Unicorns
The common depiction of Unicorns as holy and pure creatures of myth is, in fact, a myth.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The truth about Unicorns lies in their horns, or more specifically, what their horns are attached to. A Unicorn is often seen and depicted as a horse with a single spiral horn emerging from the center of its forehead. This object, often sought after for its powerful magical qualities, does not in fact belong to the horse. Rather, the horn is a result of the parasitic aberration that has burrowed through the front of the skull, consuming the brain of the creature, and replacing it.
These creatures, whose origins are still unknown, are highly intelligent as well as being powerful magic users and psionics. They are able to use these powers through the bodies they have invaded, making it seem like the magic originates from the infected creature, and not the parasite residing in their head. This combination of knowledge and power has led to the resulting horned creatures becoming revered by many cultures.
The "horns" of Unicorns are actually the shell of the Aberration that has grown to seal and protect the hole through which they originally entered the skull of the host. This being said, they are still powerful magical objects and are sought after for creating medicines, wands and other magical items and concoctions.
Genetics and Reproduction
The aberration will, after consuming a Sentient Creature's brain, begin to grow uncontrollably, often causing the head and skull to swell. After a time, the parasite will begin to divide rapidly, until an amount of identical Creatures, each a clone of the original, literally explode from the swollen head, immediately searching for the nearest Creature to attach and burrow into the head of.
Ecology and Habitats
Unicorns can be found in any local that their host body is located in. They often seek out Sentient Creatures, playing into the local beliefs of those creatures in order to better ingratiate themselves and gain access to Sentient brains.
Dietary Needs and Habits
While the aberrations consume brains, this is primarily in order to gain control of the host body. They are capable of consuming and surviving off of any foodstuffs that their host body would normally eat. For example, a horse-based Unicorn is capable of surviving off a diet of grass and plants, just as a normal horse would be able to, and a tiger-based Unicorn would be able to survive off of a meat-based diet.
Behaviour
Very friendly, almost to a concerning degree, Unicorns are actually mostly Sociopaths. They will do anything to come off as innocent and friendly, using their latent psionic powers to read the minds of anyone nearby in order to best assume the role of a Unicorn. They only approach Sentient Species in order to acquire access to their brains for the purpose of reproduction.
It is unknown why they seem to prefer horses, but some scholars believe it is to perpetuate the original Myth in order to more easily approach Sentient Creatures.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The aberrations themselves are able to read the minds of any who are close to them, deciphering how best to act to come off as innocent, friendly and agreeable. This is because their most sought after food is the brain of Sentient Creatures, as they require the complex mix of chemicals and energies contained within a Sentient Brain in order to reproduce, which occurs via mitosis.
Conservation Status
There are an unknown number of Unicorns in the world, as they are capable of rapid reproduction in the correct circumstances. However, those that are found are often rapidly hunted for their horns. Due to the Myths surrounding Unicorns, most kingdoms have declared the hunting of the creatures frowned upon, but few raise questions when Unicorn Horns are sold on the market.
