Green Death

The Green Death manifests as a trio of intertwined afflictions that together weave a tapestry of devastation across Eldaivyr. Necxrium, a darkly emerald luminescent mineral, emerges from cataclysmic arcane upheavals, infusing the land with its corruptive essence. This corruption breeds the Void Mist, a pervasive, supernatural fog that cloaks the landscape, altering life and magic with its touch. Together, they culminate in the Blight, a desolation marked by barren lands and an eldritch storm, turning fertile earth into haunted wastelands. This triad of terror reshapes Eldaivyr, challenging its inhabitants with a relentless spread of decay and mutation.

Necxrium

Necxrium is a darkly emerald luminescent mineral that forms from the residue of intense magical energies released during cataclysmic events, particularly those associated with the use or misfire of potent arcane weapons. This mineral embodies the physical form of corrupted magic, crystallizing in areas saturated with dark energies. It serves as both a beacon and a source of dark energy, profoundly influencing the environment and the magical practices within Eldaivyr.

Size	Value	Weight	AC	HP	Harvet	Damage1
Chip	10 gp	1/4 lbs.	15	5	1 Action	1d6
Fragment	100 gp	1/2 lbs.	17	10	1 Minute	2d6
Shard	500 gp	1 lbs.	19	15	5 Minutes	3d6
Crystal	1,000 gp	2 lbs.	21	20	30 Minutes	4d6
Geode	5,000 gp	20+ lbs.	23	25	1 Hour	5d6
Cluster	Priceless	8,000+ lbs.	25	50	Varies2	6d6

¹Damage die is for both Necrotic and Psychic damage.
²DM discretion. Generally based on overall size and complexity of harvesting.

Necxrium Properties

Necxrium appears as sharp-edged, translucent crystals emitting a blackish-green light, intensifying in the presence of magic. The crystals emit a soft, dissonant hum, unsettling to those sensitive to sonic disturbances.It is exceptionally hard and resistant to damage. All Necxrium sample have the following traits regardless of size:

• Damage Vulnerabilities: Bludgeoning from magical weapons.
• Damage Resistances: Acid, cold, fire, and lightning damage; as well as slashing and piercing damage from magical weapons.
• Damage Immunities: Necrotic, poison, and psychic damage; as well as bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage form non-magical weapons.
• Other: Unless contains within an antimagic field, Necxrium shatters and crumbles into worthless ash when reduced to zero hit points. However, Necxrium geodes release a random Arcane Anomaly when destroyed (See Below).

Hazards

Contact with Necxrium without proper protection or precautions can be extremely dangerous. Direct contact with Necxrium causes necrotic and psychic damage. Its presence distorts ambient magical fields, making spellcasting near the crystals unpredictable and dangerous.

Harvesting

Extracting Necxrium is hazardous, requiring specialized equipment and protective gear to handle and transport safely. Areas with Necxrium deposits are often quarantined to prevent accidental exposure.

Uses for Necxrium

Necxrium boasts significant arcane capabilities and is utilized in various applications beyond simple commerce:

• Spell Component: Necxrium can serve as an arcane focus or a material component for spells listed for Apothecaries, Artificers, Sorcerers, Warlocks, or Wizard. If a spell demands a costly material component, a caster can use Necxrium of a corresponding value as a substitute.
• Magic Items: Necxrium is an exceptional resource for crafting magical items. According to the Core Rules, it can be used to create items ranging from uncommon to legendary, depending on whether fragments, shards, crystals, or geodes are used. With GM approval, characters capable of casting 5th-level spells or higher might learn to craft such items during downtime.
• Stable Necxrium: The process of crafting magic items with Necxrium stabilizes the crystals, making them safe to touch and handle without the risk of damage or contamination. Stable Necxrium is susceptible to damage and destruction just like any typical magic item.
• Necxrium Dust: Produced by grinding Necxrium crystals into a fine powder, this dust is extremely potent but also dangerous to produce unless shielded by an antimagic field. It's versatile, usable in alchemy, as a spell component, as a reagent for potions, or mixed into inks for crafting spell scrolls.
• Improvised Weapons and Ammunition: Fragments of Necxrium can be employed as sling ammunition or crafted into rudimentary clubs. These improvised weapons inflict an additional 1d6 necrotic damage. Creatures that have not been mutated by Necxrium Corruption that are hit by such ammunition must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or acquire one level of Corruption. Necxrium used in this manner is destroyed upon impact.

