Description (Healing Blade Lore)
Helicobacter pylori are formidable members of the Gram Negative Legion that primarily affect the central regions of Soma’s aqueduct. They take advantage of the waste produced by Soma’s natural aqueduct inhabitants to generate the energy they need to survive, and have adapted to the relatively low oxygen levels of the semi-aquatic environment. They use their tentacled appendages to burrow into the aqueduct’s lining, avoiding the acidity secreted by the upper part of the aqueduct, which has its own defenses in its lining to prevent erosion.
As the aqueduct sheds its lining, a continual process to ensure the purity of Soma’s main water line, H. pylori sense the increasing acidity and burrow further into the wall. They also protect themselves from the toxic chemicals found in the aqueduct’s flow with specialized scales that break them down. The resulting byproducts, however, are known to damage the land. Indeed, while many strains of H. pylori can live quietly in the aqueduct, others can cause severe damage to the aqueduct walls. Moreover, the influx of laborers to repair the damage, and the slew of supplies they bring to the site, can have the paradoxical effect of rendering the region vulnerable to more serious injuries, as communication breakdowns can lead to utter chaos. On occasion, debris from the repair site can even get washed away into the rivers or Canals of Lymph, lodging some distance downstream to wreak havoc elsewhere in Soma.
These violent forms of H. pylori are identifiable by distinct attributes often picked up from other threatening Lords, that turn the peaceful creatures into ruthless enemies of Soma. In addition to the damaging byproducts they produce, they are also armed with toxins of their own that alert Soma’s Noble Sentry to their presence. The ensuing battles often leave the aqueduct’s lining irritated and inflamed, which can result in the increased acidity of the aqueduct’s contents and further damage to the lining.