Shadowed - Prompt #2 Medical condition feared by some.
Prompt #2 Medical condition feared by some. - Shadowed
The most terrifying condition to most Aetherians is to be indwelled by a shadow although some seek it because the shadows offer a boost to one’s innate magic or gives nonmagical Aetherians the ability to use dark magic or blood magic. Many of Prince Damien’s followers let themselves be indwelled and offered up their children as well. The use of Dark magic and Blood Magic or the exposure to the Dark energy, dust, or water causes damage to the user’s body which manifest itself as aging. Dark or Blood Magic users will also manifest using their magic with a red or black glow in their eyes. People can be indwelled and show no symptoms or have detectable dark energy levels when the Shadow is dormant. Dark Water or Dark Dust contamination is also undetectable until the Shadow emerges. Some Aetherians who would never serve the Shadows have been indwelled, such as Vole of Valent.
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Event from Aetheria Resettlement
Lady Ava’s eyes changed from ember-orange to glowing red in rage. She shrieked and pulled out a jeweled dagger to attack them. The Oracle stone flared protectively, blinding Ava and surrounding Daisy and Kaleth in a white light too bright to look at. Myles appeared behind Ava and sedated her with a splash potion of sleep, letting her collapse to the floor in an undignified heap as the light faded. After she climbed out of bed, Daisy scanned Ava. She had a hunch, and she didn’t want to be right, but she knew she was. Sometimes she hated her brain, always predicting the worst-case scenario from the fast, analysis which turned out to be the truth most of the time. Ava’s eyes had done the same glowing thing Daisy had seen Damien’s do and she had been detecting trace amounts of the energy Damien called his magic since they arrived on Aetheria. The same energy as the dark vortex that corrupted Damien. ‘Be wrong... be wrong,’ Daisy’s mind chanted desperately, then her tablet pinged. ’Dang!’ She cursed to herself. “Get her in the isolation room,” Daisy exclaimed, holding her tablet to Myles, who looked at it shocked. “Daisy, what is going on?” Kaleth asked, bending and picking Ava up. He carried her across the bed into an enclosed room. He laid Ava down carefully because he was a gentleman. He didn’t know what Ava was, and Daisy wishes she didn’t. “She has the same energy signature as the dark being and Damien,” Daisy answered. She continued scanning Ava while Myles quickly restrained the unconscious woman, then they sealed the room. ‘Are you sure, Oracle?’ Myles looked to her. She only nodded with her lips pressed tightly together. He frowned deeply looking at the levels. His people had never figured out how to measure the dark magic, but the Oracle had. Daisy turned emotionlessly to Kaleth, “Send for the Princess, she needs to see this.” Daisy manipulated the light frequencies in the room to a familiar golden hue, while Kaleth spoke to one of his guardsmen over the comms, issuing the order to bring the princess immediately. The light was the same frequency she had used to fight off the darkness when Karstien and Damien were attacked as children. Ava began thrashing under the golden light, even though she was unconscious. A strange black smoke wisp rose from her body as if it was burning. The Oracle stone flashed, and the smoke turned to dust, before falling to the floor. Daisy shivered involuntarily, she didn’t know why the stone did that, but she could feel it was trying to protect her. The dark wisps felt unnaturally cold. Myles and Daisy were working quickly to try to stabilize Ava, as Princess Allura arrived with Colby and Shadz as her guardsmen. Colby’s head was still bandaged, but he insisted on continuing his duties. “What is happening to her?” Allura asked shocked. Her palest blue royal gown rustling with every move. She wished she had had the time to change. Kaleth explained, while Daisy and Myles work, “Lady Ava has the same dark magic or energy signature as Damien. They are trying to save her.” But then Ava began to convulse and died. All the patient monitors turned gray. When she revived several minutes later, she was quiet insane. “Prince Damien is coming back, he will destroy you all,” Ava screamed at them, “Your little show of love means nothing! The Dark Prince will never die.” She screeched at the top of her voice as she thrashed. “Lady Ava, you’re sick. You have been exposed to a very dangerous form of energy. We have to neutralize it, or you will die,” Daisy sounded completely calm as she manipulated the light frequency, trying to find the correct amplitude. The strange black smoke was still rising from Ava’s body in weird tendrils. One slammed into the wall and the unbreakable glass fractured like a spider’s web. The Oracle stone flashed again, and the smoke tendrils turned to ash floating in the air. “No! It’s mine. It’s my power, you can’t have it. Prince Damien’s shadow gave it to me,” Ava screamed, thrashing against the restraints Myles placed her in. The smoke tendrils were spreading out from her like squid or anemone tentacles. For a moment, Daisy wondered if the seas of Aetheria had squid. She wouldn’t mind some calamari, she thought then her rational side shouted at her that she could think about her pregnancy cravings later, Ava was trying to escape. The arms were trying to free her and partially did, so Ava sat up. Her eyes were glowing red, smoke and embers fly swirled around her. It was like the dark energy smoke is trying to create a fire around her. Shadz rushed forward and chanted in ancient Aetherian, a ward of protection appeared. “You betray you blood, nephew!” Ava screeched at him. “I honor the first Lords of Odini, aunt!” Shadz deep voice boomed back at her. He was shaking with the effort to contain the inferno his aunt was trying to create. Surprisingly and horrifyingly, in the Oracle stone’s constant light, Ava began to age rapidly. Allura gasped terrified, hand over her mouth, Kaleth turned his future daughter away, hugging her protectively. Shadz was horrified, watching his aunt’s transformation. In minutes, Lady Ava collapsed into a pile of dust and was no more. Only Myles and Daisy showed no expression. No one spoke for several moments as the wards of protection vanished. Shadz leaned his sweaty forehead against the glass, staring at the horror on the other side.
