Zombie, Void

This obviously deceased creature moves forward with disturbing speed, almost as disturbing as the purple-black, barbed tongue that extends from its misshapen skull.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization any; usually in the vicinity of one or more akatas
Treasure none

Many humanoids that face akatas become carriers of their attackers’ next generation. Infested with larval akatas, such victims suffer the ravages of void death. Although particularly hearty and tenacious individuals might last for weeks, void death is often fatal. But the victim’s death marks only the beginning of this alien terror.

Those who perish while suffering from void death become void zombies. Within 2d4 hours of a carrier’s death, the strongest of the akata larvae infesting the corpse worms its way to the humanoid’s brain and undergoes a swift gestation. This accelerated growth causes the feeler-covered head of the over-sized, tadpole-like parasite to latch onto the base of its victim’s brain and reenergize the dying organ, taking total control. These parasite-possessed corpses are known as void zombies. As akata larvae are too large to fit wholly within the skulls of most humanoid races, these zombies have a distinctive appearance, with the fanged tail of the parasite bursting through its host’s jaw, dangling forth from the broken skull.