- "That's what freaks me out more than anything. Grubs- you knew they could think. But these things- they're just animals. Or plants even, like the damn stalks. What's driving them? What do they want? They're not even eating us."
- —Sgt. Drew Rossi, reflecting on the nature of the Lambent
The Lambent, or 'glowies' (as the Serans call them), refer to mutated, infected variants of all the life on Sera including Locust, Humans, and animals created from prolonged exposure to Imulsion. Most Lambent differ in behavior, appearance, strength, and death from their original counterparts. The Lambent were first seen by the COG officials who noted how people, mostly Imulsion miners, mutated and became poisoned due to Imulsion exposure. Publically, the Lambent were discovered by the COG as Lambent Wretches, and later Lambent Drones fighting the Locust in what seems to be some sort of civil war for control of the Hollow. They have the ability to transform in mid battle, after taking several hits. These Lambent are still able to be killed, though they are liable to explode after death, or explode when they want to. The explosion might be remotely detonated by the Lambent form and not automatically activated.[1] The Lambent were wiped out by Adam Fenix with his Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon.
History
Discovery of Infection
Around a century before Emergence Day, the substance known as Imulsion was considered to be more of a scientific curiosity than a practical resource after its discovery, and was essentially useless until Dr. Helen Cooper created the Lightmass Process. The process was capable of refining Imulsion into an efficient energy source. In the early years, scientists had no reason to consider Imulsion as a parasite or a living being at all.
Sometime later, in the early years of the Pendulum Wars, COG officials and scientists such as Niles Samson discovered poisoned, infected Imulsion miners. In order to cure the Lambency for continued use of the fuel, the New Hope Research Facility was opened to attempt to find a cure for Lambency. The miners, now known as Sires, were kept for study as they mutated and became savage. However, due to information leaks, recent attacks by the Sires, and failures to find a cure, New Hope was decommissioned as well as the project, and all sources related were erased. This information, however, carried on about the health risk with Imulsion with Chairmen and COG officials. This would remain secret until a public discovery in 15 A.E. The children of the Sires were taken to Mount Kadar where they became the Locust.
Forcing the Locust to the Surface
Five years before E-Day, during the Locust Civil War, the Lambent began driving the Locust Horde into extinction, and a desperate Queen Myrrah entered into a pact with Adam Fenix; if he could find a solution to the Lambent infections, the Locust Horde would not have to invade the surface. Unfortunately, the Pendulum Wars forced Adam to create another weapon to help the COG instead of the Locust Horde, taking up his time to make a countermeasure weapon against the Lambent. By the time the Hammer of Dawn was completed, the Locust Horde was preparing to invade the surface after the Pendulum Wars ended.[2]
The Lambent Wretches
Fourteen years after E-Day, during the Lightmass Offensive, Delta-One discovered Lambent Wretches for the first time at the Lethia Imulsion Facility and engaged them while trying to gain access to the Hollows and deploy the Sonic Resonator. The Lambent Wretches were reported to have been seen before by the COG and had in fact been seen six weeks after Emergence Day during the Destruction of Halvo Bay. Unlike the rest of the Lambent, the Lambent Wretches did not appear to be hostile to the Locust and worked with them on the Tyro Pillar. Their presence there may have just been coincidental, as while they did attack, they didn't attack at the same time as the Locust.[3]
Siege of Nexus
During the Siege of Nexus, Delta-One infiltrated Nexus and discovered that the Locust were already engaged in an urban battle with the Lambent. At the time, the COG did not know the full effect of the Lambent infection. With the Horde losing ground to the Lambent, the COG discovered how they were able to make great progress in the Hollows, because the Locust were split losing on their home front. Sgt. Marcus Fenix later discovered a Locust defense plan of the city of Nexus showing that the Lambent were attacking from under the city.[4] During the battle, Augustus Cole killed a Lambent Drone which didn't explode and its Imulsion moved on its own up a cliff to the other Lambent Drones there. Later, the squad used the Hammer of Dawn to detonate the Lambent Brumak to sink Jacinto and flood the Hollows.