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How Vole of Valent was contaminated:
As Vole showered, he thought about Damien and his darkness. The youngest son of the Guardian and twin brother of the crown prince was insane, evilly so, and he wanted to destroy all of them. He used his power to corrupt many, causing them to turn their backs on all that was good, even betraying their own families. Damien used the dark dust to turn men into possessed slaves and then shadow monsters, to attack his enemies. He used blood magic mixed with dark dust to make terrible monsters. The malevolent prince used the dark energy and its qualities to warp and twist all that the Creator had made in nature for his own wicked desires. The dark energy and its dust were something powerful, and strange, something beyond magic and science, something Vole was determined to figure out, he had to try. He dressed quickly, in his drawer was a bottle of dark liquid. He held it up to the sunshine now streaming in the window, no light passed through it. As he had before, he poured the strange substance into the palm of his hand, it beaded and moved like mercury. It always felt cool, no matter how hot the bottle was made. Daisy had said it burned her when she described it to Moyra. It was a mystery and he was going to figure it out, figure out exactly what the strange dark liquid was and how to counteract it. Chemically it was just water, and its energy was neutral, unlike the dark dust. It appeared there was nothing dangerous about it at all. It didn’t make sense that it could be used a medium for such evil. Perhaps he would ask Shadz to work on it with him, they had always worked well as a research team but as quickly as he had the notion something pushed it away. Shadz is too busy, a thought whispered. Vole wondered first about asking Moyra, then Daisy, or perhaps Ducky could help him, but his thoughts hosted many reasons as to why they were all unsuitable to work on the dark liquid research. It would have to be his project and his alone, better not to involve anyone else right now, not until he had some evidence. A knock on the door drew his attention, so he poured the palm-full of shimmering darkness back in its bottle and sealed it, setting it on the desk next to his bed in the sunlight. He let Moyra, Asha, and Shadz in, then went back to his room to get his hoodie. The black bottle was gone. He pulled open the drawer and there it lay in its usual place, he shrugged thinking he must have put it back and not realized it. Closing the drawer, he left with his friends, never noticing that he had spilled some and a few drops had dripped up. The dark beads waited for him to sleep again, so they could fall onto his lidded eyes like tears and seep into them, taking a little of the color from his world, a little of his soul away from the light. The Navigator turned physicist did not realize the Dark Water was not harmless as it seemed, and like all passive forms of evil, it was slowly poisoning him.
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Note from Healers Hall:
When ‘Water of Light’ is distilled using a magical, life-glow powered flame such as the Flame of Aetheria, it thickens into something with the consistency of honey but is neither oily nor sticky. Used in a device called Oren’s Column of Gold, total immersion in concentrated Water of Light is the only known cure when one is ‘shadowed’. A state of being indwelled by an interdimensional Shadow being, or contaminated with the Dark energy or Dark Water, the liquid essence of evil, from the Shadow pocket dimension. Many who are contaminated or indwelled do not survive or refuse the treatment.
The most terrifying condition to most Aetherians is to be indwelled by a shadow although some seek it because the shadows offer a boost to one’s innate magic or gives nonmagical Aetherians the ability to use dark magic or blood magic. Many of Prince Damien’s followers let themselves be indwelled and offered up their children as well. The use of Dark magic and Blood Magic or the exposure to the Dark energy, dust, or water causes damage to the user’s body which manifest itself as aging. Dark or Blood Magic users will also manifest using their magic with a red or black glow in their eyes. People can be indwelled and show no symptoms or have detectable dark energy levels when the Shadow is dormant. Dark Water or Dark Dust contamination is also undetectable until the Shadow emerges. Some Aetherians who would never serve the Shadows have been indwelled, such as Vole of Valent.
