Vrixid Imprinting
When most people say "death is not the end," they mean it in a spiritual sense, that we don't know what comes next or anything about the afterlife. While the Vrixid can mean it in this sense, they also absolutely mean it in the way that part of their consciousness absolutely stays behind.The Vrixid possess something similar to the Vulcan katra, which they call the Segan (roughly translates to "imprint") in that there is a part of their mind that does not have to remain tethered to their bodies. Usually, when they die they would go to an isolated planet like Savenar 5 and pass away peacefully. There were even rituals they performed to keep the segan attached to its body until an appropriate place to release. Some would deliberately leave the body in their home so that the segan would imprint on a family member. When in a Vrixid family, the imprint is possessed by a loved one of the deceased. When in the wild, it drifts until an animal or suitable plant is found. The difficulty comes when another sentient species comes in contact with the segan.
Transmission & Vectors
The transmission vector is psychic in nature, with the source being a recently deceased Vrixid body. Or the body of someone who already had a Vrixid imprint on them that hasn't decayed over the passage of time.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary from species to species. In non-sentients, the affected entity will behave with greater intelligence, showing small traits of the Vrixid who imprinted. This is not harmful to the imprint or to the plant or animal in question. The imprint remains a passive passenger, with little influence over its host.
In a Vrixid host, the process is a kind of symbiosis where the imprint becomes a kind of second personality for a time, before being absorbed and integrated into the host. Flashes of memories will come through but them being useful is rare and more a point of amusement. In rare cases, particularly when the host was not willing, there can be headaches and sinus issues, rather like a severe cold.
In a non-Vrixid sentient host, results may vary. Telepathic species report no issues, outside of an initial headache. The imprint is subsumed within a matter of hours, hastening the process. Since it happens so quickly, there is minimal influence over the host's mind. If the person is aware of what is happening and willing, they can meditate and stabilize the imprint, allowing it to exist in their mind in a similar fashion to a Vrixid. This experience is more akin to a conversation than it would be in a Vrixid.
In a species with a less elastic mind, the result can be disastrous. Hosts almost immediately report hearing voices, experiencing sensations of the Vrixid, of what is likely an onslaught of memories manifesting in hallucinations. Headaches are common, as well as vision problems unrelated to the hallucinations.
With meditation and medication, the person may be able to stabilize the imprint, similar to a telepath, but will continue to experience headaches until the imprint can be removed or absorbed into the host's mind. Death is a possible outcome.
Treatment
None has been developed as of yet.
Hosts & Carriers
The flora and fauna of Savenar 5 become an unusual booby trap where, if one of them is killed, they may or may not pass on a Vrixid imprint. As previously stated, they are affected in a minimal way by the imprints, having evolved on a world where this was a regular occurrence.
Type
Mental
Origin
Alien
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Rare
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