Description (Healing Blade Lore)
Don’t let the name fool you. Streptococcus pneumoniae attack more than just the Respiro Forest. These villains can wreak havoc on a wide range of systems in Soma, including the land surrounding Buccal Bay, the Aural Canals, and even Sententia. They are similar to those of other cocco-demons by their sensitive to bile and the chemical optochin. These sensitivities are one of the few things the more than 90 different armies of S. pneuomonia have in common, however. Each army differs in the intensities and frequency of its attacks, and its vulnerability to various Apothecary defenses, and each attack on Soma must be carefully considered in preparation of an Apothecary counterattack.
S. pneumoniae are an ancient menace to Soma, having plagued the country for more than 100 years. They are relatively well studied, having been the subject of experiments that determined DNA, and not proteins, is the vector of virulence-sharing among Pestilence agents. But that doesn’t make them any less threatening. Like many Lords of Pestilence, they can live peacefully in the canopy of the Respiro forest, but will strike as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
An interesting antagonistic relationship exists between S. pneumoniae and fellow Pestilence agent Haemophilus influenzae. While either group of Lords can list in the Respiro Forest on its own, the two cannot seem to peacefully coexist, and Soma’s Noble Sentry seems to recognize some interesting interactions between the two. Though the details remain murky, it is clear that these two Pestilence agents do not get along, and Soma’s natural defenses are often able to take advantage of their quarrels to extinguish the invaders before they can inflict widespread damage to Soma.