Isfet Worm

The Isfet Worm is a parasite first discovered on the human colony world of New Egypt. The parasite is known to infect all sapient species, except for Chogan.

Those infected by the parasite begin to worship it, treating it as a god. The former world of New Egypt, now called Fincu, is a pilgrimage site for all infected, and the centre of the massive worm cult.

History
Patient Zero of the Isfet Worm was a New Egyptian man only known as Omar. On November 6th, 2142, he was admitted to hospital in the small town of Tufil with symptoms of delirium, babbling, and psychosis. Later on, all the patients in the psych ward began to contract the same symptoms. On November 13th, one week after Omar was admitted, the entire psych ward escaped the hospital. By the end of the month, the entire town of Tufil exhibited the same symptoms.

The town was quarantined by the New Egyptian government, but it was to no avail as the residents began to fight against the military keeping them in. The parasite then began to spread outside of the town, eventually infecting people in every part of New Egypt. It was then decided to completely quarantine the planet.

Around this time, military forces keeping an eye on the infection noticed a singular new lifeform, which seemed to be the target of the infected's worship. They named it "Sacerdos nequam", Latin for "vile priest". This being would later be known by its worshippers as Isfet.

Isfet and its worshippers eventually founded an entirely new society on the ruins of New Egypt. From what outsiders can glean, it appears to be a militaristic theocracy dedicated to worshipping Isfet. They have refurbished old spaceships and escaped the planet. Small Isfet-worshipping cults can be found everywhere, dedicated to creating another world like New Egypt.

Lifecycle
The Isfet worm converts the salivary glands to produce microscopic eggs that inhabit the saliva. The eggs can also live in stagnant, fresh water. The eggs can remain dormant for over two years before becoming infertile.

Once the eggs reach another host, usually by drinking contaminated water, the eggs hatch and the larvae make their way to the skull. It takes two weeks for the parasites to mature. During this time, they inhabit the location behind the eyeballs. One symptom of infection is deteriorating vision, which appears to be regained once the parasites mature and leave the eyes.

The adult parasite has a remarkable ability to keep its host alive until they die of other means. Autopsies performed on infected people have shown that the parasite feeds off neural energy. The decrease in brain function is estimated to be about 10%, but there are no exact numbers.

Treatment
The only known way to save an infected person is to give them an X-ray through the eyes, which kills the juvenile parasites. Human and Viechtyren scientists are working on a cure that can be inhaled so that unwilling cultists can be cured, but there is little progress. One concern for scientists is that even if the parasite is killed and brain function is restored, the cultists will still worship Isfet and be hostile; with the extra brain power they could even be more dangerous.

Approximately 19% of humans and 31% of Viechtyren are known to be immune to the Isfet Worm. The cause is still under investigation.