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<!-- TEXT WITHIN THESE ARE COMMENTS. Comments don't display anywhere or do anything. That means IF YOU PUT SOMETHING INSIDE THESE WEIRD TAGS IT WILL DO NOTHING :lolmad: -->
{{cape
{{cape
|name        = Nepenthes
|name       = Nepenthes
|alias       = <!-- if they go by another name, put it here or leave blank -->
|alias       =  
|civ_name    = Tasha Golden
|civ_name   = Tasha Golden
|author      = /u/jellysnake
|author     = /u/jellysnake
|alignment   = Rogue
|alignment   = Hero
|affiliation = None<!-- Protectorate, Wards, None, Crypt Keepers, etc. full list here: https://wormrp.syl.ae/wiki/edit/Template:Cape/affiliation -->
|affiliation = Noncanon
|status      = Active
|status     = Noncanon
|location    = Devilfish<!-- leave as Devilfish unless they are somewhere else. If you dont know where they are put "Unknown"
|location   = Devilfish
|flair tag  =
 
<!-- everything above this comment is required. ask if you need help! -->
<!-- everything above this comment is required. ask if you need help! -->


<!-- Please don't put numbers here if you're unsure. Instead, ask a Wiki Nerd for help -->
<!-- This section to be filled out at the direction of mods only. -->
|class         = {{cape/class|Tinker}}
|class         = {{cape/class|Tinker}}
|rep_morality = 2
|rep_morality = 2
|rep_notoriety = E
|rep_notoriety = E
|rep_criminal =  
|rep_criminal =  


<!-- everything below this is optional,  -->
<!-- everything below this is optional,  -->
|redditlink  = https://www.reddit.com/r/wormrp/comments/pxq71u/tasha_golden_nepenthes/
|redditlink  = https://www.reddit.com/r/wormrp/comments/pxq71u/tasha_golden_nepenthes/
|image       = <!-- upload a file, and put the name here without the File: prefix -->
|image       =  
|caption     = <!-- description of the pic -->
|caption     =  
|birth_date  = <!-- 2001-09-17 -->
|birth_date  =  
|birth_place = Toledo, Ohio
|birth_place =  


<!-- Additional options exist, see Template:Cape for documentation -->
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Nepenthes recent emergence into the public eye is primarily monetarily focused. She has decided that holding down a ‘regular’ job with powers is going to be difficult especially given her ‘illness’ and as such is seeking cape related employment The events surrounding her trigger were public news, although the details of the biohazard outbreak are kept quiet, and most people think it was a fire or an explosion of some sorts. This was all about half a year ago, thus not in the publ
 
Nepenthes recent emergence into the public eye is primarily monetarily focused. She has decided that holding down a ‘regular’ job with powers is going to be difficult especially given her ‘illness’ and as such is seeking cape related employment The events surrounding her trigger were public news, although the details of the biohazard outbreak are kept quiet, and most people think it was a fire or an explosion of some sorts. This was all about half a year ago, thus not in the public consciousness any more




