Description (Healing Blade Lore)
Rickettsia rickettsia are nasty creatures that tend to invade Soma during the warmer months of the year. They most commonly ride in atop their giant, gruesome 8-legged mounts, which scurry across the land en masse in a way that sends a chill to any who witness it. Occasionally, they can also enter through damaged areas of the outer wall, washing in with the dirty waves, or through Buccal Bay, hitchhiking on unclean fish headed for the aqueduct. Regardless of their point of entry, R. rickettsia eventually make their way to Soma’s rivers and streams, where they latch onto the banks with the sharp, rock-like protrusions on their backs. They tunnel their way ashore, causing disarray among the ordered grasses and woody vegetation that maintain the integrity of the stream and river beds, leaving Soma’s vital water exchange system compromised. Once ashore, the demons take some time to gather themselves and multiply their forces before they begin to spread over the land, leaving a wake of destruction in their path.
The initial invasion can cause rises in temperature; turbulence in the aqueduct, sometimes including a flow reversal to eject the contents of the Southern Dam; and a slowing of intake into Buccal Bay. Within a couple of days, Soma’s boundary wall begins to show classic signs of a R. rickettsia infestation, with small pink wounds appearing first at the outermost extremities. Over time, these gashes darken, and work their way across the entire wall. Finally, if the Apothecary army does not identify the invasion and act quickly enough, more severe outcomes can ensue, including disrupted flow to the lower half of the aqueduct, severe pain throughout the land, and general unrest in Respiro Forest, Sententia, and other life-supporting cities in Soma. Without Apothecary intervention, R. rickettsia can even lead to the end of Soma.