Case 243: Seeds

Case File 243
Quick Name	Seeds
Date	0000-00-00
Status	Open
Classification	---
Assignments
Members assigned here

Description

Case 243 "Seeds" refers to the collective phenomenon of ectoplasmic parasitic plants growing on living entities. The plants are invisible to non-sighted individuals, but are clearly visible to Revenants and sighted people. They also cannot be grasped physically, and can only be removed safely through magnetic means.

The seeds are very small and light, appearing able to float on the wind. This, however, does not seem to correspond with actual, physical wind, and is possibly the influence of electromagnetic currents in the air. Seeds take root primarily on the head and shoulders of infected people, germinating after a short incubation period. Notably, they are also able to take root on Revenants, but cannot survive in the long term as Revenants are able to control their magnetic field, preventing them from remaining rooted.

As the seeds sprout and grow, they absorb the host's soul for nutrition. This results in fatigue and lethargy, and in many cases, leads to mental health deterioration. On medical examination, the host is otherwise healthy, which leads to further frustration. Of incidental note is that the young sprouts are quite vulnerable, and wearing magnetic jewellery, going through an MRI scan, etc. will disrupt their growth and cause them to fall off, so many cases do not go further than this point.

When the plants have rooted deeply enough in the host (indicated by flowers blooming), they can control the host, at which point they will choose one of two actions:

1. Go to a crowded area
2. Go into the mountains and lie down

Both actions are pertinent to the plant's life cycle in different ways.

By going to a crowded area, the plant is able to scatter its seeds to new hosts. This action is often taken when the host is still relatively healthy.

When the host is very much less healthy, however, the plant will direct the host to a secluded area. This area, located in the mountains surrounding the city, is extremely specific. All plants will direct their hosts to this place - it is surmised that this may be the locus of the "Seeds" phenomenon. There, they make the host lie down, and remain stationary until death (often by exposure or dehydration, or hypothermia in colder months). Predictably, this area is a mass graveyard, and was not discovered until the current outbreak of Seeds. The purpose of this area is debated, but the popular hypotheses are as follows:

• This area is located upwind in the invisible magnetic field, and seeds will blow down back into the city from here. However, they do not usually go far, infecting people living on the fringes at best.
• The "flowerbed", as it has been morbidly named, is where plants exchange genetic information. This is hypothesized from the colouration of the blooms.

Initial Report

"Seeds" has, in fact, been observed for a number of years, but too infrequently and had not caused major issues until now. As of the time of reporting, a large number of new cases were noted, along with a spike in the number of human disappearances and overall decline in mental health of a large part of the population.

Lore

• The source of the seeds, the "flowerbed", is indeed the locus of the phenomenon. However, it's capable of shifting, and there are smaller, secondary "flowerbeds" on the edges of the city - with the removal of the main one, it will likely shift to a different location.
• The seeds are only partially affected by physical touch - they must take root in something solid, and they can clearly land on a person's head and shoulders. It's a mystery why they cannot be touched otherwise, but a Revenant could theoretically rip the plants off a person, if they knew how.

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