasitic organisms who establish a mental link with a being who is missing an arm or a leg, serving as a prosthetic. However, this is at the cost of the hosts blood. A Paroth will attach itself to the stump that remains of the severed limb by clamping their maw onto it. They then leech blood from the host. At the beginning, a great amount is required for it to grow into the shape of an arm or a leg. Over eons, they have evolved and learned that by mimicking a part that is useful to a creature, they have a lower chance of being treated like the parasite that they are and removed. This is mostly instinctual, though the organism does take information from the host in order to shape itself. Paroth do not do this beyond any animalistic urges. Their instincts tell them to survive and continue existing, they have no agenda, and they cannot force their host to do anything. The limb is not perfect and has been known to spasm randomly and without warning.

In addition to this, the host will feel the Paroth’s presence in it’s mind, though they cannot interact with it beyond using it as a regular limb. If the creature is totally and completely severed from the host, it dies instantly. However, this is not the end of the Paroth. After one year of drinking the blood of its host, the parasite is fully developed and capable of reproducing. From it’s maw, clamped onto the end of the stump or whatever remains of the limb, it sends several chunks of itself to burrow into the host. These chunks lie dormant until the Paroth is removed from the host fully and totally. On this event, one of the chunks burrows through the host until it is capable of exiting the stump and reattaching itself onto the host, performing the same ritual that the original parasite did when first connecting.

Rambling aside, they serve as a secondary arm or leg due to evolutionary learning and instinctual urges.

A Paroth is only as strong as the host's limb would be, it cannot give a halfling orc strength.

If completely severed, the limb dies.

The host cannot communicate with the limb beyond operating it as a limb.

The parasite can only replicate arms, legs, hands, feet, and ears.

 

My rough interpretation of what a Paroth would look like on a skin.

Please feel free to get creative with these things, this one is kind of bland.

Abilities

Reconnect (Connection)

The Paroth latches onto the host's arm, and begins to leech blood from it. While doing so, it establishes a mental link with its host so as to build it’s form to suit the host, and to enable the host’s control of the limb. While connected, the host can feel the parasite’s presence in their mind, but CANNOT interact with it beyond using it to command the arm as a regular arm.

Host cannot communicate with the Paroth in any way, other than to command it as a regular arm or leg.

During the connection, the host is and feels weak due to the amount of blood being leeched. This is not a deadly amount, but enough so that it MUST be roleplayed.

 

Reconstruct 

If, by any means, the arm is severed, cut, or simply wounded, it will leech a greater amount of blood from its host in order to repair itself. As long as the maw of the creature is still connected to the stump, it can perform this ability. If the creature is totally and completely severed from the host, it dies instantly, so acclimated to the steady supply of blood it had been receiving.

It takes 5 OOC Hours to heal any cuts or wounds on the arm.

It takes 24 OOC Hours to reconstruct a limb that has been severed below the mouth of the Paroth.

Cannot Reconstruct while in combat.

While Reconstructing, the host feels and is weak due to the amount of blood being leeched.

If completely severed, the parasite cannot reconstruct and dies.

 

Rebirth

Once the growing period of one OOC week has passed, the parasite will implant chunks of itself into the host, where they will lie in wait until the parasite is completely severed from the host.

If, by any means, the arm is COMPLETELY severed, the teeth and everything below them cut away, one of the chunks will spur into motion, burrowing through the host until they are able to burst from the body and reattach themselves to where the old parasite was. Once reattached, connection begins again.

These chunks are not removable without killing the host.

They will only activate one at a time, and only when the previous parasite has been completely severed.

 

Regret

If some motion is made to prevent the parasite from freely consuming as much blood as it needs, such as applying a tourniquet or other methods, the parasite will slowly begin to move up the host, consuming it as it goes. It will continue to eat and gnaw at the host until whatever has been preventing it from drinking enough blood has been removed or stopped.

This is generally not fatal, as the parasite will stop before eating any vitals or moving further than the shoulder.

Please do NOT metagame this, if applying a tourniquet is something your character would do, do it.

This significantly weakens the host, on a level similar to that of connection.

 

Mitosis

One who has been a host of a Paroth for over a week is capable of spreading the parasite to others, in much the same manner as the parasite’s rebirth. The host places the limb that is a Paroth onto the being that they wish to infect, and the Paroth will split off a chunk of themselves into the person being infected. This chunk wriggles its way to the area that requires a prosthetic, and there it begins Connection.

THIS REQUIRES OOC CONSENT!

The person being infected must have blood, and its blood must not be poisonous and/or have any effects to those that consume it.

 

‘Tier’ Progression

This feat has no proper tiers, but does have a waiting time before the magic can be fully utilized. This takes a time of one ooc week, as the limb has just connected, and is still constructing itself and establishing a proper mental link. The host is and feels weak at this time due to the high amount of blood that the parasite is consuming at this moment. Not roleplaying this weakness is powergaming.

After this, the limb is able to Reconstruct, and has the same strength as any of the host's other limbs, or however much strength the limb would have. 