Infection of the Surface
Several months after the sinking of Jacinto and the flooding of the Hollow, the Lambent infection spread to the surface. By this time, they had developed the capability to appear all over the place through the Lambent Stalks and deploying various different forms. Although at first believed by COG to only infect Locust, Formers - humans infected by Imulsion - begin to appear in areas such as Mercy. Adam Fenix developed a weapon capable of destroying Imulsion and all those that were heavily infected by it, thus the Lambent and the Locust, but Adam was captured by the Queen's Guard during the First Battle of Azura before he could activate it. When the remnants of the COG and the Gorasni launched an attack on the island, the Lambent attacked as well, battling everyone present. Eventually Adam managed to activate the weapon and a wave of Drudges were sent to try to stop him, but were killed by the weapon before they could succeed. The weapon was successfully activated and destroyed all Imulsion and everything infected by it, including Adam, the Locust and all Lambent lifeforms, marking the end of the Locust War and Lambent Pandemic.
Swarm War
Decades later, it is revealed that only the Lambent were destroyed by the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon whilst the Locust survived and evolved into the Swarm.
Lambent Organism
The Lambent organism lies within the Imulsion and spreads through Imulsion fumes which acclimated after the Lightmass Process. The organism acts as a parasite and will actually kill its host rather than eject and find another. The Parasite does, however, possess its host to spread the infection. The plant life acts as transport and fruiting bodies for other forms of Lambent to spread while the animal life is mobile and seeks to kill and infect other living forms.
The sickness, at least for Humans, is followed in stages. The first stage is contraction, in which by 17 A.E. everyone has. However, the Lambent organism is rather dormant unless exposure is constant. The second stage is a form of Rust Lung, in which Imulsion invades the body and lungs via Imulsion fumes. This is shown by extreme coughing and brownish-red mucus and blood bleeding from the mouth, nose, and eyes. This is contracted mostly by Imulsion miners and people near refineries, and those unlucky in Timgad following the Lightmass Offensive when the Lightmass Bomb evaporated much of the Imulsion. The third stage is a fever and intense muscle pain, in which the Imulsion has almost colonized ones cells and it has begun heating the blood in ones veins. The fourth and final stage is Lambency in which the blood veins illuminate the golden color of Imulsion and burns the skin and cartilage, blackening the skin. Finally the parasite possesses the host and aims to kill and infect other beings.
As the Imulsion takes over and kills it host, it also mutates. After the skin is blackened, the veins are illuminated, and the cartilage burns away, the host begins to mutate limbs and tentacles. Lambent hosts differ in mutation depending on the species, mentality, and possessions. Creatures such as Gunkers have mutated their limbs over the butcher cleavers they once held as Butcher Boomers. Regardless, each mutation is very similar. A mutated host has their eye colors turn into yellow-gold, pulses of Imulsion throughout their bodies, and the skin turned into a jet black carapace. Most forms also sprout tentacles forming from the body itself, especially the Lambent Berserker.
The end of the life cycle, whether it is killed or automatically activates it, the Lambent will explode. The Lambent have a mentality to rush and kill rather than think logically and live. Their mind set is kill and infect. The explosion is a last resort in which the Imulsion exits the body and spreads in the general area, and at times, the Imulsion will mobilize after the death of its host and move to another. This was shown when one of the Lambent Grenadiers in the Siege of Nexus attempted to board the lift Delta Squad was using, only to be killed by Cole. Cole later saw the Imulsion leave the corpse in an attempt to find a new host.
Unlike the Locust, their bodies are vaporized by the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon while the Locust only being placed into metamorphosis to be evolved into the Swarm.
Lambent Forms
Three Lambent Drudges.