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* Taser
* Taser
* Seed bombs
* Seed bombs
=== Skills and Specializations ===
* Sci-fi nerd, in particular older sci-fi. Think OG star trek and stargate
* Skilled botanist, both in practical terms and in scientific ones
* Has trained self defence, especially as of late in preparation for cape life
* Due to gardening, she is fairly strong. She tires easily but can heft stuff around
=== Mentality ===
Generally leans good, she wants to help people but isn’t driven to do so to the point that she’s going to go out of her way to. She is still somewhat timid in fighting, a combination of her ‘illness’, a strong dislike of her power, and just plain inexperience. Due to her background she has been trained in how to handle herself in an emergency but well, the real world is far messier. She’s fairly friendly and outgoing with the people that she is close to, but she can struggle to develop friendships and to connect to people. She’s an introvert, far preferring to sit alone than to go out and ‘socialise’.
=== Power ===
Primary power is the ability to create seeds from their skin which germinate and grow very rapidly in the presence of blood. They grow rapidly from seed into a plant, in the process growing roots and taking nutrients from their substrate. This could be a blood-soaked soil or flesh. A seed will only last for about a week or so before becoming non-viable. There are four distinct phases, each occurring over different time frames 1.
Takes roughly 3-5 seconds and over this timespan the plant grows from a seed, into a sapling, ranging from 10-30cm (controllable by the cape)
2. Over the course of a day or so, the roots will deepen and begin to burrow deeper into the flesh, and reach bone, key arteries and potentially organs. It's still possible to remove the plant at this stage but it is very painful and can be destructive
3. Over the rest of a week, the plant will mature and begin to flower. These flowers have no pollinator or seed disperser. (Ie, they are not an S Class threat). The plant will strengthen its grip, spreading out tiny branching roots. It's still localised, however removal has permanent loss of function implications. (Basically amputation/crippling limbs)
From here on out, the plant will spread through the body, and removal of the plant will cause so much shock as to kill the host. Roots will intertwine with organs, and the plants will spread throughout the entire body. It is late in this stage that Nepenthes' is in.
Removal of the plant can be done up until stage three. Just like ripping out a weed in a garden, simply pulling out the plant will macerate the flesh, and generally take chunks with it. If instead, you cut the plant off at the base, then it will die, but leave substantial roots behind. Regardless of the method used, there will be root residue left behind. This causes slower healing & long lasting pain due to the foreign material still in the wound and the root's attempt to keep growing.
Due to the rapid growth of the plant, and the aggressively degree it seeks out blood, the roots can possess high destructive forces in stage one. They can penetrate through armour, and crack solid objects. The smoother and more uniform the object or armour is, the harder this is to achieve. However if the roots can gain leverage, they are capable of penetrating bulletproof armour, cracking concrete and denting thin steel. Repeated applications of seeds and blood can destroy stronger or larger objects by attrition, although this takes concerted effort and time.
It seems that this strength is most effective when there is blood on the other side of the obstacle, such as in body armour. The plant roots can somehow sense the blood and target towards it, much like trees and running water.
Due to her trigger event, Nepenthes' body is consumed by late stage 4 plants. Although her body has since healed around the initial destruction, she still experiences pain and fatigue issues. This is mitigated by her minor Brute power, which is a combination of effects from her plants and her power directly. This grants her regeneration, defence and strength bonuses.
As her body is permeated with wood, it is incredibly tough, like that of a thick vine or tree. This is similar to that of regular wood, in that it won't stop a concerted attempt to hack her apart. She particularly resists blunt force, followed by slashing, with the least resistance against piercing attacks. Energy, plasma and heat based weapons, such as lasers, are barely mitigated, and generally affect her normally. Additionally she has a regenerative power of about twice that of a human, due to the speed at which the plants can repair themselves.
Finally she has increased strength to resist things. She can't push something that's very heavy, but she could resist a car trying to push her. She achieves this by essentially locking the wood running through her body, making it immovable. She doesn't gain any extra defence when doing this.
Although this makes her physically stronger, and she has an increased pain tolerance, this symbiosis extracts a significant toll on her body. She has greatly reduced energy and stamina, and suffers from chronic pain. This inhibits her ability to do extended fights, if a fight (or strenuous activity) is lasting longer than about 15min or so she will begin to suffer greatly and her strength will wane.
Of note, her face is a particularly weak spot. An ironic touch to the mercy that it was mostly left untouched, externally.
The main combat application of this power is the rapid and destructive growth via a germinating seed. Because she can quickly and easily generate seeds in her hands, her main method of attack involves drawing blood and plastering seeds onto it. She is functionally immune to her seeds growth, given how she's already consumed by it. If she cannot draw blood, then she does carry vials of rat blood, which she can use to stain someone and have the seeds crack or burrow through body armour.
Despite the parasitic and blood seeking nature of these plants, they are still plants. As such, they can be bred and spliced, with varying success.So far she has managed to develop a slow growing, but incredibly tough variety she is using to fashion armour and shields from. She hopes to be able to use this as a commercial avenue of sorts.
The second main strain she has made is a fast growing and very dense version, much like a very thorny hedge of sorts. Combining these seeds with blood in a ball of sorts lets her smash the ball on the ground, to have cover grow rapidly, over the course of about 15 seconds.
She is working on some less violent or lethal varieties as well as alternative effects. She currently has a small Dendrocnide moroides that she is attempting to hybridise her seeds with. At the moment however, she doesn't have anything less… destructive.


