MedusaePain. Fury. Sadness. Despair. Pleasure. Fury. Sadness. Pain. Despair. Pleasure. Pain. Despair. Fury. Sadness. Pleasure... The feelings wash over you, making your heart beat a mad tattoo, choking your breath, and turning your vision black... Scalding tears streak down your cheeks, crystallising in the frosty air. You can't take it anymore. You are exhausted. Home. You want to go home.
end of branch
Entry point 2 of 10
MedusaeThe thing before you is a xenoparasite that Magi Biologis call medusae. These creatures latch onto the brain and nervous system of their victim with dozens of tendrils and assume control over the body of the host. Their nature is yet to be fully studied, but the prevailing hypothesis claims that medusae are capable of absorbing strong feelings and emotions from their environment, although the questions of how and why are still a matter of debate.
YOU"What is it?"
Medusae(sequence)
Abelard"It feeds on human victims, which makes it a predator. I suggest that this is all we need to know to make the rational decision to destroy the creature."
end of branch
Heinrix"I once was witness to the vivisection of such a creature. These parasites are called Drukhari medusae. As long as its current host lives, a medusae has no need to attack and dominate your mind. If its host dies, be careful not to let it latch onto your head."
end of branch
Pasqal"This xenoform is classified in the Magos Biologis catalogues as Medusa Malifica. It is an empathic parasite."
end of branch
Pasqal"This creature is not bound by any natural law. Its origins lie outside realspace. However..." The sampling tool on one of Pasqal's mechadendrites jolts to life. "It can be studied using the methods of realspace."
end of branch
Jae"A little Drukhari beast coveted by a select circle of people. You should see how sophisticated folks fight to win these things at secret auctions — they'll use anything to get one: gold, bribes, swords. And I suppose it is funny when the proud new owner of the creature isn't usually seen again after the auction. But just think of all the gold and securities you could squeeze out of someone for one of these things..."
end of branch
Yrliet"A medusae... The driver of nightmares and torment. My dark cousins use these creatures to amass emotions and experiences, which they then feed on."
end of branch
MedusaeThe creature stands motionless as if you are not even there.
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"
Scout"I do not know... I don't know! This thing is a Nightmare, I have seen the likes of it before! Bound in chains, listlessly watching... They always accompanied their masters during the gory executions. They just stood there and stared... Always stared. But why is this creature riding Albris now? How... how do we take it off?"
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]
YOU[Examine the man]
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]
Scout"Anything but this! I am begging you, no!"
end of branch
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]
ScoutVir mumbles something unintelligible, wiping the instantly freezing tears from his weathered cheeks. "—give...Forgive me, Albris..."
end of branch
Medusae(sequence)continues where this line first appears above
MedusaeThe creature stands motionless as if you are not even there.continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
MedusaeThe medusae is obediently hovering in the air. It is entirely unclear whether the creature realises its predicament. You decide to...
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Drop the parasite's body]
MedusaeThe parasite is dead and is of no further interest — you let go, and the small body hits the ice with a sickly squelch.
MedusaeThe long silence is interrupted by the groans of the rescued man at your feet. He is still alive.
YOU[Kill the man]
Scout"Anything but this! I am begging you, no!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Take the man to the voidship]
MedusaeYou contact the shuttle crew and give the order to transport the survivor to the voidship.
Scout"Heavenly Envoy, today you saved the lives of the damned who even their own star and the Immortal One chose to rebuke! How is this not a miracle? May fortune always be as gracious to you as you have been to His lowly servants."
end of branch
Scout"Albris, you are saved, you are saved..." The man kneels next to the limp body, clutching the man's motionless hand with his finger stubs. "Still warm..."
YOU[Kill the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Take the man to the voidship]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Take the parasite's body to the voidship]
MedusaeEven dead, the parasite is too valuable to leave on the dying world. The small lifeless body will be delivered to your ship, where it will serve as a specimen for experiments or a trophy.
MedusaeThe long silence is interrupted by the groans of the rescued man at your feet. He is still alive.continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 3 of 10
MedusaeThe disgusting, turgid body is clinging to its host with dozens of tendrils. The man is motionless — you are not even sure he is alive in the true sense of the word — and the creature likewise shows no interest either in you or its surroundings.
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 4 of 10
MedusaeThe parasite appears to be tightly and permanently attached to the victim's head... or so it seems. You spot a certain pattern in the location of the tendrils on the host's body. Making a few incisions here... and there... would probably allow you to separate the creature from its unfortunate bearer.
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
ScoutFrantic with grief, the man pulls out a barely sharpened piece of rusty pipe and pleadingly offers it to you. "I... c-cannot do it. I do not have either the strength or the fingers. But you are blessed by Him, the sovereign of all the stars in the sky. So you can do it for me."
