Spore Spider
The Xenopox Virus was created at MedUSA, a laboratory, in Oregon, though as a company, its facilities are spread across the globe. The base of the chemical concoction was the actual poison of the snake god, Ophion. In ancient times, anyone that Ophion bit would become snake people, reptilians. They would bite others, and the further away from Ophion’s original victim, the less human traits the victims would keep and the more of a reptile they would appear.
The original poison used had come from an ancient unearthed relic. Using the poison as a starting point, MedUSA began testing and tweaking the properties. The original idea of the board of directors and several of the scientists was to find a way to resurrect the snake god himself, perhaps by cloning. However, all attempts using the poison, failed. They then tested the poison on animals and people. By studying the effects on a microscopic level, they grew to understand the properties of the substance better. It caused mutations of varying types and degrees based on mixing with the DNA of different organisms. After the lab was destroyed by Siri Solen, the mutants that managed to escape sought refuge in the nearby sewer system.
One strain of these fleeing mutants was the arachnidians. Among those were the giant mutant spiders. Due to chemicals and inherent magical properties of the xenopoxian virus, the spider exoskeletons allow for large oxygen consumption. This ability, along with the weaving internal structures of their carapaces, allows these spiders to reach unparalleled size. Skittering in the darkness of the sewers, they are the soldiers and mates of the brood mother. The mutations were commonly massive growth, but an adapting exoskeleton and musculature capable of supporting the arachnid also formed. The spider’s venom also changed to inject a form of the Xenopox into its victims. The bitten animals would change mentally to become fully loyal to the brood and their eyes would become completely black. The animal itself did not matter: amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals were tested, and even humans. Most spider specimens were euthanized after study, but one was allowed to mate. She grew enormous and was found capable of producing copious amounts of eggs. When Siri Solen destroyed the MedUSA lab, in the confusion and damage, the brood mother escaped.
Another strain of these fleeing mutants was the fungalians. There was one particular specimen that survived the sewers as the Night Stalker, Roy McCoy, sought and exterminated mutants, nightly. It was a gelatinous mold and it slithered into a yellow section of the Big Pipe Project. There amid a pile of dead animals, it festered and bloomed becoming the Mold Master. It desired to spread itself throughout the tunnels. At that time, the mutant spiders of the brood mother had already claimed the tunnel, but the spores could turn them into walking fungal zombies. The mold continued to spread and the spiders in that section were forced to retreat. These moldy spiders lose their connection to the brood mother, instead following their fungal overlord. Absinthe Van Gothen fought these mutants in the Portland Sewer System, specifically the Big Pipe Project section while attempting to find the Night Stalker, Molly McCoy.
