Strange Thoughts: Mageworms

Parasite for your Thoughts?

On the way home from working out the other day I had a strange thought that merged some ideas from the book Parasite by Mira Grant (author of the excellent FEED series) and the magical worlds of fantasy I’ve been exploring via my Moebius Adventures products. (Great books by the way. I was hooked by Parasite in the first 25 pages.)

What if someone magically altered a parasite to seek out and destroy wizards and other spellcasters? Perhaps it was created by an alchemist or assassin’s guild at the behest of a mad ruler seeking to eliminate anyone with magical gifts.

A target could consume it in their food. Eggs would gestate and the parasitic organism would eventually work its way to the brain. Once there it starts small, siphoning a small amount of energy from every spell until it has enough power stored to destroy the caster from within. The symptoms are minimal as the parasite grows in strength, eventually in a high fever that claims the victim. At the height of its power, the parasite burns up inside the wizard’s brain, destroying any medical evidence left behind while killing the intended target.

Perhaps it was used effectively by the mad king and is now used exclusively by a guild of assassins. You know there is a cure, just in case the beast gets out of hand. An anti-parasitic potion known only to a few.

Imagine the plot possibilities… A magical CSI team could be used to find the victims and eventually trace it back to the guild.

What do you think?