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 5 of 10
MedusaeA thickset man of average height is standing before you. His head, some of his face, and the back of his neck are hidden under the meaty flesh of the parasite, whose pulsing tendrils have grown into the victim's body.
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
ScoutFrantic with grief, the man pulls out a barely sharpened piece of rusty pipe and pleadingly offers it to you. "I... c-cannot do it. I do not have either the strength or the fingers. But you are blessed by Him, the sovereign of all the stars in the sky. So you can do it for me."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 6 of 10
MedusaeAfter a few well-placed cuts, the parasite's meaty body convulses, making the thin tendrils go soft and unable to maintain their grasp. You dislodge them one after the other, and soon the parasite releases its host of its own volition. The creature twitches its appendages in its death throes and goes limp in your hands. The man's body collapses onto the snow.
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Drop the parasite's body]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Take the parasite's body to the voidship]continues where this line first appears above
Medusae(sequence)
Argenta"By the Emperor, just burn this monster already!"
Scout"Spare him, I am begging you with all that is still left — spare my friend!"
end of branch
Entry point 7 of 10
MedusaeYou circle the parasite for a few long minutes, trying to detach the rooted tendrils. You are trying to be careful, but at some point the host twitches and starts struggling violently. Your hand slips... The parasite releases the man's body, but both fall over dead.
Scout"Anything but this! I am begging you, no!"continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 8 of 10
MedusaeFrightened, cold, hurt... and aching to flee. But these feelings are not yours. You concentrate your will to shrug off the unbidden emotions, and the compulsion recedes — you once again see a man caught in the clutches of a disgusting parasite. The illusion is gone, but inexplicable anxiety still lingers in your soul like the aftermath of a particularly bad nightmare.
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
Medusae(sequence)
Abelard"In all that is holy on Terra... You von Valancius poke your noses into every mysterious abomination you encounter — it must run in the blood! Why didn't I choose a quiet post away from the front lines, quartermaster of a magnetic coil warehouse or some such thing?" Abelard, who has been agitatedly rifling through equipment, looks up with a start. "Lord Captain, you have returned to us! And without the need for a medikit. A lucky escape!"
end of branch
Idira"L-Lord Captain? Are you all right? Forgive me... I didn't even have the chance to warn you..." Idira looks frightened. "There was a bang, a howl, a blur of colour... a second before that creature... Oh, let's just get rid of it!"
end of branch
PasqalPasqal's voice synthesiser crackles in agitation, and a needle glints on a mechadendrite. "Neural overload detected. Protocol to render emergency aid activated."
end of branch
Jae"Shereen, are you still with us?" Jae anxiously waves her augmented hand in front of your face, then lets out a breath when she sees the awareness return to your eyes. "One of those things turned a whole squad of my guys mad once. Good lads they were too, loyal. Thanks be to the Exalted One for protecting you from the same fate!"
end of branch
Scout"A-albris... Can you hear me? ALBRIS!" Vir grabs his sagging shoulders with the stubs of his fingers, but the creature does not move. "I am begging you, Heavenly Envoy, do not kill him! Have mercy! This is Albris, just Albris..."
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 9 of 10
MedusaeA strange meaty growth the size of a human head is clinging to the skull and neck of... a man? The emaciated face — at least, the part of it you can see from under the pulsating alien flesh — bears no emotion, and the cracked lips hang slackly open.
Medusae(sequence)
Yrliet"[Name], do not look!" Yrliet's shout is the last thing you hear before darkness flows into your mind.
end of branch
MedusaeYour vision grows dim and you have a sinking feeling in your chest. But you are still alive and are trying to open your eyes. Dark figures dash about in the twisting shadows cast by the fire. One of them is standing in front of you, casually tossing something from one hand to the other... You slowly turn your stiff neck and dumbly stare at the stump where your right arm used to be. The figure comes closer, tosses a frozen hand onto the ground, and breaks off the tip of your nose with a little crunch. Why haven't you died with the others? Why are you still alive?
Entry point 10 of 10
MedusaeThe unusual pair — a man with an ugly parasite clinging to his head — remain where you left them.
YOU"What is it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A human? How is this possible?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the creature]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Examine the man]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Separate the creature from its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Kill the creature and its host]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away from the strange creature]continues where this line first appears above
Scout"A-albris... Can you hear me? ALBRIS!" Vir grabs his sagging shoulders with the stubs of his fingers, but the creature does not move. "I am begging you, Heavenly Envoy, do not kill him! Have mercy! This is Albris, just Albris..."continues where this line first appears above