Void Mist

Void Mist is a pervasive, supernatural fog that emanates from the areas of Eldaivyr most heavily afflicted by the Blight and large deposits of Necxrium. Unlike ordinary mist, Void Mist is imbued with corruptive arcane energies, which not only alter the physical landscape but also exert a profound influence on the flora, fauna, and magical currents within its reach. It serves as a manifest barrier of the Green Death, visually marking the territories claimed by this deadly phenomenon and acting as a constant reminder of the destructive power of unleashed magic.

• Creatures can not gain any benefits from finishing a long rest within Void Mist.
• A Creature that remains within Void Mist for 24 hours must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw for each additional hour spent within the Void Mist or gain one level of Corruption. A creature that rolls a 9 or lower on this save also suffers one level of Exhaustion.
• Spells such as tiny hut, and similar spells of 5th–level or below do not provide shelter from Void Mist.

Effects on Creatures & Vegetation

Toxicity to Creatures: Creatures exposed to Void Mist suffer from a range of afflictions, starting with minor symptoms such as respiratory difficulties and escalating to severe physical ailments like skin necrosis and organ failure. Prolonged exposure can lead to irreversible physiological and psychological damage, mutating the fauna into grotesque forms and driving them into madness.
Suppression of Plant Life: Vegetation enveloped by Void Mist quickly withers and dies. The mist blocks essential sunlight and leaches vital nutrients from the soil, leaving behind a barren landscape. Plants that do manage to survive often mutate, exhibiting unnatural characteristics such as toxic sap, thorns, or luminescent foliage, further altering the ecological balance.

Environmental Effects

Altered Landscapes: The persistent presence of Void Mist transforms the environment, creating eerie, fog-covered wastelands where little can survive. These areas become known for their desolation and the strange, often dangerous, phenomena that occur within them.
Spread of the Blight: Void Mist acts as a carrier for the Blight’s corruption, extending its reach beyond the initially affected zones. As the mist settles and lingers, it gradually corrupts and transforms new areas, facilitating the expansion of the Blight’s territory.
Reduction in Air Quality: The dense, toxic nature of Void Mist significantly reduces air quality, making affected areas hazardous without appropriate respiratory protection.

Effects on Spells

Magical Interference: Void Mist heavily disrupts magical energies. Spells cast within or into the mist have a high chance of failing or behaving unpredictably. Even powerful mages find their abilities thwarted or altered by the arcane-charged fog.
Impaired Divination and Teleportation: Spells that rely on precise targeting, such as divination and teleportation, are particularly susceptible to interference from Void Mist. Attempts to scry or teleport into or out of a mist-covered area are likely to fail, rendering these regions magically opaque and isolated. Whenever a creature that is not fully Corrupted attempts to cast a divination or teleportation spell must make a DC 15 saving throw with their spellcasting ability. On a failure, they take necrotic damage equal to a number of d6s equal to 1 + the spell level and become incapacitated with madness until they succeed on the save again at the end of a short rest or they finish a long rest (no save required). During this time they speak only in gibberish. A greater restoration or similar spell of 5th-level or higher also ends this effect.
Heightened Spell Failure Rates: The chaotic magical energies within the mist increase the likelihood of spell failure, or erratic and unpredictable effects. This effect is indiscriminate, affecting benign and harmful spells alike, which can lead to dangerous outcomes in combat or other critical situations.

Blight

A Blight represents the most devastating manifestation of the Green Death. It forms in areas of extreme concentration of Necxrium and Void Mist. A Blight transforms fertile lands into desolate, inhospitable regions. It is characterized by its rapid degradation of ecosystems and its ability to corrupt nearly all forms of life, creating a perilous landscape that is difficult to reclaim. A Blight is easily recognizable as a swirling mass of blackish-green cloud with a raging eldritch storm inside.

