Description (Healing Blade Lore)

The fire-throwing Clindamycin is an intimidating Apothecary with the power to devastate a number of Pestilence armies, particularly those that thrive in low-oxygen environments. His help comes at a cost, however—he clears the way for the inherently resistant Clostridium difficile, which flourish in the aftermath of Clindamycin battles, disrupting the flow of the aqueduct and threatening to run the island dry. Clindamycin is also known to be a bit careless with his fiery weapons, which, unleashed in the wrong environment, can cause direct damage around Soma, including occasionally setting fire to the Twin Heart Cities.

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Description (Healing Blade Lore)

Cefepime is a massive warrior with a widely effective strategy. Like many of his fellow Apothecaries, Cefepime targets the creation and renewal of the Pestilence agents’ armor, preventing the reinforcing cross-linking that provides them protection against the Nodal Sentry. His β-lactam sword swiftly and powerfully swipes through the Pestilence armies’ of both the Gram Positive and Gram Negative Legions. And importantly, he is not susceptible to the agents’ counterattacks like many β-lactam Apothecaries, including his own family. His powerful build also allows him to fully penetrate Gram Negative armies, many of which were able to the resist the attacks of Cefepime’s forbearers. Due to his significantly increased fighting ability, Cefepime can take down several notable threats—including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and multiple drug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae—and has been called one of Soma’s “last defenses against several serious human infections.”

Like all members of the Apothecary Army, however, unleashing Cefepime against Soma’s worst enemies is not without risks. Though his presences does not increase mortality, as one evaluation suggested a few years ago, he does disrupt the flow of the aqueduct, irritate the region of the land where he first enters Soma, and cause minor disturbances wherever he goes. More notably, he is associated with serious deficiencies in Soma’s rivers and streams that can result in severe leakage that drains the waterways and threatens to starve the island’s communities of the life-giving flow. As a result, Cefepime is usually only called into battle when Soma is under siege by severe infections of the Respiro Forest or by Pestilence armies that are resistant to most other Apothecary warriors.

Description (Healing Blade Lore)

Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), the youngest group of S. aureus dragons, has learned to evade methicillin’s backup, vancomycin. The first VRSA army assembled in 2002, when a MRSA liege and a band of Enterococcus faecalis crossed paths in a nearby land. By way of an autonomous messenger, some of the E. faecalis army slipped their antidote to vancmycin’s toxins to the buddies they’d made in the MRSA group, and a whole new breed of S. aureus was born—one that could resist the attacks of both methicillin and vancomycin, two of the most effective Apothecaries fighting for Soma.

Fortunately, VRSA attacks are still rare, and there are only about 10 known VRSA armies out there. VRSA’s little brother VISA (for vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus) is also a threat, however, albeit another relatively rare one. These dragons have thicker skin that resists vancomycin’s ability to penetrate it and kill the beast it encases. VISA not only threaten to inflict direct damage to Soma, they also serve to confuse the Apothecary Army, which needs a thorough understanding of the Pestilence agents’ vulnerabilities to launch an effective counterattack. When both MRSA and VRSA infections are present, Apothecary strategizing can become nearly impossible.

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Description (Healing Blade Lore)

Ceftazidime is massive warrior in the Cephalosporin branch of the Apothecary Army. He is a third-generation Ceph, but is distinct from his cousins in his efficient take downs of Pseudomonas armies. He has a single piece of armor that he wears on his left shoulder, like a pad with conical spikes splayed towards the sky. This protects him against the onslaught of β-lactamase toxins thrown at him by many Unstained Pestilence species. But, he is also less effective against many Stained Lords than his generational brethren. As a result, the Royal Strategists usually reserve Ceftazidime for Pseudomonas aeruginosa attacks and other more serious infestations.

Life all Cephalosporins, Ceftazidime defeats Pestilence armies by preventing their ability to grow and repair their armor. Specifically, this family of Apothecaries inhibits the armor’s linkage, causing it to fall apart and rendering the Lords susceptible to attacks by Apothecaries and Nodal Sentry warriors alike.

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Description (Healing Blade Lore)

Penicillin is the founding father of the Apothecary Army. Before he began to battle the Lords of Pestilence, Soma’s only line of defense was the Nodal Sentry, which often failed against the likes of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus creatures. Penicillin, a Beta Lactam warrior, became the first Apothecary to take on Pestilence invasions, and continues to be a valuable member of the Army to this day. He has also spawned many of the younger Apothecaries. Needless to say, the Apothecary Army would not be what it is today without him, and Soma would not be the thriving ecosystem that it has grown into.

