Lore:Hemophage

SPECIES

Hemophage	Denonyms: Hemophage, Hemophages Other Names: Vampires, Bloodsuckers, Related Pages: Blood, Bleeding, Chemistry Related Lore: Lore:Human

Hemophage

Sol Federation biological anthropologists originally believed the Hemophage infection to be a diaspora of afflicted individuals stemming from Earth and spreading outward, hidden away in the vast numbers of colonies that now dot the stars near Sol. While this belief held strong in academic circles for a time, recent genealogical studies done on some more unique strains of the symptomatic suggests that this may have been but one of many such events among a number of other species. Said studies performed were on individuals from some of the furthest reaches from “civilized” space, and suggest that outside of the core colonial territories of mankind, there may well exist those of the Hemophagic condition that display properties of said infection not known, and of undetermined source.

Said individuals examined, when combined with the limited documented processes of infected individuals, shows a wide degree of variations in the exact symptoms experienced by those symptomatic of Hemophagia. Be they infected by what is believed by some to be the “Human” sourced strain, or otherwise sired, all documented individuals carry the following:

• An innate dependency on the blood of others for sustenance.
• The growth of an internal symbiotic “tumor” in place of the infectee’s circulatory/respiratory systems.
• The repurposing of bodily functions and rewriting of conscious and unconscious cognitive faculties to prioritize the location and acquisition of blood-rich sources.
• An almost disquieting predatory instinct by Hemophagic individuals to locate those of sufficient suitability with which to Resanguinate.

A Healing Factor

Those suffering from hemophagia - while stricken with a life-altering malady - enjoy at least one medicinal benefit stemming from the infection in the form of extremely rapid regeneration. When a host is injured, hormones are released from the damaged cells such as Adrenocorticotropin. This hormone, among others, triggers the regenerative response from the tumor-organ. The organ releases pseudoviral bodies which induce runaway cell replication in the affected areas. Histology studies have confirmed that the process does not resemble normal stem cell regeneration but instead, more closely resembles a viral hijacking of cellular machinery resulting in replication rather than lysis. Efforts to replicate these viral bodies in a lab setting have failed, as they seem to be linked to host DNA.

During the regenerative period, the host is highly vulnerable to UV light. Studies have revealed that UV radiation breaks the delicate chemical bonds in the protein sheath of the virion. Not all of the virions will be killed by the UV light but the healing process will be significantly hindered. In low-UV conditions, even severe wounds can be regenerated with some clades allowing for entire organ systems to be fully regrown in a matter of hours, assuming the tumor has ample nourishment to draw from.

Explaining the Unexplainable

The Hemophage affliction has been, through scarcity and superstition, not widely explained. Even modern medical equipment uses mystical terms like "corrupted tumor", and the truth may forever go fully unknown.

Scientific Lens

With it looking to be possible that the afflicted may have been sourced within other species, this implication raises numerous questions with regards to the theoretical source of the infection. Its spontaneous conception within multiple species with almost identical symptoms can likely be ruled out, leaving a very short list of other possibilities as to how this occurred. The most logical explanation is the “Hemophagic Panspermia Hypothesis” forwarded by one Dr. Hayley Maddox; citing some hypothetical ancient event precipitating Hemophagic cells to multiple worlds. This however remains entirely within the realm of speculation, as there exists no concrete evidence of such an event occurring. Another suggestion points to the incredibly complex and near indecipherable DNA structure of cells taken from the tumors of multiple Hemophagic subjects as being a possible indicator of extremely advanced genetic tampering by an unknown party. “The Cossidae Theory” posits that the condition’s ability to completely overpower any outside infection suggests it may have been originally created as a form of “cure all” for known diseases from said unknown party, sidestepping the issue of the originator. Finally, some undifferentiated cells (dubbed “tantalus cells”) originating within the tumor seem to quite literally “vanish” after a time outside of the host body with no indication as to where they could have gone or what their original purpose might have been. While many have written such off as poor sample handling, the number of reports of this occurring, in multiple, unrelated independent locations and organizations softens the argument and raises further questions of how or why this could occur, leaving those directly involved beyond baffled. Such capacity indicates there is still a sizable amount not understood regarding Hemophagia, with significantly more study needed to fully comprehend its nature, which could further explain some of its eccentricities.

Playing a Hemophage

Every Hemophage's path is as unique as their tumor: work in Medbay enough and you'll start to notice patterns. Have some common, but not all-encompassing, origins to entice you to ask questions about your own character and "flesh" them out.

