Cluster (Kl-us-tor)

An infection that is so vile and horrific that death is inevitable once contracted. It luckily can only function in Meskou.
The infection sprouts mushrooms from our back as your mind slowly is altered to do what it wishes. The cluster is a unified hive like mind entity that can communicate to each other by vibrating their mushrooms on their back at a frequency no one but Shrumfolle can pick up and understand.
The mushrooms vary in colour and detail depending on the strain caught, some glow while others are indistinguishable from some garden mushrooms. Any creature besides the Shrumfolle can be infected, this makes others ponder a possible connection they might have. The different variants don't oppose each other, but in some cases, if they are genetically too different they cant decipher their vibrations.
The infected only spreads to keep itself alive before the body decays, the infection is somewhat mindless allowing it to perceive itself as alive as long as some cluster is out there alive.
There is some debate around whether it is a Monera or Fungus, but the larger percentage agree it is a Fungus.

Transmission & Vectors

Cluster's Kiss.

Causes

When a cluster defeats a victim, they don't kill them. The victim then has their soul dragged out of their body from a horrific convulsing kiss as the victim's limbs give away. In this state the body feeling the soul been removed the body tries to pull it back, this gives the clusters spores time to infect replace the place the soul was. The spores are a creation of the cluster when it reconstructs the souls digested to create new clusters.

Symptoms

The body lays asleep for about 3 hours before arising, the victim will have the memories of the previous soul for about a week. This allows the victim to locate a settlement, the spore-soul itself diminishes after the week. Soon as the spore-soul starts to diminish the spores release a toxin that travels throw the veins causing mushrooms to burst from it rapidly and vigorously. At this point, the cluster itself is in full effect.

Treatment

The best solution is to remove the victim's spore soul and hunt down the cluster to retrieve the prime soul before it is mutated and return it to the victim's body.

Prevention

By living outside of Meskou or by wearing an amulet that prevents your soul from been drained.

Type

Magical

Origin

Mutated

Rarity

Extremely Rare