The Lambent consist of an organic root parasite that infects other organisms, causing them to rapidly mutate into impulse-driven, feral and monstrous forms of their former selves. This parasite is linked to the Imulsion fluid that exists on Sera, as exposure to Imulsion vapors seemed to be what causes the Lambent infection. This was illustrated when Locust Gunboats abandoned their pursuit of Delta Squad over the lake in the Hollow in order to avoid the vapors, and also when a Brumak wandered through a large quantity of Imulsion vapors and mutated into a hideous, stronger form.
Imulsion Forms
Polyp
The most basic form is known as a Lambent Polyp, which has a crab-like appearance and is normally spewed from Lambent hosts after they have been destroyed or have mutated.
Stalk
Lambent Stalks are huge plant-like tentacles that swarm over battle sites, dropping other Lambent forms into their enemies' midst. They appear to be the fruiting bodies of organic Imulsion material in the planet that carry other Lambent life forms to spread the infection on the surface. These are massive and easily differentiated from the smaller mutation of the Lambent Drudges. The opening level of Gears of War 3 involves Lambent Stalks rising out of the ocean, dropping other Lambent into the CNV Sovereign. The Stalks attack by ramming into a target and releasing Polyps.
Hollow Creatures
Lambent Wretch
Lambent Wretches were the first encountered Lambent life forms. Delta Squad first ran into them in the Lethia Imulsion Factory on the Jacinto Plateau.
Lambent Brumak
The Lambent Brumak is the largest known Lambent creature. They are at least double the size of a regular Brumak, sporting large, snapping tentacles, and are barely recognizable once the mutation is complete. It is incredibly powerful and takes multiple blasts from the Hammer of Dawn to kill. There has been one encountered and it is possibly unique.
Lambent Leviathan
The Lambent Leviathan was an infected Leviathan that found its way out of the Hollow and surfaced in 15 A.E. It is much larger and faster than a regular Leviathan, but is also very volatile. Three were known to be present during the Lambent Pandemic, attacking the Coalition’s Naval Vessels leading to the Battle of Pelruan and the First Battle of New Jacinto. One was killed when a Raven unloaded all of its ammo into its head, another was killed by a combined torpedo attack from the Zephyr and the CNV Clement, while the third was killed by a blast from the Hammer of Dawn. All three of the Leviathans carried Polyps which attacked Pelruan and New Jacinto.[1] Later, another one of these attacked New Jacinto and was killed by a grenade being dropped down its throat and another one attacked the CNV Sovereign, destroying the Sovereign and Centennial Bridge because of the large explosion when it died after having a crate full of Tickers dropped on its head. It is said that the one that attacked the Sovereign was twice the size of those that attacked New Jacinto.
Locust Horde
A Lambent Drone around 18 months after Jacinto's sinking.
Lambent Drone
Lambent Drones are Drones that have been exposed to Imulsion enough to become Lambent but not long enough to mutate into Drudges. Lambent Drones essentially share the same appearance to their Locust counterparts, with the exception of their glowing skin. During the Lambent Pandemic, the Drones have a slightly different appearance, similar to an amalgamation of the Drones encountered in Nexus and Drudges, hinting that Drudges are the next stage in a Drone's mutation.
Drudge
The Lambent Drudge, a hideously mutated Locust Drone, is the most recognizable part of the Lambent fighting force. However, these creatures have lost all form of sentience. They have the ability to morph their ligaments and heads, forcing their enemies to constantly change tactics, and becoming a deadlier threat.
The Lambent Berserker.
Lambent Berserker
Lambent Berserkers can spawn from the Lambent Stalks. They are bigger, faster, more violent than their standard counterpart, and they jump unlike the original Berserkers. They have long spider-like appendages that sprout from their backs and have been shown to be much less vulnerable to the Hammer of Dawn than normal Berserkers; able to take three simultaneous blasts without significant injury. Only one Lambent Berserker was ever encountered by COG forces.
Gunker
A Gunker was a Lambent-infected Butcher Boomer. The Gunkers had their right arms mutated onto their Butcher Cleavers while their left arms mutated into a spoon-like hand which poured and hurled balls of Imulsion from afar while their right cleaver arm was used to extend and mutate, killing their victims. They were first encountered during the Misson to Hanover by Cole's squad.
