Henry Walter Bates’ Butterfly Collection

Origin
Henry Walter Bates was a naturalist who explored the Amazon rainforests with Alfred Russel Wallace, documenting the flora, fauna and people they found. Bates was especially fascinated by butterflies and beetles, who took many samples home for study. This was how Bates discovered a new type of mimicry, where animals would copy the warning coloration of their more poisonous counterparts to avoid being eaten.

Effects
The case is initially activated by touch, where body heat will cause the wings to flutter. Releasing the butterflies will cause them to fly around and land upon whatever the user desires. Anything that is initially harmless in nature will have its appearance disguised into something dangerous. A kitten will appear as a ferocious lion, a pencil will seem to be a wicked bladed instrument and a two-foot high ledge will suddenly look like a hundred meter drop. The more targets the user affects, the more sick they will feel from built up toxins within their system. Although never fatal, the subject will experience constant tremors, nausea, vertigo and sensitivity while their body feels weighed down and infected by the poison.