Infection Model: Packmind
Location: Oregon
Nanite Type: Packmind (Distributed AI)
Infection Vector: Bodily Fluids
Basic Infection Shapes: Have been shown to be able to model typical Apex predators, such as wolves, foxes, bears, cougars, as well as unnatural apex predators that do not exist in nature. There have been newly born packminds of prey species, notably Deer, and players can become infected with packmind nanites and /not/ succumb to the mental death in the form of the dedication Oregonian.
Infection Method: Slow process of the Packmind Nanites converting existing nanites in a creature over to more packmind. The process is painful, and gradual, until enough of the nanites have overtaken the host to be able to strip it down into organic matter and return it to the wellspring. The infected may, or may not exhibit outward infection signs before they are converted.
Description: Packminds originated in Oregon, native to the state when Promethean Day happened. Much of the state of Oregon, including Portland have been overrun by various packs. Their range depends on the infection type, and can range from a meager 2 mile range, to as much as 50 miles in the case of the largest packs. This limitation is due to the radio embedded into each nanite, which can only extend so far. If an individual 'finger' (body), of a pack is cut off from the signal, or damaged beyond repair, it is dissolved into base organic matter (usually looks like red goo, or blood), and seeps into the ground water, returning to the packmind is the fastest method possible. This function is a baseline programmed thing, and will function even if the nanites are otherwise disabled.
Wellsprings are a unique convention of Packmind Nanites. Due to their distributed AI nature, an innate emergency mechanic, each nanite in a pack is programmed with the coordinates to deliver matter upon loss of signal. A wellspring can take many forms depending on the species, thus far a 'mobile' wellspring has been encountered with the wolf infection, in the form of a large alpha wolf, and the more common 'stationary' wellspring has been encountered with Coyote and other packs, which in the case of Coyote took the form of a bubbling meat soup inside a natural hot spring. Wellsprings contain excessive matter, and are the location the packs create new 'fingers'.
Creatures digested by a packmind, are stripped slowly of their mind, and devoured by the group mind. Fragments of their memories may be constructed from a Packmind, but any creature lost inside a packmind for too long will be unrecoverable, without divine intervention. A sentient Packmind has been created out of the remnants of the coyote pack slain by Coyote as detailed in the event Coyote: The Packmind, and has taken the name of Elaine. She has slowly been creating an area of less dangerous territory around Crater Lake, and also assisted in creating a new form of Prey packminds, in order to help combat them.
These nanites are particularly weak to Electricity, EMP and other forms of radio disruption. The material can be stopped from returning to the wellspring by trapping or sealing it in something that is impermiable. Such matter has been studied by Zephyr and RSX.
Related Entries: See the Mephitic Gryphon and Oregonian dedication.