=== Tinkertech ===
=== Tinkertech ===


{{Equipment
{{Equipment
| name       = Allocasuarina (Sheoak)
| name       = Allocasuarina (Sheoak)
| appearance = The stems are a reddish brown, similar to that of the Buloke heartwood. They have grains running through, parallel to the direction of growth. The stems are about 4-5 cm in diameter when reaching the flowering stage.
| appearance = The stems are a reddish brown, similar to that of the Buloke heartwood. They have grains running through, parallel to the direction of growth. The stems are about 4-5 cm in diameter when reaching the flowering stage.
| abilities  = This Strain grows slowly, however the stems it produces are incredibly thick and dense. Due to this density and strength, they are easily able to stop a bullet, even from high caliber guns. It is also highly resistant to fire and general destruction.
| abilities  = This Strain grows slowly, however the stems it produces are incredibly thick and dense. Due to this density and strength, they are easily able to stop a bullet, even from high caliber guns. It is also highly resistant to fire and general destruction.
| duration   = This species grows very slowly, due to the emphasis on strength. Stage one takes about 15 minutes, rather than the 3-5 seconds of the original strain. Other stages take similarly long times, with the overall result that this strain is not suitable for combat use
| duration   = This species grows very slowly, due to the emphasis on strength. Stage one takes about 15 minutes, rather than the 3-5 seconds of the original strain. Other stages take similarly long times, with the overall result that this strain is not suitable for combat use
| notes      = This Strain is also heavy, about 1g per cm3. This is the same as water
| notes     = This Strain is also heavy, about 1g per cm3. This is the same as water
Created from the Australian Buloke tree.
Created from the Australian Buloke tree.
| state      = collapsed
| state     = collapsed
}}
}}


{{Equipment
{{Equipment
| name       = Bambusoideae (Bamboo)
| name       = Bambusoideae (Bamboo)
| appearance = Forms dense brambles that fill the space they occupy. The prevalence of leaves and the like makes the bramble fully opaque
| appearance = Forms dense brambles that fill the space they occupy. The prevalence of leaves and the like makes the bramble fully opaque


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Due to being thicker than the original strain, this type is able to take hits, although not on the scale of the Allocasuarina strain. It will stop handgun fire, but concentrated attacks will penetrate it. As it is damaged by attacks, it will also weaken over time, as it sustains hits
Due to being thicker than the original strain, this type is able to take hits, although not on the scale of the Allocasuarina strain. It will stop handgun fire, but concentrated attacks will penetrate it. As it is damaged by attacks, it will also weaken over time, as it sustains hits
| duration   = This strain grows about the same speed as the original strain, but stage one lasts significantly longer. This causes the plant to overall reach a larger size before it's growth slows down
| duration   = This strain grows about the same speed as the original strain, but stage one lasts significantly longer. This causes the plant to overall reach a larger size before it's growth slows down
| notes      = Created by merging with Bamboo, which is capable of growing incredibly fast, whilst still being tough.
| notes     = Created by merging with Bamboo, which is capable of growing incredibly fast, whilst still being tough.
| state      = collapsed
| state     = collapsed
}}
}}


