Fate

1-Egger Hall of Shame (May 8, 2016)




Breed: Any

Primary Colour: Coal - Midnight
Secondary Colour: Coal - Midnight
Tertiary Colour: Charcoal - Midnight, Stone - Soil

Primary Gene: Crystal, Iridescent
Secondary Gene: Facet, Shimmer
Tertiary Gene: Crackle

Lore: This subspecies is the unintentional result of Lightning engineers working on Plague grounds. Employees exposed to industrial accidents often found themselves irreversibly imbued with their own crude oil products, which had become contaminated by the surrounding Wasteland environment. The hardiest employees survived and continued working even as their bodies underwent drastic chemical and physical changes. When these original survivors had offspring, their altered traits were passed down. Despite the unfortunate circumstances which created Oil Slicks, Lightning workers view them with something like affection and pride—an unorthodox gift from the Plaguebringer! Their Plague colleagues, meanwhile, believe they possess the best of both flights, where one supplied a potent and volatile raw material and the other gave it the means to spread and thrive. Members of both flights eagerly track the spread of Oil Slicks out from contaminated sites with scientific interest.

Oil Slicks constantly ooze a petroleum-like substance which varies depending on the original oil compound and proximity to the Wyrmwound at the time of contamination. At its most benign, this secretion simply trails wherever the Oil Slick goes. More often it has a tendency to spread outwards from its source and seek both organic and inorganic subjects to soak into. Ingestion of tainted oil or inhalation of fumes is hazardous and may cause illness or even death; however, if the victim is completely consumed by the oil and hasn’t yet died, their body may mutate and turn them into an Oil Slick themselves.

Original Oil Slick survivors coming from Lightning and Plague clans tend to be apathetic and don't seek to deliberately spread their unique contaminant, except in controlled experiments. They'll avoid their clanmates as a basic courtesy and are well-suited to solitary work in hazardous environments. Subsequent generations have shown an increase in aggression and mental imbalance, however, due to being imbued with their parents' toxic secretions from egghood. Several groups have begun roaming out of their territories in the Scarred Wasteland or Shifting Expanse, spreading tainted oils to other regions under the brusque claim "for science". There have even been reports of Imperial cults banding together in hopes of creating an Oil Spill emperor of disastrous proportion. Despite their hostility to outsiders, these feral Oil Slicks find safety and strength in their own numbers and are lax about the territories they share.
Oil Slicks are relatively benign to Plague and Lightning lands, which are naturally barren and well-equipped to deal with their secretions. Earth territories rich in natural crude oil reserves are prime targets for Oil Slicks looking to spread their taint. They present a significant threat to complex ecosystems in Water and coastal regions, where a passing Oil Slick can contaminate entire marine and wildlife habitats. An Oil Slick will never approach any Fire territory, however; the smallest flame is enough to ignite its chemically volatile body, burning it alive and sending noxious smoke into the air for days or even weeks as its oil reserves are depleted.

Controversy:
Since their accidental creation, Oil Slicks have been the subject of political and environmental debate between flights. Lightning clans believe they have a right to employ Oil Slicks and their offspring both for their hardiness as workers and for the petroleum they secrete, which can be collected and used as fuel. Surrounding flights have ceded this right on the condition that Oil Slicks register with their clans and have strict restrictions placed on their travels. However, when later Oil Slick generations began ignoring these regulations, widespread outbreaks occurred well beyond agreed quarantine limits. This brought outcries against both Plague and Lightning flights, who had been expected to contain their subspecies, and suggestions were even made to employ Fire flight dragons to exterminate potentially dangerous Oil Slick groups in "controlled burnings". This was met with vicious backlash from original Oil Slicks, whose grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the subject of dispute. Ultimately these plans were never carried out, due to concerns about toxic smoke emissions as well as ethical implications.

Today, Plague and Lightning flights continue to offer shelter to their subspecies. Lightning clans are developing methods of containing Oil Slick secretions, using floating booms in Water regions with moderate success. Plague clans remain divided on whether to encourage the spread of Oil Slicks according to the Plaguebringer's philosophy, or to help their Lightning colleagues contain them. Plague scientists are hopeful about recent experiments using oil-eating microbes, which in combination with Lightning equipment could prove a safe and reliable means of cleaning up Oil Slick contaminants.

Other: This subspecies may belong to all flights except for Fire.

Creator: tinydobes