Wyvern Plague

Wyvern Plague
Creator	Mike Rowe's Ghost
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Wyvern Plague
Zones	3, 4, 5, 6, 26, F, G, H, I, J
Roles	Parasite
Classification
Genus	Ventricapillus
Species	Ventricapillus hemolaimus
Evolution
Date	November 2nd, 2019
Ancestor	Ventricapillus carnosaeclum
Descendants	No results

Descended from Ventricapillus carnosaeclum
Zone 4

Average maximum size is 6 μm long at the onset of mitosis but it's total volume is nearly identical to it's 5 µm long ancestor, it has simply grown longer and broader as it flattened.

As Great Sea Wyverns (D. albatrogornis, or GSWs) fed on various organisms throughout Zone 4 they accidentally ingested several wind-borne V. carnosaeclum which soon adapted to feed on their new host.

Less able to spread throughout the inside of the body with the GSWs stronger immune system, a result of their greater exposure to pathogens as a result of their predatory lifestyle, and a lack of gills through which they could easily enter the bloodstream V. hemolaimus instead adapted to feed on the mucus membranes of the mouth and throat, using it’s more flattened shape and large number of cilia-like protrusions to cling to the outer cells and dissolving them with its enzymatic secretions to absorb the nutrients within. This causes moderate internal hemorrhaging of these areas as well as severe coughing as a result of blood entering the lungs. This results in the GSWs coughing up significant amounts of blood, spreading V. hemolaimus in the process. V. hemolaimus typically spreads via the aerosol produced when coughing but can persist on surfaces due to the moisture present in blood. Generally infections last 2-4 weeks with a 3-4 day gestation period followed by a gradually worsening physical condition. After 2 weeks the condition typically either begins to reverse as the host immune system fights it off or rapidly becomes lethal. The condition is lethal in ~40% of cases.

V. hemolaimus reproduces asexually via mitosis and, in the presence of adequate resources, reproduces once every 30 minutes on average.

Inspiration: I was like, hey, you know what’s spookier than dragons breathing fire? Dragons breathing blood.