Corrupting Sickness
The Corrupting Sickness is a condition that affects the mind and soul of a person who has been exposed to the malevolent magic of The Darkness.
Though perhaps not seen by most as a serious condition, the rush of cases of this magical sickness has become a cause of concern for many of the major cities and towns of Arrasgoth. Within the past year, there have been multiple towns that have been eradicated because of this condition due to the decisions made by the infected, and by the stress it puts upon the body and mind. The reason this has not become a more serious issue is due to the general public not connecting the sickness with the eradicated towns.
"A blight that stricken's the hearts and minds of people and corrupts them, a sickness purely mean't for creating malice and destruction."
Transmission & Vectors
The Corrupting Sickness does not have a known transmission agent other than through direct contact with the Darkness. It is a sickness that is planted within the mind and soul of the afflicted. The condition is not infectious in a normal sense; it cannot be passed on from one person to the other. However, multiple people can be affected by the impact the condition has on the people who have been afflicted.
Causes
The beginning of the condition starts with a change of behaviour and emotional feelings inside of the afflicted. Those who are affected by the condition are normally those with little hope in their lives, with something to lose or a hope to be dashed. Once the sickness has infected the afflicted's mind and soul, it is normally a quick downhill progression from that point. The sickness can only be contracted from the Darkness and it is an unseen condition for most of the normal populace. Those who are trained in dealing with the damage the Darkness causes are able to spot the slightly later symptoms and are able to help prevent the further spread with the help of The Beacon.
Symptoms
The manifestation of Corrupting Sickness is difficult to notice at first. There are no physical symptoms throughout the progression of the sickness, but there are mental symptoms that start to show within the first few weeks of the condition being contracted. A lot of the mental symptoms continue to grow the longer the person is corrupted by the condition.
The symptoms begin with feelings of hopelessness, feeling as if there will never be any light in the world again. The progression from this point on depends wholly on how strong the hope is of the afflicted. An unafflicted person would be able to tell the person has been infected by a change in their behaviour, normally moving slower, working less productively and seeming to prefer the day to the night. This normally occurs in the first two weeks of being in contact with The Darkness.
As this progresses, the afflicted will begin to suffer a strong hallucination that affects their vision. They will begin to see the world as darker and colours will become greyscale. They will be unable to see true colour. They may start to show obsession with lights and fires. They may burn their lamps in their homes day and night, start to hoard tools for making lights and show an extreme fear of the dark. They will also begin destroying anything that can cause darkness to make sure nothing stops them from being able to catch the light.
Once this symptom is present, the person can no longer be healed. This can occur any time between a month to a year, depending on the person.
Treatment
The only form of treatment for Corruption Sickness is by use of The Beacon. The condition needs the radiant diving healing of the tower to remove it and it's affects. However, once the person is into the hallucination phase, they cannot be healed by anything. Anyone who is affected who is not near a Beacon can be aided by clerical spells that protect from evil, but this is only a temporary measure.
"No-one deserves to suffer this way. The Darkness must be stopped."
Prognosis
Once the afflicted has progressed into the hallucination of greyscale and darkness of the world, the condition becomes fatal and incurable. The afflicted will be affected in different ways mentally that changes their behaviour either in an aggressive or apathetic way. The majority of suffers will fall into the apathetic category, but those with strong feelings of hope will become aggressive. The fatality of the condition depends on the mental strain of fighting the hallucinations and the hopelessness the person feels at their own situation, and the bleakness of the world around them.
Sequela
The side effects that occur from being able to be cured can vary from one person to the other but the most common is the loss of seeing the colour yellow. It will be impossible for anyone who survived to be able to see anything that is yellow. Anything yellow will become grey to them, despite the shade of yellow that it is. Another side effect is that a person who survived is more at risk of contracting the Corrupting Sickness once again should they suffer anything that can affect their hope.
Prevention
There are two main ways of being protected from this condition, but one is only a temporary measure. The first is by living in the vicinity of a Beacon as that will keep the person constantly healed and protected with radiant divine energy. The second is by having a strong sense of hope amongst the community that they live in. It is possible that a person could come under the affects of the condition but fight it off with their own hope as long as their condition has not progressed to hallucinations. The second way is very rare and not always possible.
There's nothing worse than staring into the dark chasm of yourself and feeling the sheer vastness and emptiness of it beckoning you to fall in; then only to hear your own voice come up from its bowels saying 'Don't bother, you're not even worth jumping.' That's when you need to dig deep and give yourself the finger and shout 'screw you!'
Corrupting Sickness AI Generation by Midjourney
Type
Magical
Origin
Magical
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Rare
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