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Horrors

Name: Horror
Creator: ???
Home Zone: Underground, deep oceans
Project Appearances: Pretty Much Everything

Horrors are feral, monstrous creatures that live deep in the underground of Morbit. Most varieties of horror give off a strange energy known as horror radiation, which mutates all organic life exposed to it. Occasionally, one will make its way to the surface, where it is unlikely to be well-received.

Overview

The natural appearance of a horror is that of a large, vantablack animal, usually with somewhat monstrous features and outlined by a white glow. These horrors are concerned with little more than basic needs like food and sleep, with an intelligence comparable to infants. However, they are much more deadly than the ordinary fauna of Morbit, due to the constant radioactive energy their bodies emit. This horror energy can cause mutations in any organisms within the vicinity, resulting in a variety of effects ranging from simple aesthetic changes to a wildly changed body structure and complete loss of conscious control over basic instincts. Most people on Morbit go their whole lives without seeing a horror, but their reputation is that of dangerous beasts to be avoided at best, especially after the horror plague on the Luxson cluster and the decimation of the corvice species.

Biology

In terms of specific body composition, horrors can vary wildly, potentially incorporating aspects from mammalian, reptilian, insectoid, marine, and other species, or even inanimate objects, usually with some kind of recognisable ‘theme’. Often, this theme can also be seen in mutations caused by a particular horror. The internal structure of horrors tends to be much more simple than their outsides, mostly consisting of a black sludge that carries out various bodily functions with few other organs.

Varieties

The previous paragraph describes what horrors are like when encountered in their natural habitat underground, in caves and crevices with air, water and food known as horror pockets (though some are capable of living without air, and make their home in the oceans of Morbit). The further one goes underground, the more common such pockets become, eventually giving way to a continuous planetary layer where uncountable horrors exist, all pressed up against each other. Sometimes, however, a horror will emerge on to the surface, undergoing a transformation in the process depending on its surroundings.

Firstly, if the horror emerges on its own, it will mimic the first living (or seemingly living) thing it sees, morphing its body into a facsimile of whatever is in its view, changing colour and texture. This process often results in the horror making guesses and mistakes, misinterpreting objects like clothing as body parts or perceiving multiple creatures as one. Internal structure is also somewhat replicated, though with even more limited success, usually giving the horror strangely-formed organs with unusual functions enveloped in black sludge. Such horrors become radioactively inert and are called parodies, and act with a juvenile, childlike demeanour, naive to the world with only hazy memories of their origin. If left alone, parodies remain in this state of mind, even as their body ages, but if taken care of, a parody can grow and mature like any of the other sapient species of Morbit.

Once a parody has formed, they lose the power to change their form further beyond any abilities of the body they copied. However, if exposed to horror energy, parodies can temporarily regress both mentally and physically, destabilizing their form and overwhelming them with emotions, though they recover once they are no longer being exposed to horror energy and otherwise suffer no mutations or ill effects. Purely physical distortion can also occur during moments of extreme emotion, such as joy, anger, sadness etc.

Secondly, if a horror that emerges alone cannot find a suitable creature to mimic, it will explode, scattering horror radiation over a large area. The horror does not survive this.

Thirdly, if multiple horrors emerge at the same time, they can coalesce and amalgamate into a surface horror, one of the most deadly and catastrophic creatures that exist on Morbit. These horrors give off huge amounts of radiation, mutating all nearby living creatures into mindless monsters in a matter of minutes, and are driven to seek out locations with large amounts of shreds, scraps, or horror energy, often making civilisations and gods prime targets for these entities. Surface horrors will continue to roam the planet until they are either slain, or rarely, break up into their component horrors, which then either become parodies, burst, or remain intact but highly unstable.

Radiation & Mutations

The energy given off by horrors causes intense reactions in any organisms that are exposed to it, mutating their bodies wildly. Common mutations include an increase in size, extreme hunger and difficulty controlling emotions. Additional eyes, teeth and claws are also likely, with many more changes possible depending on the species being mutated. Individuals that become visibly mutated are known as monsters, and can be either welcomed into society or ostracized depending on location and the severity of their mutations.

However, as a creature is exposed to more horror radiation, mutations will become more extreme, eventually leading to the creature becoming a terror, a feral and dangerous monster that is driven to do little but consume what it can reach and breed with more of its kind. Terrors are especially harmful as they emit horror energy themselves, leading to the creation of even more terrors.

Despite these downsides, research has been done on ways of controlling mutations arising from exposure to horror for clinical or aesthetic purposes. Low-level radiation over a long period of time has been found to have much more benign and directable effects than the high-level exposure most beings who come into direct contact with horrors experience, and is intentionally performed in certain locations. Populations living near vents that connect to horrors underground can slowly mutate over the course of years and generations, with little in the way of harmful consequences.

As well as creatures being vulnerable to horror energy, plant life is also affected, though usually with far less extreme results. Constructs can be resistant, depending on the specific make and model, while more esoteric entities such as gods, angels, and fiends are almost always fully immune.

Scraps

Like any other creature, horrors give off scraps, but unlike those from other lifeforms, horror scraps can be seen and manipulated by anyone, regardless of sensitivity. However, horror scraps are volatile and likely to harm anyone who interacts with them, causing atypical mutations related to emotions or memories from merely touching them, and even potentially messing up gods if they get too close. These scraps can be used for powerful magic if one is willing to unleash their potential, being the only known method of creating a truly sapient scrap ghost, but living through such a ritual is not guaranteed, and the ghost is unlikely to be happy with their state of being.

Origin

The origin of horrors is unknown to most people, as they have existed since the earliest records of civilization and no god has publicly admitted to making them.

This section contain potential spoilers

Raw Horrors