{{Equipment
{{Equipment
| name       = Cover Bomb
| name       = Cover Bomb
| appearance = Resembles a small plastic ball, with a divider down the middle. One half is filled with animal blood, and the other with seeds from the Bambusoideae Strain. They range from golf balls to tennis balls
| appearance = Resembles a small plastic ball, with a divider down the middle. One half is filled with animal blood, and the other with seeds from the Bambusoideae Strain. They range from golf balls to tennis balls
| abilities  = When impacting an area, the shell breaks open, mixing the seeds and the blood. This causes them to rapidly germinate and create a dense area of brambles and thickets. Due to the leaves and the density of stems, the cover blocks all line of sight.
| abilities  = When impacting an area, the shell breaks open, mixing the seeds and the blood. This causes them to rapidly germinate and create a dense area of brambles and thickets. Due to the leaves and the density of stems, the cover blocks all line of sight.
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This variety is not as aggressive in searching for blood. As such, it can also be used in proximity to people such as civilians to protect them, or to capture people. However it is hard to cut through and can generally be a nightmare to get someone out safely.
This variety is not as aggressive in searching for blood. As such, it can also be used in proximity to people such as civilians to protect them, or to capture people. However it is hard to cut through and can generally be a nightmare to get someone out safely.
| duration   = The duration of the brambles depends heavily on the substrate they land on. If it's soil or something that a regular plant can grow in, the duration ranges from about 1-2days. It will last longer if watered with blood.
| duration   = The duration of the brambles depends heavily on the substrate they land on. If it's soil or something that a regular plant can grow in, the duration ranges from about 1-2days. It will last longer if watered with blood.
If in something organic, such as wood, it will partially consume it and last for about 1-2h
If in something organic, such as wood, it will partially consume it and last for about 1-2h
And finally, if the substrate is inorganic it will last for about 10-15 minutes before the protection degrades too much to be useful.
And finally, if the substrate is inorganic it will last for about 10-15 minutes before the protection degrades too much to be useful.
| notes      = It uses the seeds from the Bambusoideae Strain. There are 10 currently made, sizes ranging from half the max, up to the full size.
| notes     = It uses the seeds from the Bambusoideae Strain. There are 10 currently made, sizes ranging from half the max, up to the full size.
New the ability to make new ones is determined by the number of seeds she can harvest.
New the ability to make new ones is determined by the number of seeds she can harvest.
The blood is rat blood, from her 'farm' at her house.
The blood is rat blood, from her 'farm' at her house.
It took a while to get the delivery mechanism working, and she is still finding dead plant bits from the failures that went off too early
It took a while to get the delivery mechanism working, and she is still finding dead plant bits from the failures that went off too early
| state      = collapsed
| state     = collapsed
}}
}}


=== Skills and Specializations ===
{{Equipment
* Sci-fi nerd, in particular older sci-fi. Think OG star trek and stargate
| name      = Drosera (Sundew)
* Skilled botanist, both in practical terms and in scientific ones
| appearance = The leaves, which are the main vector, are almost tentacle like with bulbs at the end. They are about 2cm long, with the bulb being .5cm in diameter. They are very densely packed onto the stem, if you touch one, you've also touched multiple. They resemble a larger sundew, however with dense and curled stems like all her plants. They grow at the same rate and sizes as her original strain.
* Has trained self defence, especially as of late in preparation for cape life
| abilities  = The leaves of the plant are covered with an incredibly sticky glue like substance that causes them to stick onto anything that touches them. In addition, their connection to the main stem is a lot weaker than the glue, causing attempts to remove the leave to just detach it from plant. The glue is comparable in strength to a conventional superglue.
* Due to gardening, she is fairly strong. She tires easily but can heft stuff around
The second ability of the plant is it's capabilities to extrude digestive enzymes from the surface of the plant. These are released upon contact and act to liquify organic materials into a nutrient soup. This is then absorbed by the plant and used to fuel the growth of small vine like tendrils.