Penicillin was born on the fungal-dominated island of Penicillium, where it sprang to life in the midst of a terrible drought. He was recruited to help defend Soma by one of the original Apothecary scout, Alexander Fleming, who immediately recognized his fighting potential. Like all Beta Lactam Apothecaries, Penicillin kills susceptible Pestilence by destabilizing their armor, preventing the proper linkages between the plates that normally protect the Lords from destruction. Without intact armor, the Pestilence armies literally fall apart. Penicillin is particular effective at penetrating to the deeper layers of Pestilence armor, rendering the creatures weak and vulnerable.

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Description (Healing Blade Lore)

Staphylococcus epidermidis are regular residents of Soma’s boundary wall. They are usually harmless creatures that live in small groups at peace with the locals. But when the Nodal Sentry is compromised due to the relentless attacks of the Pestilence armies, S. epidermidis can show its vicious side. And if they find their way to the smooth surface of an artificial repair to Soma’s otherwise pristine landscape, they can cluster tightly together, then attract other Lords to join the effort, collectively forming an impenetrable barricade of stacked Pestilence agents. In this formation, Apothecaries cannot reach the deepest individuals in the living wall, allowing the evil armies to rest and replenish their resources.

Attacks like these are sometimes outlast the Apothecaries’ best efforts to disrupt them, and the effects can be devastating. They aggravate the suburban residents of Left and Right Heart Cities, causing temperature changes and general lethargy around the land. The rivers and streams of Soma begin to dry up, failing to carry the necessary nutrients to the island’s inhabitants. When the Apothecaries fail, the artificial material must be removed, breaking up the defensive formation and rendering the agents susceptible to the Apothecaries’ counterattacks once again.

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Description (Healing Blade Lore)

Azithromycin, son of the great Erythromycin, is one of the most commonly called-upon Apothecaries. Like his mother, he inhibits the ability of the Pestilence armies to generate the basic structures of life, killing them from the inside out. Because of their similar attack styles, the two are effective against a similar range of Lords, though Azithromycin has a slightly better track record against those of the Gram Negative Legion, particularly Haemophilus influenzae. Furthermore, unlike his mother, Azithromycin is not susceptible to the acidic waters just above the Southern Dam, and can thus enter the aqueduct unprotected, simplifying his journey to the site of battle.

Azithromycin is capable of launching an effective counterattack against a wide range of Lord species, including those that invade the aqueduct entrance at the back of Buccal Bay, the Occulos, and the Respiro Forest. He usually enters through Buccal Bay and is often transported to the site of infection by the Nodal Sentry. He is even sometimes sent in preemptively, when the Nodal Sentry is compromised in some way and the risk of a Pestilence attack is high.

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Description (Healing Blade Lore)

Streptococcus pyogenes are some of the greatest Pestilence threats to Soma’s existence. Though they are still no match for the classic warrior Penicillin, if their invasions are not caught early enough, S. pyogenes can quickly multiply their armies and unleash unparalleled devastation across the island.

The skeletal Lords can infest the entire perimeter of the island, and are commonly found in the Buccal Bay at the entrance to the aqueduct. They are surrounded by a protective chain that shields them from the counterattacks of the Nodal Sentry, preventing their capture and demise. They carry a large arsenal of weapons and can inflict anywhere from moderate to severe damage in the areas they occupy. The gravest S. pyogenes attacks take such a toll on the boundary wall that parts of it begin to crumble, disintegrating into the sea surrounding the island. This insult to Soma’s first line of protection against other Pestilence invaders renders the world vulnerable to unpredictable attacks for which the Nodal Sentry is not prepared.

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HEALING BLADE is released on iPAD. Programmed by Wulven Studios, the makers of Shadow Era, the game of infectious disease card battle is available through apple for only $3.99. If you buy it, please give us a review!
One of the great things about this version compared to the physical product with actual cards is that the combat math is done quickly by the program so the games are much quicker.
Link to iTunes: Healing Blade

Just learned about an educational science game called Cell Command. You start out clicking on codons to make amino acids, then you’re in a mitochondrion adding P to ADP, and pretty soon you’re helping the cell be selective about what it allows through its membranes. Neat learning tool for kids, and well produced: Cell-Command Demo