<^><^><^>
Event from Aetheria Resettlement
Lady Ava’s eyes changed from ember-orange to glowing red in rage. She shrieked and pulled out a jeweled dagger to attack them. The Oracle stone flared protectively, blinding Ava and surrounding Daisy and Kaleth in a white light too bright to look at. Myles appeared behind Ava and sedated her with a splash potion of sleep, letting her collapse to the floor in an undignified heap as the light faded. After she climbed out of bed, Daisy scanned Ava. She had a hunch, and she didn’t want to be right, but she knew she was. Sometimes she hated her brain, always predicting the worst-case scenario from the fast, analysis which turned out to be the truth most of the time. Ava’s eyes had done the same glowing thing Daisy had seen Damien’s do and she had been detecting trace amounts of the energy Damien called his magic since they arrived on Aetheria. The same energy as the dark vortex that corrupted Damien. ‘Be wrong... be wrong,’ Daisy’s mind chanted desperately, then her tablet pinged. ’Dang!’ She cursed to herself. “Get her in the isolation room,” Daisy exclaimed, holding her tablet to Myles, who looked at it shocked. “Daisy, what is going on?” Kaleth asked, bending and picking Ava up. He carried her across the bed into an enclosed room. He laid Ava down carefully because he was a gentleman. He didn’t know what Ava was, and Daisy wishes she didn’t. “She has the same energy signature as the dark being and Damien,” Daisy answered. She continued scanning Ava while Myles quickly restrained the unconscious woman, then they sealed the room. ‘Are you sure, Oracle?’ Myles looked to her. She only nodded with her lips pressed tightly together. He frowned deeply looking at the levels. His people had never figured out how to measure the dark magic, but the Oracle had. Daisy turned emotionlessly to Kaleth, “Send for the Princess, she needs to see this.” Daisy manipulated the light frequencies in the room to a familiar golden hue, while Kaleth spoke to one of his guardsmen over the comms, issuing the order to bring the princess immediately. The light was the same frequency she had used to fight off the darkness when Karstien and Damien were attacked as children. Ava began thrashing under the golden light, even though she was unconscious. A strange black smoke wisp rose from her body as if it was burning. The Oracle stone flashed, and the smoke turned to dust, before falling to the floor. Daisy shivered involuntarily, she didn’t know why the stone did that, but she could feel it was trying to protect her. The dark wisps felt unnaturally cold. Myles and Daisy were working quickly to try to stabilize Ava, as Princess Allura arrived with Colby and Shadz as her guardsmen. Colby’s head was still bandaged, but he insisted on continuing his duties. “What is happening to her?” Allura asked shocked. Her palest blue royal gown rustling with every move. She wished she had had the time to change. Kaleth explained, while Daisy and Myles work, “Lady Ava has the same dark magic or energy signature as Damien. They are trying to save her.” But then Ava began to convulse and died. All the patient monitors turned gray. When she revived several minutes later, she was quiet insane. “Prince Damien is coming back, he will destroy you all,” Ava screamed at them, “Your little show of love means nothing! The Dark Prince will never die.” She screeched at the top of her voice as she thrashed. “Lady Ava, you’re sick. You have been exposed to a very dangerous form of energy. We have to neutralize it, or you will die,” Daisy sounded completely calm as she manipulated the light frequency, trying to find the correct amplitude. The strange black smoke was still rising from Ava’s body in weird tendrils. One slammed into the wall and the unbreakable glass fractured like a spider’s web. The Oracle stone flashed again, and the smoke tendrils turned to ash floating in the air. “No! It’s mine. It’s my power, you can’t have it. Prince Damien’s shadow gave it to me,” Ava screamed, thrashing against the restraints Myles placed her in. The smoke tendrils were spreading out from her like squid or anemone tentacles. For a moment, Daisy wondered if the seas of Aetheria had squid. She wouldn’t mind some calamari, she thought then her rational side shouted at her that she could think about her pregnancy cravings later, Ava was trying to escape. The arms were trying to free her and partially did, so Ava sat up. Her eyes were glowing red, smoke and embers fly swirled around her. It was like the dark energy smoke is trying to create a fire around her. Shadz rushed forward and chanted in ancient Aetherian, a ward of protection appeared. “You betray you blood, nephew!” Ava screeched at him. “I honor the first Lords of Odini, aunt!” Shadz deep voice boomed back at her. He was shaking with the effort to contain the inferno his aunt was trying to create. Surprisingly and horrifyingly, in the Oracle stone’s constant light, Ava began to age rapidly. Allura gasped terrified, hand over her mouth, Kaleth turned his future daughter away, hugging her protectively. Shadz was horrified, watching his aunt’s transformation. In minutes, Lady Ava collapsed into a pile of dust and was no more. Only Myles and Daisy showed no expression. No one spoke for several moments as the wards of protection vanished. Shadz leaned his sweaty forehead against the glass, staring at the horror on the other side.