=== Mentality ===
These tendrils use the same digestive enzymes to burrow into the material and pull the leaf against the skin, ensuring it is harder to remove. The enzymes dissolve at different rates depending on the material, with skin about 8 seconds per cm3, and harder materials like wood or chitin taking about 20 seconds per cm3.
Generally leans good, she wants to help people but isn’t driven to do so to the point that she’s going to go out of her way to. She is still somewhat timid in fighting, a combination of her ‘illness’, a strong dislike of her power, and just plain inexperience. Due to her background she has been trained in how to handle herself in an emergency but well, the real world is far messier. She’s fairly friendly and outgoing with the people that she is close to, but she can struggle to develop friendships and to connect to people. She’s an introvert, far preferring to sit alone than to go out and ‘socialise’.
The leaves cease to work if more than 30% of the leaf is destroyed (although there will still be enzymes on your skin. The leaf will just fall off)
| duration  = A leaf detached from the stem will only survive for about 2 hours. The original stem survives for the same time as the Bambusoideae strain.
| notes      = This plant is extremely dangerous, however it will only digest organic materials. It has no capability to spread, with detached leaves only growing through a host.
| state      = collapsed
}}


=== Power ===
{{Equipment
Primary power is the ability to create seeds from their skin which germinate and grow very rapidly in the presence of blood. They grow rapidly from seed into a plant, in the process growing roots and taking nutrients from their substrate. This could be a blood-soaked soil or flesh. A seed will only last for about a week or so before becoming non-viable. There are four distinct phases, each occurring over different time frames 1.
| name      = Aloe (Aloe)
| appearance = Forms slow growing long stems which produce small succulent leaves. These leaves are about 2cm diameter, and when crushed or squeezed produce a sap with a viscosity similar to that of dish soap.
| abilities  = Primarily only used to denature the adhesive chemicals and digestive enzymes produced by the Drosera variety. The sap from inside the leaves produces chemicals that will cause the Drosera variety to stop digesting and let go. It was developed alongside it in order to lessen the potential damage.
| duration  = The plant grows at similar speeds to that of the Allocasuarina strain. The fleshy leaves can be harvested and remain viable for about 2 days, after which they have withered too much to be effective. This allows her to carry around leaves with her to apply in an emergency.
| state      = collapsed
}}


Takes roughly 3-5 seconds and over this timespan the plant grows from a seed, into a sapling, ranging from 10-30cm (controllable by the cape)
{{Equipment
2. Over the course of a day or so, the roots will deepen and begin to burrow deeper into the flesh, and reach bone, key arteries and potentially organs. It's still possible to remove the plant at this stage but it is very painful and can be destructive
| name      = Achillea (Yarrow)
3. Over the rest of a week, the plant will mature and begin to flower. These flowers have no pollinator or seed disperser. (Ie, they are not an S Class threat). The plant will strengthen its grip, spreading out tiny branching roots. It's still localised, however removal has permanent loss of function implications. (Basically amputation/crippling limbs)
| appearance = Much smaller than her other plants, it only grows to be a few cm tall at most. Instead, it has a much higher horizontal cover, and an incredibly matted, albeit shallow, root system.
From here on out, the plant will spread through the body, and removal of the plant will cause so much shock as to kill the host. Roots will intertwine with organs, and the plants will spread throughout the entire body. It is late in this stage that Nepenthes' is in.
| abilities  = The plant extrudes a mix of both coagulants and anaesthetic chemicals. This causes it to be an incredibly effective short term treatment for bleeding wounds. A few seconds after the seeds are applied they will have developed a dense enough coverage over the wound as to stop bleeding temporarily. This is not a long term solution as once the chemicals wear off, after about 2h, they will start to grow deeper into the flesh, and feed off of the blood. Predictably, this is bad. However removing the plants is very easy, by simply tearing off the stems and leaving the root systems intact. This allows medical professionals to easily patch up the wound
Removal of the plant can be done up until stage three. Just like ripping out a weed in a garden, simply pulling out the plant will macerate the flesh, and generally take chunks with it. If instead, you cut the plant off at the base, then it will die, but leave substantial roots behind. Regardless of the method used, there will be root residue left behind. This causes slower healing & long lasting pain due to the foreign material still in the wound and the root's attempt to keep growing.
| duration  = The analgesic effect only lasts for about half an hour. The overall plant lasts significantly longer, similar to her original strain. However, it loses it's blood clotting ability after about two hours, at which point it will start to do more harm than good by feeding off the blood.
 