《 Resanguinated 》
The dark of the night pulls you, and the coldness of space courses through your veins. You once had a life, and have been shepherded to the other side by a specific individual. Your "Sire," your "Parent," your "Superior," any number of names they may have asked you to call them, each with twisted connotations each as unholy as the infection encrusting through your veins. Regardless of the circumstance, you have but one person to thank for your unlife.
With your leige, you feel...
Loved. Like Romeo and Juliet, your darkest love has led you to your demise. Unlike the play, the curtains haven't dropped. Having quite literally given your life to your partner, you persist in eternal unlife. Who are you without them? They have blessed you with the same gifts that drew you towards them, and the same dark urges flow into you freely. Are you still the same person they loved? Now that you are no longer their prey, are they still deserving of your love? Do they still command it anyways? The honeymoon may be over, but your eternal reward still beats in your chest. Til death do you part?
Collected. You once were a prize who caught the eye of an eternal collector who couldn't fathom anyone else holding. Why were you so valuable? In a fit of jealousy, they made you like them. Are you theirs? Are you just another in their collection, or their prized jewel? For how long will you keep your luster?
Saved. Life is defined by a beginning and an ending, and for some, that last bit is too much to accept. Through circumstances, you found yourself at the end of the rope, and were graciously offered an eternal extension. How avoidable were these circumstances? Were they truly your god's plan? Through whatever storm, you have endured. Your body may be different, and your life upended, but nothing can take you away. How do you face the dangers that drove you here?
Indebted. A dark pact, a contract sealed in blood. What did you gain? What did you lose? You have drawn your final breath and still stand here, obliged to reciprocate. What power do they hold over you? What powers do you now hold?

《 Infested 》
You wake up in the dark with a blistering headache, a sore neck, and an unquenchable thirst. Your head throbs -- no, it's more of a continuous ache -- as you wander around and find a light. It seems so much brighter than yesterday, yet almost repulsive. Is it the light you fear, or the attention? It takes a moment to notice, but your tongue itself twists in horrifying ways. Sharp, and not in the usual ways. Something is wrong with you. Something has been done to you. And here you are, left in the dark as to who, what, or why. Were you discarded, abandoned, or forgotten? This wouldn't be the first time for either, would it? Thirst wracks your body, and in your darkest hour, your first meal screams out for you.
Where do you draw from?
Science. You're not smart enough to understand, not at first, but you're smart enough to know when you're out of your depth. Lab coats, the herald of progress. Be it a hospital, laboratory, or cosplay convention, you sought rational minds and were greeted in kind. How long did it take for them to figure out what kind of monster you are? For you to realize?
Religion. You're no stranger to temptation, and neither is the church. If anyone can help you understand your urges and wicked pulls, it would surely be those dedicated to something bigger. Do you beg forgiveness, or do you take it?
Instinct. It's simple logic: you want blood, they have blood, you take it. Who you were, who they are, none of it is significant. How much of the equation have you discarded to make it all add up? The present, the consequences, the future, none of those are blood and for a long time, none of those interest you. You have a long journey ahead, to go from mindless predator to someone worth employing, but here you are, same as the others. Do you have regrets? Do you have hope?

A Way Out

Throughout recorded history, there have been many accounts of multiple cultures endeavoring to permanently cure or neutralize Hemophagia. Most early attempts were spiritual in nature, focusing on prayer and folk remedies; however, modern historians hold there being no credible proof of such solutions ever having any true effect. Modern science has led to more clinical approaches to the disease with one of the most common treatments involving painstakingly replacing the victim's ‘tainted’ blood with either synthesized or donated blood. While this initially held promise, this was shown to only succeed in reversing the infection in patients in the earliest stages of the affliction.

Through painstaking and often bloody research, functional "cures" were developed. Most reliable, cyberization (the transfer of the victim's brain to an MMI or other mind interface) effectively halts the symptoms at the cost of the victim's body.

More radically, a surgical procedure involving the simultaneous removal of the tumor and complete replacement of patient blood and bone marrow can, in some cases return the victim to a normalized state. In the event that even a single cell from the tumor or tainted blood is left behind, the tumor will regenerate in time. This procedure is almost always deadly, and considered unethical. Nonetheless, those unable to handle becoming a Hemophage occasionally trade unfathomable fortunes, decades of lifespan and often, their lives to underworld doctors for a second chance at a true cure.

Due to the extreme risk, the procedures’ high costs and the comparative ease of simply embracing the condition, it is almost unheard of for hemophages to seek such radical treatments unless in the earliest stages of the disorder, before most of the biological changes have taken place.

