Stages 2 & 3: AGGREGATION AND SNAKE - aggregations create snakes
In my previous post, I provided proof that Numen-kind had an Amoeba Stage in which they are shape-changing, mind-controlling parasites that live within a host.
Four examples of Numen-kind in their Amoeba Stage
In this post, I will try to prove that Numen-kind progresses from the Amoeba Stage to:
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the Aggregation Stage, where entire colonies of amoeba merge together into a single mass; and
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the Serpent Stage (equivalent to the slug stage of slime mould), where the mass transforms into a giant snake.
The Aggregation and Slug Stages - Cellular Slime Mould
For slime mould, the Aggregation Stage begins when a colony of amoeba has consumed all available food in their environment. From the hundreds of thousands of amoeba in the colony, one of them starts emitting pulses of a chemical signal (cyclic AMP) which its brethren detect, causing them to also start emitting the same signal, causing waves of chemical pulses that rapidly spread throughout the entire colony.
Waves of cAMP pulses in an aggregating colony of slime mould
The purpose of the pulses is to cause the entire colony to start clumping together as every amoeba moves in the direction where the signals are strongest (i.e., roughly in the position of the first amoeba that triggered the process).
In a sense, the first amoeba caused and controlled the Aggregation.
Eventually, enough amoeba have aggregated that the resulting mass starts organising itself to form a "slug" a mobile mass of cells that moves like a single organism.
The difference between Numen-kind and cellular slime mould is that the aggregated amoeba of Numen-kind bears the form of a serpent rather than a slug.
To see traces of a past Aggregation event, I will now examine the Silver Tears of the Eternal Cities, which I looked at in my previous post.
SILVER TEARS AGGREGATION
I previously established that Silver Tears (such as Asimi from the cut questline) enter and dwell within the body of a host until they are strong enough to emerge and eventually replace their host entirely. Just like amoeba for slime mould eventually consumes all the food in their local environment, Silver Tears would also eventually infect all suitable hosts in the Eternal Cities, only to emerge once they are powerful enough.
If the Silver Tears emerge from their hosts' mouths, what you might expect to see after such an emergence would be hollowed out corpses. If an entire city has been infected, you'd expect to find thousands of such corpses and this is the case.
Notice the wide open mouths and thin stomachs, as if something had been squeezed out of their mouths. Notice the fact that groups of them all seem to be facing outwards (sometimes even from upper levels of buildings) as if all of them felt the urge to expel the contents of their torso at the same time.
Much like slime mould amoebae collectively Aggregate once the right chemical signals are released, the statues, when viewed collectively, suggests that all of them became empty husks in a synchronised out-pouring.
One possible explanation for these hollow corpses is that they are evidence of a past Aggregation event which made the Eternal Cities the empty ghost-cities they are today.
JAR INNARDS SPAWNING SERPENTS
Having provided some evidence that Numen-kind undergoes an Aggregation Stage, I next need to prove that aggregating sufficient number of Numen-kind together will cause them to enter into the Serpent Stage.
What proof is there that clumping (or melding or grafting) Numen-kind together will spontaneously spawn snakes?
Jar Innards are not natural: the Hornsent stuck a single Shaman into a pot so that it would be melded with the body-parts of dozens of Hornsent criminals.
Despite the coercive circumstances, the spontaneous emergence of a snake-like form suggests that, when forced together, Numen-kind spontaneously spawns snakes.
If you still have doubts, please look at how similar a Jar Innard's grab attack is to the following:
Multiple eyes are suggestive that this serpent is an Aggregation of multiple bodies.
Notice the side-ways turn of the head when attacking.
FromSoft didn't have to give Jar Innards snake grab attack: this as a deliberate choice.
Is there any proof that Shaman would have naturally or willingly undergone Aggregation? After all, the Jar Innards weren't given a choice.
Sadly, no.
However we do have proof that, once Aggregatio has started, Jar Innards are more than happy to continue the process:
JOIN the Jar Innards, as FAMILIEEE...
The above animation strongly suggests that Numen-kind's drive to Aggregate appears to be trait that is innate in their kind.
I have shared some evidence that serpents are spontaneously spawned when Numen-kind Aggregate. Next I will attempt to prove that serpents in The Lands Between are made up of hundreds of Numen-kind amoeba.
RYKARD - SERPENT FROM AGGREGATION
There are several clues that, rather than a single being, the god-devouring serpent is made up of the "digested" and "semi-digested" remains of hundreds of individuals, not least of which is Praetor Rykard.
For one thing, examining its corpse reveals that his body appears to consist of hundreds of blood-red, slimy wormy things that look somewhat like a snake's forked tongue and somewhat like the "serpent-made-of-body-parts" that springs forth from a Jar Innard. The god-devouring serpent is an Aggregation of smaller organisms which I call "Snake Tongues".
\"Snake Tongues\" circled in blue.
Where do these "Snake Tongues" come from?
The description of Rykard's Rancor offers a clue:
The terrible power of Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.
Summons searing spirits that leave a trail of delayed explosions in their wake.
These spirits manifest from the rancor of heroes who met a violent end. The lord granted them an audience, whereupon they were welcomed by the maw of the great serpent -- and within the serpent's bowels, they became the lord's kin.
Heroes that are deemed worth are devoured by the god-devouring serpent and are transformed into Snake Tongues, which then Aggregates to form part of the it.
Rykard's words support this idea:
"Join the Serpent King, as family... Together, we will devour the very gods!"
Pay attention to Rykard's words: he doesn't talk about eating the Tarnished at all. Instead, he's urging you to "join" him as "family".
If he can transform Tarnished into Snake Tongues in his bowels and the god-devouring serpent is, in fact, an Aggregate or "family" of Snake Tongues, the meaning of his words are clear:
Rykard is literally offering to make you "family".
Conclusion
I have now provided clues of Numen-kind undergoing their Amoeba, Aggregation and Slug/Serpent Stages. In my last post in this series, I will examine their Tree and Dispersal Stages.
Posted Feb 22, 2025, 7:40 AM UTC