Profile
TW: Body Horror, death, implied gore
This isn't really a character, but there isn't an option to add literatures to a folder and it's important information for this story.)
(Writer’s Note: I am aware of how poorly parts of this have aged. Haustorium was originally created in around November 2019.)
Plants in the Finemflorentes genus of the Convolvulaceae family are parasitoid, close relatives to the dodder. Their main characteristic that differentiates them from other hemiparasites is their affinity for mammalian hosts. Finemflorentes seeds are tiny, and come in large quantities. This gives them a power-like appearance. Infection occurs when a potential host inhales or swallows this powder.
The effects of infection depend on which of the three species are present- F. situvasta, F. alveare, or F. umbra- in the greatest quantity. A given cloud of powder usually contains all 3, but one variety’s effects will quickly overtake those of the others if more seeds of it’s kind are present.
All 3 start with the same symptoms- a cough, generalised fatigue and thirst as the seeds embed themselves in the lung lining and begin growing, their roots reaching into nearby blood vessels to take nutrients from the host bloodstream. When the plants mature to the point of flowering, bloodied petals may be released with the coughing. This early stage of infection lasts for approximately a week, and the varieties begin to differentiate after this point.
In cases where F. situvasta is dominant, the plants will begin to spread from the lungs to the rest of the thoracic cavity over the course of approximately two weeks. This is a painful process, and it’s common for the host to die prematurely, from suffocation or simply being unable to withstand the pain. This would also kill the plants themselves, making this, really, a better way to succumb than letting it progress to completion as it reduces the risk of infection to others and prevents further suffering on the infected’s part. If the host withstands the growth for long enough, eventually the whole chest cavity will rupture, the flowers breaking the skin. This usually causes the death of the host, and releases large quantities of seed powder most likely infecting anyone nearby.
The best case scenario is the dominance of F. umbra. The infection progresses much more slowly in this case, and whilst the flowers still break the skin, it’s not the violent rupture that ends a situvasta infection. Once a few have emerged, they’ll begin to spread across the surface of the body instead of internally. The roots going through the skin cause nerve damage, producing muscle weakness and eventual complete loss of feeling in affected areas.
While this cannot be cured, it is non-contagious and the growth can be slowed if the flowers are kept covered and the host keeps away from bright lights.
Most survivors will come across the third type- those infected primarily by F. alveare.
In this case, vital organs are left unharmed- the host’s survival is necessary. Rather than take their initial roots in the lung lining, the seeds make their way into the blood and end up positioned in the meninges. The cough and petal discharge is a much more weakly expressed symptom in this case, occurring due to the other varieties present in lesser quantities. Even then, the neurological impact of F. alveare infection far overshadows the benefit of the easier other symptoms.
Taking root in the brain itself, the flowers release neurotoxins into the blood alongside taking nutrients from it. These chemicals, alongside the reduced amount of blood reaching the brain, cause confusion and delirium to set in within minutes, and within hours, higher mental function has been completely stopped. The host keeps their base instincts- and gains a few new ones. A fully matured alveare infected will have had the flowers begin to spread from the cranium, emerging from some orifice of the head, commonly an eye socket, and beginning to cover the skin from there. The external flowers constantly produce seed powder, and the infected will have a deep compulsion to expose as many uninfected to it as possible.
The roots of the plants will emerge from the skin at some points. If successfully implanted into the skin of an uninfected being, the plants may feed from their blood rather than the hosts. Any excess will be left for the host, sustaining them. The feeding is a slow process and it’d be easy to remove the infected from the prey, but they’d no doubt end up infected from this.
Most hosts of F. alveare have a lifespan of a few weeks, before dying to dehydration when the plants grow too many for them to support the growth.