In-game Description
This is the Description from the Species selector in the character preferences, kept in its formatting for reference. The In-game blurb is not concrete either, and is as liable to change as this wiki page. This section should be eventually redundant with the above wiki contents.
Though known by many other names, 'Hemophages' are those that have found themselves the host of a bloodthirsty infection. 'Natural' hemophages have their infection first overtake their body through the bloodstream, though methods vary; Hemophages thought to be a dense cluster of tightly related but distinct strains and variants. It will first take root in the chest, making alterations to the cells making up the host's organs to rapidly expand and take them over. Lungs will deflate into nothingness, the liver becomes wrapped up and filled with corrupted tissue and the digestive organs will gear themselves towards the intake of the only meal they can have; blood. The host's heart will almost triple in size from this 'cancerous' tissue, forming an overgrown coal-black tumor that now keeps their body standing. The initial infection process in someone becoming a Hemophage can have varied effects and impacts, though there is a sort of timeline that crops up in the vast majority of cases. The process often begins with the steady decline of the host's heartrate into severe bradycardial agony as it begins to become choked with tumor tissue, chest pains and lightheadedness signaling the first stretch. Fatigue, exercise intolerance, and near-fainting persist and worsen as the host's lungs slowly begin to atrophy; the second organ to normally be 'attacked' by the process. Coughing and hemoptysis will worsen and worsen until it suddenly stops, alongside the Hemophage's ability and need to continue breathing altogether. The ability to eat normal food becomes psychologically intolerable quickly after the infection fully takes root in their central nervous system, the tumor no longer holding interest in anything it cannot derive nutrients from. Foods once enjoyed by the host begin to taste completely revolting, many quickly developing an aversion to even try chewing it. However, new desires quickly begin to form, the host's whole suite of senses rapidly adapting to a keen interest in blood. Hyperosmia in specific kicks in, the iron-tinged scent of a bleeder provoking and agitating hunger like the smell of any fresh cooking would for a human. Not all blood aids the host the same. It's currently thought that a Hemophage is capable at a subconscious level of recognizing and differentiating different sources of blood, and the tumor within hijacking their psychology to prioritize blood from creatures it is able to reproduce inside of. Blood from animals is reported to 'be like trying to subsist on milk or whipped cream or heavily fluffed up bread,' harder to digest, taste, or enjoy, necessitating the Hemophage to drink far more of it just to get the same value from a relatively small amount of human blood. 'Storebought' blood, like from refrigerated medical blood bags, is reported to 'taste thin,' like a heavily watered down drink. Only the physical, predatory act of drinking blood fresh from another humanoid is enough to properly 'sate' the tumor, ticking the right psychological and physiological boxes to be fully digested and enjoyed. The sensation is like nothing else, being extremely pleasurable for the host; even if they don't want it to be. Photosensitivity of the skin develops. While light artificial or not won't harm them, it's noted that Hemophages seem to be far more comfortable in any level of darkness, their skin and eyes far more sensitive than before to UV. When taken away from it, and ideally isolated from higher-than-average levels of radiation such as found in orbital habitats, it's noted that the host's body will begin to reconstruct with aid from the tumor inside. Flesh will knit back together, burns will rapidly cast off, and even scar tissue will properly regenerate into normal tissue. It's thought that this process is even delicate enough to work at the host's DNA, prolonging epigenetic maintenance and ensuring biological systems remain healthy and youthful for far longer than normal. Given that Hemophages are converted and kept alive by their infection, it will ruthlessly fight off foreign bacteria, viruses, and tissues, repurposing or annihilating them to ensure there's no 'competition' over its host. Notably, the host's blood will turn almost black like ink due to their blood becoming more 'dense', yet no longer carrying nearly as much oxygen. Due to this hemophages are known to look more 'ashen', their lips often turning to a dark gray, and their skin going more pale than it normally would be. Their tongues, not an organ the tumor spares, additionally turn a pure black; in some cases, the sclera in their eyes might even turn significantly dark especially when bloodshot. The psychology of Hemophages is well-studied in the psychiatric field. Over time, hemophages have developed a plethora of conditioned responses and quirks just as humans, their prey, have. The first few years after a Hemophage is 'changed' is often enough to drive them over the edge. In some cases, the first few days. The process of being turned is a series of traumas in quick succession as the host is often made to murder. The lucky have a 'moral' source of blood at hand and whoever 'converted' them to guide them through it; the unlucky have to scramble to maintain their sense of self as they