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Colliope Reference

Ryder Reference

Val Reference

The original species of Warden are different from the one we know today, though both are equally deadly, but for different reasons. While both are heavy hitters, the Warden we know today is known for protecting treasure, while the original Warden is a deadly pathogen.

There is no known cure as the presence of the Warden is rare and difficult to contain, causing scientists to only have access to two test subjects in total. The course of infection goes as follows:

Spores or sculk fruiting bodies enter the blood stream through inhalation or an open wound on a player.

A week after exposure, the victim starts to get what has been referred to as “cave frenzy” where they seek out deep cave systems and stay there for increasingly long spans of time until about one month has passed. During this time, the victim seeks out the deepest part of their cave system. If not allowed to go into a cave system, the individual seeks out the lowest and darkest point they can reach and will resort to digging if necessary.

At the 10-day mark, infection starts to appear on the victim's body as a type of moss on their extremities. Victims do not report seeing the moss, and instead insist they be released to go mining. Horn like protrusions start to grow from the top of the skull and under the jaw. All hair begins falling out. Victims, again, do not react to these changes.

At the 15-day mark, the infection has spread to the forearm and calf while skin begins to slough off at the joints. The horns have grown bigger and the victim's head appears to be turning sideways without their knowledge. All forms of communication are limited to asking about cave systems, and the victims appear to show increasing levels of aggression. Eyesight is no longer functioning and the individual only responds to sound.

At the 20-day mark, the victim's head has turned totally sideways. The calf and forearm have been enveloped by infection and have grown in mass with the arms elongating and the legs shortening. The only thing connecting the extremities to the host body is exposed bone. Due to the difference in limb height, the individual has an arched back and has started growing a tail like protrusion from the base of their spine. All hair has fallen out and the strength of the individual has doubled.

Day 25, the individual is no longer capable of intellectual conversations, but has been noted to speak in broken sentences to lure in other players. This was noted when one of the captive Wardens started to cry and ask for help while using a young girl's voice. A scientist was left unattended and entered the creature's enclosure, only to get infected himself. This is when the second test subject was acquired.

Day 30, all remnants of the individual's old life is gone, and the infection has taken over. If no living creature is present, the Warden will stand in one spot and not move. If the Warden stands in one spot for too long, sculk infection will grow on the floor. While the creature attacks anything that makes noise, only players have been observed being infected. All facial features have either melted into the creature's face or become numbs on their body. Holes have grown on the Warden's chest to release spores and spread the infection.