Deep Rise : An Illustrated Xenofiction Adventure

[Shadow Phoenix]

Check on the seller, of course!

Check on the remains of an expedition.

[Woodledude]

Hmm... I'm sure there are some interesting surface apes you could foreshadow. Maybe a clock-maker or some such?

[Shadow Phoenix]

Actually, what is the main cause of death above?

[GrayGriffin]

Let's have an informative and disturbing look into the mind of the pack servitor!

[ChetBetera]

Let's have an informative and disturbing look into the mind of the pack servitor!

You do remember what happens whenever we input a servitor command, right? God this is going to be horrifying.

On a completely different note.
Merciful Majesty> Since Tender Hater of the Surface that Lashes us with Kindness has deigned to be as uncooperative as possible, maybe you could provide us with some exposition? Perhaps your thoughts on the Deep Nobles? Or on your interactions with Tender Hater of the Surface that Lashes us with Kindness?

[Whimbrel]

Someone we don't know!

[chimericWilder]

Check on the seller, of course!

Check on the remains of an expedition.

2nded

[BackgroundGuy]

Be that which could murder a Royal.

[Wessolf27]

>Be someone we don't know, as in the shopkeeper and their adventures before all this.

[Nighzmarquls]

Ah this is going to be fun!

For plot and flow reasons not all of these suggestions are going to quite make it into this update but they will carry over as little tidbits in the later ones.

Enjoy...

Also feedback is welcome.

>Be someone we don't know, as in the shopkeeper and their adventures.
>Be that which could murder a Royal.
>Check on the seller, of course!
>Check on the remains of an expedition.
>Actually, what is the main cause of death above?
>Let's have an informative and disturbing look into the mind of the pack servitor!

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Everyone Hail SnuffySam for the music!

Still no sign of the true culprit of the disappearances.

But I can now confirm that there is no apparent sign of fungus and there was no taint or unusual pest on the remains of the food stores.

Also no sign of plague ridden bodies, or domestic animals of any kind.

Almost all of the population who was able left shortly after the event speaking of monsters from the mines...


Those that remain are listless and uncooperative, a few even died from neglect before I arrived!

Of these survivors there is no sign of anything besides general infirmity.

Nothing to suggest illness.

The mystery of this case of mass hysteria is confounding!

...

However amid my frustrations of being unable to find an answer to my first inquiry in this fringe town I have instead found a fascinating new puzzle!

I just came across it this morning while surveying the wilderness in a mad hope for some potential vector of madness such as a benign seeming but poisonous fruit or perhaps some fanciful insect...

Loose straws and rampant flailing for evidence I know...

But none the less it was the most peculiar formation of what I must for lack of a better term call a shrub...

I've taken some samples and brought them back to the abandoned office of the Trade Corps Representative where I had setup my laboratory.

It is unlike any other plant life I have ever seen or saw description of and I admit I merely attributed such classification for loss of anything else to call it that fit, it was also unusual for its absolutely singular nature, where could the growth have come from?

I hope to find out with the morning sun once I have time to run a few experiments...





WHAT EXPERIMENTS SHALL BE PERFORMED?

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The one who has been called Merciful Majesty does not approve of metaphorical attempts to approximate its inner experience.
It also has until now not known anything of the one that is called Tender Hater of the Surface that Lashes us with Kindness but it is sufficient to know of it for Merciful Majesty to construct an approximation of its entire structure within itself that wold be more then indistinguishable to anything less then itself.

Its expression as in alignment with what can only loosely be called wishes to the inquiry can only be conveyed as follows

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[Woodledude]

Obviously, you must discern the nature of any internal fluids, after, of course you discern the presence or lack thereof of said fluids. Once you've done that, you must examine the structure of the "plant" and try to discern the purpose of said structures. Also, you have remembered to take a root sample, right?

[Wessolf27]

>Do you have a microscope to examine the inner workings of this "plant"?

[Shadow Phoenix]

Basic reaction to water, salt, fire, oil.
Reaction to touch, keeping it in the darkness....
Feed it to some animal.

[ChetBetera]

First off, what are your preliminary findings?

[Whimbrel]

>Poke it
>Burn it
>Feed it to someone
>Cook it and then feed it to someone
>Look at it under a magnifying glass or microscope

[Armok]

> try to grow more of it in pots to have an ample supply.

[RAK]

Plains Ape Thinker: DISSECTION!!!

[PersonPerson]

Eat it.

[Nighzmarquls]

Thank you all for the many suggestions, we shall now commence with the SCIENCE!




First off, what are your preliminary findings?

Obviously, you must discern the nature of any internal fluids, after, of course you discern the presence or lack thereof of said fluids. Once you've done that, you must examine the structure of the "plant" and try to discern the purpose of said structures. Also, you have remembered to take a root sample, right?

Basic reaction to water, salt, fire, oil.
Reaction to touch, keeping it in the darkness....
Feed it to some animal.
Plains Ape Thinker: DISSECTION!!!
> try to grow more of it in pots to have an ample supply.
>Poke it
>Burn it
>Feed it to someone
>Cook it and then feed it to someone
>Look at it under a magnifying glass or microscope
>Do you have a microscope to examine the inner workings of this "plant"?

Eat it.

Listen to this music while reading the update, it fits so well for epic science!

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It has been several days since my last entry, but the findings!

