Surrealia - A Bioluminescent Horror

The Solar Flare

Several months ago a solar flare, emanating from a nearby star designated Helios-X17, crashed into the dense jungles of Surrealia. The flare caused the entire planet to mutate in bizarre and unexpected ways. Its jungles turned into bioluminescent labyrinths while much of its normally docile fauna morphed into horrific and bizarre predators. This sort of rapid mutation of not only the wildlife but the environment itself is unheard of in the scientific community. These sorts of effects are only seen in smaller doses, and typically only after an extreme Abnormality Events. And even then, these sorts of effects are either temporary or only affect a creature or two, or a room, not an entire planet and a vast swathe of its population.
Researchers studying this phenomenon have stated that the effects of this solar flare are not in line with what is commonly accepted as "normal" effects of a solar flare attack. A solar flare of significant size would temporarily flood an area with high-density/energy radiation, including particularly high levels of x-rays and ultraviolet light. In many circumstances, the levels of radiation would not be high enough to cause any damage to the biological life of a planet. At worst, at the highest extremes of a recorded solar flare, sudden but temporary geomagnetic storms may occur, which may result in some temporary failures in some forms of electronic technologies. In the case of Surrealia, very little technology was present on the planet, and even the small amount of research equipment that was there should have only been affected temporarily.
So, researchers have now turned to debating, why did this seemingly normal solar flare have such a profound effect on the planet of Surrealia. Causing an entire planet to mutate in vast and unexpected ways. Scientists continue to study and take samples on the planet which must be a slow and cautious affair due to the new and widely unknown mutations of flora and fauna on the planet. Other scientists patrol the surrounding space trying to pick up on any lingering samples left by the solar flare, while others monitor the nearby sun for future flare-ups.

No theories have been proven as of yet, but several have been put forward.

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The Abnormality Angle

As is often the case in situations that can't be immediately explained, many people, both researchers and layman alike in the Delta Space, tend to lean towards Abnormality Events and Abnormality Objects as a possible reason for a bizarre or powerful effect or event. And to be fair, in this and in many circumstances that does end up being the case at least in part. As a quick descriptor, an Abnormality Event is when a strange surge of unknown energy causes an unexplainable and/or bizarre effect — an Abnormality Object is similar but the effect is contained within and activated via an object. These effects range in temperament and power but do have the ability to cause significant damage if left to itself or misused.
In this circumstance, the theory is fairly simple, an Abnormality Object was either intentionally or unintentionally jettisoned into the nearby Helios-X17 star. And the resulting release of Abnormaliy Energy caused by the destruction of the object infused itself within the resulting solar flare; thus creating the bizarre and powerful effect of rampant mutation upon Surrealia when the solar flare washed over it. However plausible this theory is, scientists have not fully accepted it as the chances of an errant Abnormality Object floating into a star is exceedingly unlikely. The thought of someone intentionally doing something so dangerous is a hard theory for the scientific community to accept due to the moral implications that it would suggest.

The Materials Theory

Another theory suggests that Helios-X17 has a stellar core constructed of not only hydrogen-rich materials but also higher-than-normal super-radioactive materials. The theory continues and states that a large enough solar flare, emanating from a deeper region close to the star's stellar core, could potentially carry with it enough of that super-radioactive material that it may have been the cause of the mutations in the areas in which it touched. In fact, some initial research has been conducted on Helios-X17 that has shown that its surface and middling temperatures are significantly hotter than a typical star of its age, which may indicate the presence of increased super-radioactive materials mingling within its stellar core as theorized.
However, there is a serious flaw with this theory as well, being that no matter how radioactive a solar flare gets it should not have that immediate and widespread of an effect on an entire planet. At most, a hyper-radioactive solar flare would affect part of the planet, and cause signs of mutation in later generations and not an immediate and profound effect on current life. At most, it would kill immediately, and contaminate future generations. It also doesn't explain the sudden transformation and appearance of bioluminescent vegetation and fungal life across the planet, which is not typically an effect of simple radiation.

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One of the new predators that is said to lurk within the jungles of Surrealia

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Surrealia Geography, Flora, and Fauna

Surrealia was and still is covered in vast jungles, in the past these jungles looked and acted much like any jungle you could imagine. They were hot, humid, dense, and populated by vine-covered trees, choked with ferns, moss, and roots. The jungles were populated by countless species of bugs, mammals both predatory and not, and much flora and fungal life. All of which remain to this day. However, ever since the solar flare hit Surrealia, much of this life has been twisted into unrecognizable shapes and forms.
The jungles now glow with blue and green bioluminescent light that softly hums from within large toadstools that have burst from the ground in countless locations, from within much of the vines that cling to the trees, ground, and canopy of the jungle, and even some animals have begun to glow in eerie fashion. Beetles scuttle about glowing from within and swinging mammals hide in the few remaining darker leaves of the canopy trying to hide their newly glowing fur from the mutated and aggressive predators that roam the jungles now.
The new and mutated predators are widely undocumented thus far, with only glimpses being spotted now and again. But the few eyewitnesses, generally researchers trying to ascertain what has occurred on the planet, have spotted a few of these predators in the wild. Documenting vile monstrosities that shamble about in unnatural ways, their bodies undulating masses of pale tentacles and mouthes all glowing from within with a sickly green or purple light. Not much information is known beyond that as the researchers are not eager enough to get close to this creature once it arrives.

Summary

Surrealia was once a normal jungle-bound planet, one in which very little occurred. There were few permanent settlements of size or renown, and no known species of cognitive ability advanced enough for civilization to reside on the planet. Just a smattering of wildlife and flora hunting and living within its rather vast jungles.
However, several months ago a sudden solar flare washed over the planet which resulted in a rapid and sudden change in both its environment and its flora and fauna. Seemingly overnight the entire planet became awash in mutations. The entire planet and all of its jungles became a bioluminescent labyrinth full of mutated horrors.

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Table of Contents

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Research Station

Only one permanent research station sat on the surface of Surrealia before the incident, having been dropped in and installed deep within one of its jungles. It was initially used to research the local wildlife and to ascertain if anything useful could be farmed from the jungle. However, after the solar flare hit the planet, this portion of the jungle became choked off with the sudden growth of bioluminescent flora.
The station can no longer be reached by air, as the canopy has completely enveloped it, and traversing through the jungle is a dangerous affair as this area is particularly laden with new predators. It is currently unknown if any of the researchers working at the station survived the event or the few months after it, or if they were potentially affected by it in any way. A major push into the jungle towards this research station is currently being planned to ascertain the status of the facility and its crew.

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New Dangers

Surrealia, after the effects of the solar flare, has become a dangerous place to be. Not only have the predators become bizarre and horrific beasts that lurk amongst the glowing canopy of the jungles, but the jungle has also become dangerous. The vines that now glow with unnatural light have become poisonous to the touch. Anyone who is foolish enough to even graze certain vines will find themselves sticking to its surface, and unless they can pry themselves off quickly an acidic coating will begin to eat into them. 
In other locations, especially where large collections of glowing toadstools have arisen, clouds of lightly glowing fungal gas will suddenly puff out of the ground. If inhaled will quickly cause the body to go into paralytic shock. A large enough inhalation could potentially cause organ failure. While a small dose can be shaken off, but will still cause temporary paralysis, quiet the danger for a jungle seething with new predators.

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