 

Miscellaneous Information

• Due to the constant draining of the parasite, a host could often find themselves with bags under their eyes, and their skin becoming paler. This is purely aesthetic, and not enforced.

• The creation and further origins is widely undeveloped. The only confirmed pieces of information is that they were known among an ancient civilization, who eventually locked them away. I’d be happy to work with ST on events that shed more light onto the exact specifics of these parasites. A voidal amalgamation, some deities ancient plaything, an alchemical mishap, or simply a product of evolution. There are endless roads we could take this down, and I’d love to work with you all on each and every one of them. Of course, I’d be fine with the ST doing their own thing as well, don’t want to get too high and mighty.

• I debated on it for a while, but I’ve decided that these things do require a teacher of sorts. This is explained in the Mitosis ability, and no, this is NOT a self-teach feat.

• ST folks, I’d love to converse with you over whether or not this feat requires a signed prosthetic item. I’d say no, It’d just waste your time to have to sign an item every time the person died, but I’d love to hear your say, and the say of any and all commenters.

• I view this as a feat rather than a magic because it’s main purpose is to serve as a leg/arm, lacking abilities that could be used in combat.

• The flesh that makes up the Paroth sometimes quivers and spasms. Nothing large enough to impact RP, but imagine it pulsating slightly.

Redlines

• Only as strong as a host’s regular limb would be.

• If completely severed, the limb dies.

• The host cannot communicate with the parasite beyond controlling as a limb.

• Can only be used as replacement hands, arms, feet, or legs.

• During the first connection and Reconstruction, the host feels weak due to the amount of blood being drained from them. This is not an amount large enough to kill them.

• Cannot Reconstruct while in combat.

• Once the parasite has completed its first OOC week of connection, the chunks will have been implanted, and it is impossible to remove them without the death of the character.

• A character without blood, or one whose blood affects the drinker in any way cannot learn this feat.

• A character whose blood does not flow, or is acquired from alternate methods is required to have a steady supply of blood for the parasite, or their Regret ability will trigger.

• A Paroth cannot drink the blood of anyone other than it’s host.

• A Paroth can mimic the ability of touch, but the sensation is muted and garbled. It will never be perfect, but it is there.

• The Paroth functions as an prosthetic when referring to the Amputation ability in Mysticism, as it is a separate entity, and not a regrowth of the arm.

 

Purpose

I was listening to some music one day, and I thought- “Huh, what if I made an arm parasite?” So I started working on this. For a good while, I left it alone in my 12+ pages of garbage lore, until I pulled it out of the doc and began working on it. I added a few features, changed a few things. None of it would be possible without those who reviewed this and helped me polish it over. Credits to them at the bottom of the lore, they’re some pretty cool people.

I love aesthetics, things that you can rp and have fun with. Little magics that don’t really impact pvp or crp, but are insanely fun to rp with. I built this around that concept. It’s a small magic that has a lot of lore and rp value, but not so much with the crp and pvp. I made this to serve as something fun to rp with. People can get creative with how they treat their new companion, whether as a curse or as a blessing. Maybe they’re a religious figure, and now need to keep this thing swept under the rug, lest they be considered tainted by demons. Or maybe they're an edgy villain who just needs more edgy **** to boost their ego. Either way, thanks for reading this far, and I hope you enjoyed it.

 

Credit to jameson_h (Discord - Tirilan) for several suggestions on polishing and naming.

Credit to SantaNotic (Discord - SantaNotic) for the idea to include something similar to the Regret ability.

Credit to TreeSmoothie (Discord - TreeSmoothie) for suggesting a redline regarding Mysticism and Amputation.

 

 

This is neither here nor there, but I just couldn't find any reference images for this.

Sorry.

Edit 1 - Changed up the font a bit.

Edit 3 - Patching up formatting! Hopefully this is better.

Edit 4 - New redline! New credit! Thank you all!

Edited December 3, 2020 by Trigamar
Worked on formatting for a little while, tried to fix some phrasing.

[Notic 941]

Venom vibes

[Gustando 1453]

I recommend patching up your formatting a bit. Have Origins, magic explanation etc a diff color because it now all looks like a big mush of orange and just generally less pleasant to look at personally.

[Trigamar 77]

9 minutes ago, Tyrone1 said:

I recommend patching up your formatting a bit. Have Origins, magic explanation etc a diff color because it now all looks like a big mush of orange and just generally less pleasant to look at personally.

Yeah, I'm pretty bad at formatting, but thanks for the advice!
I'll get right on that.

[TreeSmoothie 4862]

God, this is pretty cool. I want it 👁👁

[Sorcerio 4594]

Interesting...

[Yaldabaoth 743]

V Solid concept, I think with work on reformatting, and rephrasing, it’d be pretty neat.

[Trigamar 77]

Just now, Mojo said:

V Solid concept, I think with work on reformatting, and rephrasing, it’d be pretty neat.

Reformatting is major WIP, I'm pretty much **** at it.
I'm thinking grey text might be cool, with some darker and lighter elements. I'll def play around with it a little.

Oh, and what do you mean by rephrasing? I'll do my best to fix it.

[squakhawk 7303]

This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.