The Grand Mistake of Di-Voc the Reckless

Cages rattle with crying animals and creatures from across the world as a hunched-over old man hobbles across the dirty tiled floor. Desks and tables piled high with beakers, notes, and glass jars threaten to tumble on him as he gracefully slips through his laboratory. Unlocking one of the cages, he snaps on rubber gloves and reaches inside to be greeted by screeches and biting. When he removes his hand, he is tightly gripping the legs of a small winged creature that was found in a cave off the shore of the Eastern coast. In his opposite hand, the scientist uses a syringe to draw blood from the winged creature and replaces it in its cage.

Approaching a steel box, the scientist removes the padlock and opens the lid to see… Nothing. It’s empty. Don’t touch it… Please, for the sake of the gods… Don’t touch it. The scientist slides a special lens in front of his goggles, then he sees it. A small, furry creature appears, trembling in the corner of the box. The scientist gently lowers the syringe into the box, approaching the furball. Careful… Just the needle, don’t let it touch you… Gently, he pierces the skin of the creatures, who shudders slightly, then he depresses the blood sample into it. 

After disposing of the needle, the scientist lowers the lid to just a crack and watches the furball. The skin under its fur contorts, bulges, and bounces until eventually a leathery set of wings rip out of the fur and flap against the steel box bottom. The scientist shuts the steel lid but fiddles with the padlock for just a bit too long. The furball flies out of the box and throws itself into the scientist’s face. The scientist screams and falls to the floor, his goggles smashing against the tile. The wings scratching up his face, he fails to see the two wings become four, become eight, become sixteen as the furballs copy themselves, slowly filling up the room until the hordes of stuff stacked on the desks come crashing down with chemicals, glass, and paper flying everywhere until the walls around them burst open. The growing herd of creatures funnel out of the lab and descend on the world outside.

The scientist, finally catching his breath in his newly destroyed lab, gets to his feet and hobbles through the debris. With each step, his throat begins to feel dry and his head warm. A pile of broken glass tears through his worn shoes and shreds the sole of his foot, he trips and is taken over by a bout of coughing. Reaching on the hole in the wall, the poison developing in his system comes to a head and the coughing worsens rapidly, blood spraying the elbow of his coat. From his mountain top lab, he looks down at a city directly in the path of these invisible creatures. The scientist whispers to himself, “A virus… They’ll never know what’s hitting them…” A wave of fatigue overtakes his frail, old body, causing him to fall to his knees. “They must learn.” He limps around his lab, finding any surviving parchment and a quill. After scribbling some notes, he takes the parchment in hand, snaps his fingers, and the parchment burns to ashes.

Days later, a crusty flier floats on the breeze through the streets of a seemingly deserted town. A young group of travellers take copies of the flier in hand, and read, “The Virus is coming: They can’t be seen. They see with sound. They multiply with human touch. Take shelter in your homes, they will not find you inside. If they touch you, you will fall sick. Only one thing can fight the Virus… The Vaccine.” One of the travellers folds their flier and pockets it, then the group strolls through town, spotting dozens of homes inhabited by scared residents, silenced in their fear. The traveller searches for supplies to return to their camp, but fails to find anything of value that hasn’t been hoarded by the townspeople.

The Virus (Tiny)

Armor Class 15, 10 if visible

Hit Points 10

Speed 60 ft flying

STR 5

DEX 18

CON 10

INT 16

WIS 15

CHA 0

Pack Tactics. The Virus has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the Virus’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Viral Nature. If the Virus comes into physical contact with a living creature (any race), it multiplies on the spot, creating another Virus next to it.

Actions

Wing Attack. The Virus flaps its wings against a creature. On a hit, the Virus deals 1d4 slashing damage, and the Virus multiples, creating another Virus next to it. The creature also makes a DC 25 Constitution Saving Throw. On a success, nothing happens. On a failure, the creature suffers from a fever and a cough, and is afflicted with the Poisoned condition, and must make a Constitution check at the start of its turn, suffering 1d6 poison damage on a failure.