<^><^><^>
How Vole of Valent was contaminated:
As Vole showered, he thought about Damien and his darkness. The youngest son of the Guardian and twin brother of the crown prince was insane, evilly so, and he wanted to destroy all of them. He used his power to corrupt many, causing them to turn their backs on all that was good, even betraying their own families. Damien used the dark dust to turn men into possessed slaves and then shadow monsters, to attack his enemies. He used blood magic mixed with dark dust to make terrible monsters. The malevolent prince used the dark energy and its qualities to warp and twist all that the Creator had made in nature for his own wicked desires. The dark energy and its dust were something powerful, and strange, something beyond magic and science, something Vole was determined to figure out, he had to try. He dressed quickly, in his drawer was a bottle of dark liquid. He held it up to the sunshine now streaming in the window, no light passed through it. As he had before, he poured the strange substance into the palm of his hand, it beaded and moved like mercury. It always felt cool, no matter how hot the bottle was made. Daisy had said it burned her when she described it to Moyra. It was a mystery and he was going to figure it out, figure out exactly what the strange dark liquid was and how to counteract it. Chemically it was just water, and its energy was neutral, unlike the dark dust. It appeared there was nothing dangerous about it at all. It didn’t make sense that it could be used a medium for such evil. Perhaps he would ask Shadz to work on it with him, they had always worked well as a research team but as quickly as he had the notion something pushed it away. Shadz is too busy, a thought whispered. Vole wondered first about asking Moyra, then Daisy, or perhaps Ducky could help him, but his thoughts hosted many reasons as to why they were all unsuitable to work on the dark liquid research. It would have to be his project and his alone, better not to involve anyone else right now, not until he had some evidence. A knock on the door drew his attention, so he poured the palm-full of shimmering darkness back in its bottle and sealed it, setting it on the desk next to his bed in the sunlight. He let Moyra, Asha, and Shadz in, then went back to his room to get his hoodie. The black bottle was gone. He pulled open the drawer and there it lay in its usual place, he shrugged thinking he must have put it back and not realized it. Closing the drawer, he left with his friends, never noticing that he had spilled some and a few drops had dripped up. The dark beads waited for him to sleep again, so they could fall onto his lidded eyes like tears and seep into them, taking a little of the color from his world, a little of his soul away from the light. The Navigator turned physicist did not realize the Dark Water was not harmless as it seemed, and like all passive forms of evil, it was slowly poisoning him.
<^><^><^>
Note from Healers Hall:
When ‘Water of Light’ is distilled using a magical, life-glow powered flame such as the Flame of Aetheria, it thickens into something with the consistency of honey but is neither oily nor sticky. Used in a device called Oren’s Column of Gold, total immersion in concentrated Water of Light is the only known cure when one is ‘shadowed’. A state of being indwelled by an interdimensional Shadow being, or contaminated with the Dark energy or Dark Water, the liquid essence of evil, from the Shadow pocket dimension. Many who are contaminated or indwelled do not survive or refuse the treatment.
Transmission & Vectors
Exposure to the frequency of Dark Energy often referred to as Dark Magic, through the mediums of contaminated Dark Dust, or Dark Dust infused water called Dark Water or Essence of Darkness. Can also be contaminated by accepting a seed of Shadow or a Shadow being as a parasite into one's body. Also can be caused by the use of blood magic to steal another's power.
Symptoms
Ability to use dark magic, irrationality, rage, headaches, coldness, hypothermia, delusions, confusion, memory loss when shadow emerges.
Treatment
Immersion in concentrated Water of Light.
Prognosis
Most likely fatal and the infected one's body will be reduced to contaminated dust upon their death. If the shadow or contamination is successfully removed, the body will have to be revived while the contamination will remain as dust on the bottom of the treatment chamber.
Affected Groups
In modern times, mostly the followers of Prince Damien.
In ancient times, the majority of the population of the kingdom of Xelusia as the worship of the Shadows and the Devourer was the primary religion.
In ancient times, the majority of the population of the kingdom of Xelusia as the worship of the Shadows and the Devourer was the primary religion.
Hosts & Carriers
followers of the Shadows and practitioners of blood and dark magic.
Prevention
Don't do dark magic or expose yourself to dark water or dark dust
Type
Magical
Origin
Magical
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Uncommon
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