If the stems are removed, then the roots, and by extension the coagulation properties, will die after about an hour.
Due to the rapid growth of the plant, and the aggressively degree it seeks out blood, the roots can possess high destructive forces in stage one. They can penetrate through armour, and crack solid objects. The smoother and more uniform the object or armour is, the harder this is to achieve. However if the roots can gain leverage, they are capable of penetrating bulletproof armour, cracking concrete and denting thin steel. Repeated applications of seeds and blood can destroy stronger or larger objects by attrition, although this takes concerted effort and time.
| notes      = Developed by Nepenthes as a form of damage control for the wounds caused by her own plants. However it works on any bleeding wound. Because the seeds are hybridised and not made by her directly, she can easily distribute this to others for use without her being there. One handful of seeds has enough 'use' for about 2 grievous wounds. (Things like lost limbs or big gashes)
It seems that this strength is most effective when there is blood on the other side of the obstacle, such as in body armour. The plant roots can somehow sense the blood and target towards it, much like trees and running water.
| state      = collapsed
 
}}
Due to her trigger event, Nepenthes' body is consumed by late stage 4 plants. Although her body has since healed around the initial destruction, she still experiences pain and fatigue issues. This is mitigated by her minor Brute power, which is a combination of effects from her plants and her power directly. This grants her regeneration, defence and strength bonuses.
As her body is permeated with wood, it is incredibly tough, like that of a thick vine or tree. This is similar to that of regular wood, in that it won't stop a concerted attempt to hack her apart. She particularly resists blunt force, followed by slashing, with the least resistance against piercing attacks. Energy, plasma and heat based weapons, such as lasers, are barely mitigated, and generally affect her normally. Additionally she has a regenerative power of about twice that of a human, due to the speed at which the plants can repair themselves.
Finally she has increased strength to resist things. She can't push something that's very heavy, but she could resist a car trying to push her. She achieves this by essentially locking the wood running through her body, making it immovable. She doesn't gain any extra defence when doing this.
 
Although this makes her physically stronger, and she has an increased pain tolerance, this symbiosis extracts a significant toll on her body. She has greatly reduced energy and stamina, and suffers from chronic pain. This inhibits her ability to do extended fights, if a fight (or strenuous activity) is lasting longer than about 15min or so she will begin to suffer greatly and her strength will wane.
Of note, her face is a particularly weak spot. An ironic touch to the mercy that it was mostly left untouched, externally.
 
The main combat application of this power is the rapid and destructive growth via a germinating seed. Because she can quickly and easily generate seeds in her hands, her main method of attack involves drawing blood and plastering seeds onto it. She is functionally immune to her seeds growth, given how she's already consumed by it. If she cannot draw blood, then she does carry vials of rat blood, which she can use to stain someone and have the seeds crack or burrow through body armour.
 
Despite the parasitic and blood seeking nature of these plants, they are still plants. As such, they can be bred and spliced, with varying success.So far she has managed to develop a slow growing, but incredibly tough variety she is using to fashion armour and shields from. She hopes to be able to use this as a commercial avenue of sorts.
The second main strain she has made is a fast growing and very dense version, much like a very thorny hedge of sorts. Combining these seeds with blood in a ball of sorts lets her smash the ball on the ground, to have cover grow rapidly, over the course of about 15 seconds.
 
She is working on some less violent or lethal varieties as well as alternative effects. She currently has a small Dendrocnide moroides that she is attempting to hybridise her seeds with. At the moment however, she doesn't have anything less… destructive.


