The Illuminated
Background
In the deepest parts of Zekiah Swamp, places deemed inhospitable for even the most seasoned explorer, life always seems to find a way. No one knows exactly how The Illuminated came to be, be it the rad storms that commonly buffet the swamp, the proliferation of Red Milkweed, the seemingly endless number of undead, or something else entirely but their presence has been undeniable to the peoples of The Bailey. Similar to their wasteland cousins, The Illuminated hold a profound connection to Infection and the Mortis Amaranthine with many finding themselves worshiping it like a faith. However, unlike their Wasteland cousins, The Illuminated are overflowing with life as if the concentrated Infection within them has grown and proliferated the life around them, causing them to spread small traces of Infection wherever they go and giving them a dull yellow glow across their bodies. To continue to survive the dangers of the swamp The Illuminated have learned to wield the power of life that they have evolved to harness. When hiding, fleeing, or simply defending themselves isn’t enough, their ability to heal their comrades from grevious and life threatening injuries from a distance has greatly aided in their survivability as well as the random unfortunate soul dying loudly that an Illuminated has luckily happened upon.
Life in Zekiah Swamp is not pleasant for even The Illuminated, but over time they have figured out how to make the best of their surroundings. Most Illuminated that live within the swamp have taken to building small groups of tree houses high up in the canopy out of salvaged materials from the swamp, connecting many houses together with vines that form small bridges. These groups of Illuminated typically contain less than around 30 adults forming what they call a cluster. When the cluster begins to swell to an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous number, for the more people you have in one area the higher chance of attracting zombies, they simply bud away and divide the cluster in half, with half volunteering to leave to make their own cluster for the safety of all. This practice has kept hundreds if not thousands of The Illuminated alive over the centuries, but not all stay within the swamp. It is uncommon for The Illuminated to leave their swampy home, but several do find themselves venturing out into the rest of The Bailey, looking to find new and safer places to live.
Costume and Roleplay Requirements
The Illuminated benefit from a unique form of symbiosis with the fungal Infection within their veins. Unlike their Wasteland cousins, however, this Infectious biomass did not originate within their own flesh but within the natural environment of Zekiah Swamp itself. Absorbing many traits of the local fungal flora and developing deep veiny growths of material not dissimilar to the uncommon and elusive Red Milkweed, The Illuminated present an appearance that is not entirely Lineage.
Presenting deep red veins beneath the skin and fungal affects along exposed skin, varying from mere color and texturing all the way up to full outgrowths, The Illuminated brim with all of the kinds of growth and life to be found within such a dense and isolated natural environment. This unique relationship with the Infection has a beneficial byproduct: The spores they produce possess incredible but short-lived regeneration in Infection material. This vigorous metabolic activity produces something of a soft golden glow from deep within the flesh of The Illuminated that researchers speculate may be the result of an evolved cellular mechanism to dispose of waste energy in a way other than heat.
Mechanics
Spore Bloom
You can not use this ability if you have Level 8 Exhaustion or higher.
- You may take 10 Points (1.0 Level) of Exhaustion to modify a use of Basic Biogenetics to be Area of Effect instead of a Psionic Attack.
- You may take 30 Points (3.0 Levels) of Exhaustion to call "By my Voice Stabilize".
- You may take 50 Points (5.0 Levels) of Exhaustion to call "By my Voice, All Living, Heal X Body" where X is your current Body halfved rounded down. You Immediately drop into a 1 minute Bleed Out and become Unconcious.
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