become something else. The physical sensation of first infection is often painful, often terrifying, and often grotesque to experience as the host feels their body shocked with vicious tumor tissue and their mind warped by near-death stretching over potentially days. Some snap, some grow stone-hard, but it's rare to actually meet a Hemophage that remembers the process. Some hemophages are born into their condition; the infection staying dormant until the child is a few months to a year old, ensuring their stability in being able to handle the tumor. These hosts tend to live extremely tumultuous childhoods, simply not being strong enough to feed on anything but the weakest of creatures, and trending towards immense loneliness from the high visibility of their condition's treatment during youth. The hunger is the main driver for these sordid creatures. From the very moment they wake back up from the process of being 'changed,' a powerful hunger is awakened. It twists and throbs in their heart, drowning out coherent thought. During the 'semi-starvation' phase in humans, the changes are dramatic. Significant decreases in strength and stamina, body temperature, heart rate, and obsession with food. Dreaming and fantasizing about it, reading and talking about it, and savoring what little meals they can get access to; hoarding it for themselves and eating to the last crumb. In Hemophages, this response is heavily similar, but turned outwards. The hunger of a Hemophage is psychologically pressing in nearly every way, detracting from all other concerns in an urge to be dealt with as soon as it can be. Panic easily sets in during these times of famine, the host instinctually knowing that it must be sated or the tumor within them will soon run out of blood to feed on, which would result in their mutual death. Even the very sight and smell of fresh blood can push a Hemophage into this kind of state if they haven't fed in awhile, only drinking from a living creature or intense meditation and concentration being able to push it down. Socially, Hemophages are mostly solitary hunters. It is extremely easy for them to recognize each other; the unique smell of their blackened ichor, the subtle details of their body and the way it moves, the shallow or nonexistant breathing, or even the likely smell of multiple victims' blood on their breath. Even normal humans report talking to known Hemophages being psychologically unsettling, linked to being armed with the knowledge that they've likely taken several lives and might take theirs. This predatory aura surrounding them tends to leave them operating primarily solitarily; always passively running threat analysis on others of their kind, especially given the higher 'value' of their more nutrient-rich blood. When they do choose to work together, Hemophages gather in groups of no more than ten. Any more, and their activities would surely be impossible to disguise. 'Conversion' tends to be uncommon for Hemophages. The typical line of thought is that one 'wouldn't want to raise a kid every time they go out for dinner,' as the 'creation' of a new Hemophage involves, essentially, becoming an on-site therapist and mentor for an unspecified amount of time. It's often not worth the risk to potentially allow a fresh 'convert' to gain access to a Hemophage's identity if they're attempting to 'blend', and to potentially turn on them and expose their illegal activities. However the infection which creates them, like any living creature, has a drive to procreate regardless; often the urge to spread it overtakes a hemophage's sensibilities anyway, and some are known to serially infect others simply to 'stir the pot.' In terms of human society, it's known for Hemophages to be passively strangled by the law itself. In 'civilized' places like Sol, Hemophages that attack or kill humans for their blood are prosecuted heavily; almost disproportionately compared to if the same crimes were committed by a normal person. Artificial sources of blood are intentionally kept rare by pharmaceutical companies, and those that do end up getting an easier access to such sources seem to almost always be working in the Medical field. Even adopting pets is made nigh-on-impossible for them. Those that don't leave to places like frontier systems typically end up part of oft-ephemeral networks of others of their kind, offering time-sensitive advice on where certain 'low-risk' or 'less-than-legal' meals may be found and forcing themselves to work past their base instincts to cooperate to an extent; anything else would mean death.

Work in Progress: Footer subject to change at a moment's notice. Do not take a red link's presence, struck-through or otherwise, as confirmation (or denial) of their canonicity.

Nova Sector Lore
	Common Species	Humans, Tiziran, Unathi, Moths, Ethereals, Azulae, Slime Hybrids, Teshari, Synthetic Humanoids (and assorted robots), Pod Persons
	Other Species	Genemodders (Felinids, Ice Walkers, Dwarf), Ashwalkers, Hemophages, Snailpersons, Ordoht (Formerly Skrell), Plasmamen, Flypeople, Vox (Primalis et al), Tajaran, Vulpkanin, Xenomorphic Hybrid, Rouges (Abductorkin), Miscellaneous Species
	Nanotrasen	Nanotrasen, Central Command, Emergency Response Corps
	External Groups	The Syndicate, Interdyne Pharmaceutics, DS-2, Cargo, The Spider Clan
	Nova	The Nova Sector, Indecipheres, Freyja
	Concepts	Bluespace, Plasma, Faster Than Light Travel, Resonance ("Souls"), Death
	SolFed	SolFed, Earth in 2565, The SolFed Armed Forces, The SolFed International Capital District