=== Backstory ===
=== Backstory ===

Latest revision as of 22:26, 22 July 2024

Nepenthes
Author /u/jellysnake
Civilian name Tasha Golden
Alignment Hero
Affiliation Noncanon (Devilfish)
PRT Classification Tinker
Status Noncanon



Nepenthes recent emergence into the public eye is primarily monetarily focused. She has decided that holding down a ‘regular’ job with powers is going to be difficult especially given her ‘illness’ and as such is seeking cape related employment The events surrounding her trigger were public news, although the details of the biohazard outbreak are kept quiet, and most people think it was a fire or an explosion of some sorts. This was all about half a year ago, thus not in the public consciousness any more


Character Sheet

Appearance

Due to her power, her body is covered with thick dull, pale red vines. They penetrate her skin in many places, clearly winding through her flesh internally. Her head is mostly untouched externally, allowing her roughly neck night hair to follow freely and only occasionally get tangled in a vine. Her face is also mostly untouched, except for a few small red vines visible beneath the surface and a persistent leaf that grows from her left eye. She plucks it before it gets more than half a cm across. She stands at 5"6' tall, and dresses relatively smart in civvies. For a costume she wears a simple lab coat, as well as a stylish wooden mask. The mask is more of a protective measure than something to obscure her identity. After all, she can't turn off her physical changes.

Equipment and Resources

  • Car
  • House
  • Taser
  • Seed bombs

Skills and Specializations

  • Sci-fi nerd, in particular older sci-fi. Think OG star trek and stargate
  • Skilled botanist, both in practical terms and in scientific ones
  • Has trained self defence, especially as of late in preparation for cape life
  • Due to gardening, she is fairly strong. She tires easily but can heft stuff around

Mentality

Generally leans good, she wants to help people but isn’t driven to do so to the point that she’s going to go out of her way to. She is still somewhat timid in fighting, a combination of her ‘illness’, a strong dislike of her power, and just plain inexperience. Due to her background she has been trained in how to handle herself in an emergency but well, the real world is far messier. She’s fairly friendly and outgoing with the people that she is close to, but she can struggle to develop friendships and to connect to people. She’s an introvert, far preferring to sit alone than to go out and ‘socialise’.

Power

Primary power is the ability to create seeds from their skin which germinate and grow very rapidly in the presence of blood. They grow rapidly from seed into a plant, in the process growing roots and taking nutrients from their substrate. This could be a blood-soaked soil or flesh. A seed will only last for about a week or so before becoming non-viable. There are four distinct phases, each occurring over different time frames 1.

Takes roughly 3-5 seconds and over this timespan the plant grows from a seed, into a sapling, ranging from 10-30cm (controllable by the cape) 2. Over the course of a day or so, the roots will deepen and begin to burrow deeper into the flesh, and reach bone, key arteries and potentially organs. It's still possible to remove the plant at this stage but it is very painful and can be destructive 3. Over the rest of a week, the plant will mature and begin to flower. These flowers have no pollinator or seed disperser. (Ie, they are not an S Class threat). The plant will strengthen its grip, spreading out tiny branching roots. It's still localised, however removal has permanent loss of function implications. (Basically amputation/crippling limbs) From here on out, the plant will spread through the body, and removal of the plant will cause so much shock as to kill the host. Roots will intertwine with organs, and the plants will spread throughout the entire body. It is late in this stage that Nepenthes' is in. Removal of the plant can be done up until stage three. Just like ripping out a weed in a garden, simply pulling out the plant will macerate the flesh, and generally take chunks with it. If instead, you cut the plant off at the base, then it will die, but leave substantial roots behind. Regardless of the method used, there will be root residue left behind. This causes slower healing & long lasting pain due to the foreign material still in the wound and the root's attempt to keep growing.

Due to the rapid growth of the plant, and the aggressively degree it seeks out blood, the roots can possess high destructive forces in stage one. They can penetrate through armour, and crack solid objects. The smoother and more uniform the object or armour is, the harder this is to achieve. However if the roots can gain leverage, they are capable of penetrating bulletproof armour, cracking concrete and denting thin steel. Repeated applications of seeds and blood can destroy stronger or larger objects by attrition, although this takes concerted effort and time. It seems that this strength is most effective when there is blood on the other side of the obstacle, such as in body armour. The plant roots can somehow sense the blood and target towards it, much like trees and running water.