Yet in spite of my enthusiasm I must document this correctly!

Initially I had suspected that this Organism, for I cannot in good conscience describe it as a plant was quite peculiar...

There was no visible tissue differentiation between 'root' or 'stem' and I am loath to use such descriptors as well now that sufficient experiment has been carried out.

After initial cuttings I could determine only that structurally there is a gradual increase of rigidity the deeper I cut into the... limb?

terminology aside there was also a profusion of syrupy fluid comparable in consistency to the cream after it has separated from milk and which I shall go into greater detail momentarily.

The outer surface of the organism is also peculiar, initially it could be excused to call it skin, it bares a scintillation where by the color shifts between different hues. This property is muted in the fluid that saturates deeper into the limb which gives the impression of differentiated tissue.

However upon draining and wiping away of the fluid the scintillation found on the surface proves to be universal to the entirety of the organism.

On the first morning I took slides of the fluid which I've now determined is one of a meager number of discernible differentiation within the organism, a fact that has lead me to consider perhaps this is a peculiar new fungus or mold.

When observed via microscopy however the fluid is extremely active, consisting of a variety of differentiated minute forms. Most predominant of which is a highly motile phage that I've observed attacking and consuming each other as well as doing other activities I cannot quite begin to hypothesis the purpose of.

When suspended in solutions of all but the most caustic compounds these motiles thrive, and even in the most powerful acids I have available to me they at least persist for surprising periods via encysting a vital few in the tightly bound legions of their fellows.

When presented with nearly everything organic from wood pulp, soil, dried bone and even the leaves of several toxic plants the fluid will saturate the material and then begin forming new tissue comparable to the original sample.

The tissues by contrast when fully drained of the fluid wither and die within little more then a day and develop a distinct sharp acridness akin to very pure alcohol.

This tissue burns quite readily but very quickly for its bulk.

If not for this method of burning the samples after draining them (and then boiling the fluid extensively) I would be having a great deal of trouble preventing extremely rampant growth of my samples overcoming the laboratory in a week!

However the truly extraordinary results came when I began animal testing.



A sample of the fluid was fed to one of the rats which are omnipresent wherever there is grain...

The creature seemed put off by the smell at first but removal of water and food was sufficient to induce the rat to feed on the sample without having to move to less pleasant measures.

Initially there was little reaction, then the subject showed signs of discomfort and lethargy...

During this time I was able to confirm unusually warm body temperature.

However shortly afterwards symptoms subsided and the subject seemed alert and unharmed, it was a discomfort for me to do so but I then administered poison in order to induce death so I could proceed with a humane autopsy.

After vivisection I found that new fibrous growths had saturated the body of subject, although less invasively then I had anticipated, many of the structures looked more like analogues to familiar structures of the subject's anatomy but either subtly over-exaggerated or taking on a peculiar appearance and color.

However while performing careful analysis a mere half hour after I had confirmed death via poisoning the subject convulsed and attempted to escape!

I was almost unable to catch it and place it back in its cage before it scurried away with its organs still exposed!

The following day saw miraculous recovery and although the words seem disturbing something almost comparable to improvement!

The Subject had increased almost 25% in size and its musculature and bone structure were highly pronounced!

Over the subsequent days regular feeding and water were administered but further doses of the 'fluid' were not given.

Health and vigor seemed to improved until sudden signs of infection and then rapid deterioration caught me by surprise almost four days after resurrection.

Death followed with no sign of resurgent growth either by tissue akin to my original sample or the original subject's morphology.

Now I really must rest, these past few nights and days have been a whirlwind of excitement and I have slept and eaten very little.

I have burned the body of my first subject as a contingency against further Resurrection and intend to start on a series of new subjects with several stages of control in the morning...

What IS this organism?!

Do we continue for a little while longer or return to the Deeps?

[Woodledude]

Continue! For science! See if you can get it to grow around and possibly even utilize a simple articulated wire frame.

[Wessolf27]

>It certainly seems to be indescribable, but doesn't the fluid seem oddly similar to how sponges and corals are? Being compromised of a number of colonial organisms that act... somewhat like a single organism?

[Shadow Phoenix]

Maybe you should share youre preliminary data with someone you trust. This thing... maybe dangerous, you don't wanna ingest or inhale some sample.

(There must be a limitation, because any wounded tentacle would have invaded the surface ecosystem otherwise)

[RAK]

(hard to chose without knowing a few more details about time period, but i can make an educated guess)

Plains Ape Thinker: acquire a recently deceased plains ape corpse and administer a sample of the fluid.

(if this does not conform to the ethics and science of the day, alternately:

Plains Ape Thinker: consult records of mass disappearances for mention of something similar to the "plant")

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Tender Hater: fondly regard devastation

[Armok]

Moar science!

> try injecting it into a recently dead rat.

[aattss]

If we do continue, would it be wise to ask the government for funding for stuff? And security. If something bad happens, perhaps the only thing that will stand between it and the outside would be killer robot drones. Oh, and it would be too risky to use biological security unless it involved a hazmat suit and a suicide bomb (and maybe an ak-47 and/or flamethrower and/or tazer or whatever).

Test whether or not electricity can kill it.

By the way, try to see if you can get hitler's body from whoever has it now and inject it with it. It would be too risky to choose someone people wouldn't want to shoot on sight anyway.