Surface
A Lambent Eel accidentally caught by the crew of the Harvest.
Lambent Animals
During the Lambent Invasion, several animals came into contact with high amounts of Imulsion and later turned Lambent. Known examples are Lambent Dogs, Lambent Cats, Lambent Eels and Lambent Bulls.
Lambent Humans
Both Sires and Formers are humans turned Lambent after prolonged exposure to Imulsion. Historically, Sires are the first known examples of Lambency in any species, pre-dating the creation of the Locust. The initial studies into lambency were conducted at the New Hope Research Facility during the early Pendulum Wars. The Formers are the modern day version of the Sires, a result of the evolution of Imulsion. During the Lambent Pandemic, cities that had major Imulsion refineries, like Mercy and Char, were the first cities to have their citizens turn Lambent.
Relations
Locust Horde
- "We cannot allow the Lambent to pollute the surface. We must bury their infection here!"
- —Queen Myrrah
The Locust Horde and the Lambent are in a state of war and fighting for control of The Hollow. Queen Myrrah regards the Lambent as an infection to the Locust Horde and lower life forms, and that it is the duty of the Locust to stop the spread of the Lambent parasite to the surface of Sera. The Lambent is also the reason that the Locust invaded the surface: the Lambent were driving them from the Hollow.
In reality, the Locust Horde had their origins traced back to the Sires, whose spawn had Lambency in their cells and were mutated from birth over an extended amount of time.
Humans
The Humans now view the Lambent as a huge threat to the society of the Serans, and now attempt to stop them at all costs. The Lambent also find the humans as a new source of "species barrier" jumping as said by Marcus Fenix when first finding Formers in the sewers of Mercy. The Lambent is the reason why the humans are on full alert to them, most notably because of the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. The Lambent continue to amaze the humans, espically with the newer and deadlier lifeforms such as the Lambent Berserker, Drudges and Formers.
Horde 2.0
The Lambent make an appearance in Horde 2.0 as well. They consist of the above-mentioned creatures, except the Lambent Animals, and the Lambent Brumak, with a Lambent Berserker or two spawning in boss waves just like the uninfected variant. It is strange that the Locust and Lambent disregard each other and focus their attention on the players; however, they will turn on each other if one side's shots hits the other side.
Behind the Scenes
- Queen Myrrah was the first to refer to the glowing, infectious organism Lambent.[5]
- It is unknown if the Lambent have some sort of hivemind, as they always attempt to stop the Gears throughout the Gears of War 3 Campaign, and also made a last stand during the Second Battle of Azura. This is evidenced when the Warehouse Stranded Leader says how tons of Lambent start appearing when the COG show up, and how the Stadium Leader blames the COG for getting their home overrun because of them.
- It's possible that Imulsion's hivemind was responsible for the creation of the Locust Horde Hivemind, as Imulsion was used to create the Locust through genetic experimentation.
- The Lambent may have been inspired from Bungie's Halo series as there is a counterpart to them; the Flood. Both are infectious parasites that attack and kill their victims, only to possess their bodies to spread their plague. When infected, both have their skin colors turn into jet black (Lambent) or decaying flesh (Flood). When the vessel is destroyed, both leave none or little remains behind.
- Lambency also resembles the real-world Cordyceps, a parasitic fungus that infects and possesses its host to expel fungal spores and infect other members of their colony. Imulsion is also a parasitic fungal organism that infects its host through vapors, which act as spores - and the Lambent Stalks also act as fruiting bodies to further spread the Imulsion spores. The Lambent explode upon death in a last attempt to spread the Imulsion and, therefore, spread Lambency - similar to how Cordyceps hosts expel spores from their corpses.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gears of War: Anvil Gate
- ↑ Gears of War 3
- ↑ Gears of War
- ↑ Gears of War 2 collectible
- ↑ Gears of War: The Slab pg 40