Due to her trigger event, Nepenthes' body is consumed by late stage 4 plants. Although her body has since healed around the initial destruction, she still experiences pain and fatigue issues. This is mitigated by her minor Brute power, which is a combination of effects from her plants and her power directly. This grants her regeneration, defence and strength bonuses. As her body is permeated with wood, it is incredibly tough, like that of a thick vine or tree. This is similar to that of regular wood, in that it won't stop a concerted attempt to hack her apart. She particularly resists blunt force, followed by slashing, with the least resistance against piercing attacks. Energy, plasma and heat based weapons, such as lasers, are barely mitigated, and generally affect her normally. Additionally she has a regenerative power of about twice that of a human, due to the speed at which the plants can repair themselves. Finally she has increased strength to resist things. She can't push something that's very heavy, but she could resist a car trying to push her. She achieves this by essentially locking the wood running through her body, making it immovable. She doesn't gain any extra defence when doing this.

Although this makes her physically stronger, and she has an increased pain tolerance, this symbiosis extracts a significant toll on her body. She has greatly reduced energy and stamina, and suffers from chronic pain. This inhibits her ability to do extended fights, if a fight (or strenuous activity) is lasting longer than about 15min or so she will begin to suffer greatly and her strength will wane. Of note, her face is a particularly weak spot. An ironic touch to the mercy that it was mostly left untouched, externally.

The main combat application of this power is the rapid and destructive growth via a germinating seed. Because she can quickly and easily generate seeds in her hands, her main method of attack involves drawing blood and plastering seeds onto it. She is functionally immune to her seeds growth, given how she's already consumed by it. If she cannot draw blood, then she does carry vials of rat blood, which she can use to stain someone and have the seeds crack or burrow through body armour.

Despite the parasitic and blood seeking nature of these plants, they are still plants. As such, they can be bred and spliced, with varying success.So far she has managed to develop a slow growing, but incredibly tough variety she is using to fashion armour and shields from. She hopes to be able to use this as a commercial avenue of sorts. The second main strain she has made is a fast growing and very dense version, much like a very thorny hedge of sorts. Combining these seeds with blood in a ball of sorts lets her smash the ball on the ground, to have cover grow rapidly, over the course of about 15 seconds.

She is working on some less violent or lethal varieties as well as alternative effects. She currently has a small Dendrocnide moroides that she is attempting to hybridise her seeds with. At the moment however, she doesn't have anything less… destructive.

Tinkertech

Backstory

Tasha grew up outside of Devilfish in Toledo, Ohio. All throughout growing up she was interested in the natural world, so it was only natural that she study science at university. She had already moved away from her parents at this point, so moving for better study seemed like a good idea. That and it was an opportunity to move away from her home town, to Minnesota specifically.

Her time at Winona University was characterised by her falling in love with plants and their complexity. She was fascinated by the way they defied all rules, especially those around reproduction and evolution. This enthusiasm quickly led her to a PhD, and then out into the real world. She was lucky to be offered a job at a newer lab, over in Devilfish. This time, the move was reluctant, but she couldn't turn down such an offer. It wasn’t until later that she learnt why this lab was paying so much.

It was about 8 months later that disaster struck, with the biohazard leak that killed a quarter of the lab staff that day. Everyone in the lab room was killed, with the exception of Tasha. She would have died too, if it were not for her triggering. In the wake of the accident she learnt far more than she wished to. The names of so many different pain medications. The goal behind the lab’s work. The intricate detail of her ruined body. So many insurance forms, and ways the companies cheat you.

Eventually, she had enough, and became somewhat of a recluse. That was 4 months ago, and in that time, well she had found her feet and ran out of savings. Much to her dismay, she had to change something in her life.