Pox Shadows

Pox Shadow Identification by Anthroparanormalist Cathaleen Garamund

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Misguided and gullible Orfiens are favorable hosts for the survival of Pox Shadow organisms. Pox Shadows perform like parasites. When Sacculondia take over Crusthoulians, the crustaceans incubate Sacculondia parasite eggs. A Pox Shadow can inhabit the Orfiens, who dwell between the realms of the living and the deceased. Queen Cirsea motivated her own battalion of Shadows to locate the Orfiens, with the help of Demi god acolytes.
The Orfiens' goal was to build a colony on an island she had cursed, and she was certain of it. Utilizing her knowledge of celestial object shadows, she directed Shadows to a nearby location and patiently waited for the Orfiens to starve or freeze. The Shadows put forward a compromise when they were ready to surrender. Orfiens, under the authority of their Taskmasters, agreed to safeguard the Shadows in return for the potential of future restoration. The Orfiens were not rescued; they were forced into a blend of life and death.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Pox Shadows are seen between the object’s light source and the surface where the shadow is cast, often realized as a silhouette. The Orfien is Shadow’s surface. The effect is that the Shadow is never seen, but it can project itself through the eyes and skin of a deteriorating corpse. Even without a vibrant light source. Because the Shadow can use any image for any moment in the Orfien’s pitiful life, it is capable of shapeshifting a cadaver into the being it once was to a wall or floor surface. The Orfien needs only to provide the form.
Although the Shadows lack sapience, Queen Cirsea granted them logical sentience. Neither are Shadows’ emotional creatures, but they can profess feelings that are recorded’s limbic system. There was no reason to transform into a doppelgänger. Finding a dim-witted Orfien was all they needed to do.

Biological Traits

Pox Shadow Traits

• Lurking in shadows, able to imitate targets or morph into frightening shapes that represent hidden fears or anxieties.
• Evil twins formed from shadows, appearing identical to the person they target with virulent intentions.
• Species that shift between shadow and creature forms.
• Otherworldly power to manipulate and control shadows including shapeshifting or projecting forms.
• The ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others through their shadows.
• Practices or ancient magic that allow individuals to shift between shadow and flesh, often requiring specific rituals or sacrifices.

Behaviour

How plebes interact with their host is under the control of the Order of the Shadow. The Orfiens stranded on the Cirsea Isles can be easily manipulated by parasitic Shadows. Reservoir Shadows were impacted by the deep-seated loathing of an outraged queen towards the empress who once governed the area. The Queen's rule vanished a long time ago. There was a time when she cast curses. Some were forgotten, but not withdrawn.
The Pox Shadows possess just enough logic to carry out their horrifying deeds. Orfiens are naïve and at risk of extinction, while Crusthoulians are only interested in food and finding a place to live. Horrendous storms are serving as a deterrent for visitors to the islands where the miserable lot is located. The creatures are now faced with the challenge of survival. Their plans require malicious ingenuity.

Civilization and Culture

History

During a short investigation at the Order of the Shadows Church, Botanist and parnormal anthroparanormalist, Cathaleen Garamund spotted her first Pox Shadow attached to an Orfien. The creature vanished into the dense haze, which was even thicker than the mist on Cirsea Isle, after she caught a glimpse of it for a moment. She requested the buggy driver to trail the ghoul, but he insisted it was just the haze she spotted. A multitude of researchers explored the woods in pursuit of legendary monsters, only to find out they were not real. Cathaleen was underwhelmed. She opened her annotated spell book and grimoire upon returning to her bungalow at the Seasway Resort. She quickly examined the footnotes.
One of the notes depicted a painting found in a Coastal Cave. The painting portrays a scuba diver being confronted by exaggerated shadows radiating from a cave pool, marking an early representation of shadow. The pitch dark cave was devoid of any light. The diver seemed absolutely terrified. The cite stated that the diver died as a result of an atmospheric pressure of roughly 6,000 psi, although the cave floor was at sea level.
Cathaleen concluded that the strangely shaped shadow she witnessed had no correlation with the time of day or sunlight direction. Two shadows, indistinguishable from each other, were seen trying to climb onto a heap of bones left for inspection following a dig. The memory of it resurfaced from the notes in her grimoire. One of the researchers identical shadows was diagrammed and annotated with the word soul. The other shadow was annotated with the word.
Prior to her unfortunate death, she had planned to delve deeper into the study of the shadow self and shadow puppetry. One possible explanation for Shadows' odd association could be a useful teaching tool for her students. Is it possible that certain shadows are not just a play of light and dark, but tiny parasites controlled by curses meant to confuse and trouble people burdened by an unhealable guilt, accompanied by an ever-present shadow? Reminding and following them? Particularly when the subject is not entirely dead. Cathaleen had interviewed many undead.

Pox Shadows Hosted by Orfiens by ROD w/Midjourney

Shadow Cleaved to Orfien Host

Reservoir Shadow Cleaved to Orfien by ROD w/Midjourney

Genetics and Reproduction

Pox Shadows are minuscule single-celled organisms that don't rely on sunlight or candlelit rooms to elongate their shadows. In order to magnify their size, they require a corpse as a projection surface. Queen Cirsea was assured by her Demi-god advisors that, at 40 nanometers, they would remain invisible and undetectable to humans.
Despite having DNA, ribosomes, and a cell membrane as their essentials, the Pox Shadows still require inspiration to reproduce. Inspiration is found amidst the trance of hostility. Given the limited opportunity for reproduction, it is crucial to locate a corpse capable of controlling parasite infections. It is important they acquired no resistance to leeches or plagues during their biological lifetimes.
When reproduction happens, the infant Shadows are promptly introduced to an Orfien. Recruitment is necessary for the 1st to 10th generation Orfiens, as they can no longer serve as Reservoirs for Shadows. The Order of the Shadows is primarily focused on recruiting members.
The absence of a shadow in the Pox Shadow is not due to a lack of light, but rather an interesting symbiotic relationship. An Orfien body continues to absorb light during high noon ceremonies with humans.

Symbiotic and Parasitic Species

The Pox Shadow is a cell that collects thousands of offspring and is parasitic in nature. The progeny generate a gentle glow that warms the deceased and hastens decomposition. The Shadows manipulate the almost-dead Ofrien until the decay is finished. Shadows have the ability to dim light and hinder the Orfien's heat intake. Only the Orfiens, Shadows, and their gods, the Crusthoulians, are invited to these temple rituals. The Crusthoulians fill dead Orfiens with eggs to extend their uncertain existence. Ghouls, being easily led and gullible, believe they are consuming life-sustaining proteins.
The Pox Shadow stabilizes its cadaver and dims its projection while in stealth shade mode. The ghoul's shapeshifted disguise is the visible skin seen in any direction. This is useful during services in the candle lit Order of the Shadows gatherings. The congregation, not yet committed, fails to realize it's all just a projection.
Cathaleen Orchid Garamund

If they were open to finding the truth, the initiates would find a dead corpse bent at the waist being held up by whatever cobwebs and crumbled rafters fill the thousand year old building.

Scientific Name

Parastic Shadowignisms

Origin/Ancestry

Sacculondia Gooze

Lifespan

Shadow Lasts Through Corpse Disintegration

Average Height

Contours to the Shape of the Host

Average Length

Stretches With the Sun

Discovered by

Cathaleen Garamund