Water Hag
Water Hag was a term Humans used to describe an advanced race of alien creature native to the planet Strepto.
Biology
Water Hags looked like Humans, but with a few differences. They have talons "as hard as iron" instead of fingernails, which are sharp enough to slice someone in half and even carve out solid rock. This killing method is a characteristic marker of a Water Hag killing. Their skin is emaciated and the colour of mud and their eyes are yellow with black slits for pupils. Despite their savage attitude, they are intelligent as (and possibly even more than) a Human and the ones led by Sally Blackteeth and herself were able to navigate the rift through unknown means.
Water Hags possess many superhuman abilities, even from birth, that make them difficult to evade or kill. They have strength superior to a Human's, are incredibly quick (to the point where their motion becomes highly blurred to the Human eye), can fly using a cloud of water, have the ability to breathe both underwater and on land and can possibly dissolve into water. (TWN: Something In The Water)
Life Cycle
The Water Hags appear to be a female-only species, and their only method of procreation is to infect Humans with a virus of sorts.
- Whether this method of reproduction is normal is unknown. Possibly, it was only used after Sally Blackteeth lost her planet.
This "virus" acted in the oesophagus, where it caused the development of a foetus-like organism made of phlegm and vegetable matter. At this stage, the creature was called a "Homunculus" and until maturity it would incubate and grow in the throat. The final stage was marked by unconsciousness caused by the Homunculus draining all the energy from its host (and probably a a mild case of oxygen starvation due to the Homunculus' size). At this point, the Homunculus would attempt to extract testosterone from the host in order to catalyse its growth. If it succeeded, it eventually bursts forth from its host's throat. They can then reach maturity to Water Hag form within a day.
However, if the Homunculus does not get the required amount of testosterone, then during the host's short spell of unconsciousness, the Homunculus will die and be vomited by the host, "stillborn" as it were. This means that it is nigh on impossible for the homunculus to procreate inside a female Human unless it injected with testosterone. Likewise, if the Homunculus has chosen a male host and that host is injected with a mix of oestrogen, emetics and antibiotics, then the parasite will die and be thrown up. (TWN: Something In The Water)
The infection has the following list of symptoms:
- Sore throat
- Minor coughing
- Coughing continues, gradually worsening
- Cough gets progressively more painful
- Increase in temperature
- Coughing up blood
- Mucus begins to be coughed up along with the blood
- Loss of strength
- Unconsciousness. During this point, the Homunculus begins to extract testosterone for growth catalysation.
- If there is enough testosterone in the patient's body, the Homunculus grows to the point where it escapes from the host. Otherwise, the Homunculus dies and is coughed up.
History
At some point in their history, all but one of the Water Hags (Sally Blackteeth) disappeared when their planet was lost. At the time, she had been travelling off planet. When she returned to where her planet should have been, it had vanished. She later came to Cardiff during the 21st century using the Cardiff Rift. (TWN: Something In The Water)
- Possibly, Strepto was one of the Stolen Planets.