• Creatures can see normally within a Blight up to 60 feet. Vision beyond is lightly obscured, but vision past 120 feet is impossible regardless of the means up to and including truesight.
• Creatures must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw when they first enter the area of a Blight and for each hour they spend within. On a failure, a creature takes 10 (3d6) necrotic damage and gains one level of Corruption. A creature that rolls a 9 or lower on this save also suffers one level of Exhaustion.
• All magical healing within a Blight is reduced by half. Whenever a creature casts a spell to restore hit points they must roll a d20. If they roll a number equal to or less than the spell level of the spell, the creature instead takes necrotic damage equal to the amount that would normally be healed. In the case of a resurrection spell such as revivify or similar, the spell has no effect on a failure and the caster takes necrotic damage equal to 1d6 for each level of the spell slot.
• All the effects of Void Mist also apply with a Blight.

Effects on Creatures & Vegetation

Rapid Mutation and Corruption: Creatures exposed to a Blight often undergo rapid and grotesque mutations. These mutations typically result in increased aggression, physical deformities, and in some cases, enhanced abilities. The flora within blighted areas also mutates, resulting in bizarre and often dangerous plant life that can further spread the corruption.
Loss of Biodiversity: As a Blight spreads, it drastically reduces biodiversity. Native species either die out or mutate beyond recognition, leading to ecological collapses that can have cascading effects throughout the food chain.
Creation of Hostile Environments: The environments created by a Blight are not only barren but actively hostile to normal life. The air becomes thick with toxic spores, water sources are tainted with magical pollutants, and the soil becomes infertile, poisoned by the arcane contamination.

Environmental Effects

Transformation of Landscapes: A Blight permanently alters landscapes, turning lush forests, fertile fields, and populated areas into barren wastelands. These areas are often shrouded in a perpetual twilight, created by the dense clouds of Void Mist that accompany the blight.
Spread of Void Mist: A Blight and Void Mist are intrinsically linked; areas heavily affected by a Blight often see an increase in Void Mist density, which further accelerates the spread of the corruption.
Unnatural Weather Patterns: A Blight creates localized weather anomalies and a nearly constant eldritch storm within the area. These weather anomalies can include sudden temperature drops, unseasonal frosts, or acidic rainfalls, all of which make living in or near blighted areas extremely challenging.

Effects on Spells and Magic

Disruption of Magical Fields: A Blight disrupts local magical fields, making the casting of spells highly unpredictable. This disruption can lead to spells fizzling out, achieving heightened effects, or producing unintended consequences.
Barrier to Magical Healing: In blighted areas, magical healing is less effective, and in some cases, it can have reversed effects, causing harm instead of healing. This makes recovery from injuries much more difficult for adventurers and inhabitants.
Creation of Magical Dead Zones: In areas where a Blight is particularly intense, it can create dead zones where magic ceases to function altogether. These zones are particularly dreaded, as they render even the most powerful mages powerless.

Corruption

Corruption is the side effect driven by exposure to a Blight, Void Mist, and Necxrium, it is a debilitating condition that progressively worsens, ultimately transforming afflicted individuals into monstrous entities. This transformation through corruption is marked by distinct stages, each with its own symptoms and consequences.

Symptoms

There are six stages for Corruption from the Green Death. A corrupted creature suffers the symptoms from its current level as well as all prior levels. A creature suffers a penalty to all ability checks, saving throws, and attacks equal to the level of their corruption. If a creature gains 6 levels of corruption they experience a monstrous transformation (described below). The below descriptions serve as flavor text to describe each stage, but they have no mechanical effect on a creature.

1. Initial Exposure: Mild symptoms such as fatigue, slight disorientation, and a pale complexion. Victims may notice unusual sensitivity to light and minor hallucinations.
2. Worsening Condition: Increased physical discomfort, skin discoloration (greyish or greenish hues), and the emergence of painful sores. Victims suffer from insomnia and more vivid hallucinations.
3. Advanced Symptoms: Severe necrosis of extremities, significant loss of sensory perception, and the onset of paranoia and aggression. Magical abilities, if present, become unstable and occasionally discharge spontaneously.
4. Severe Corruption: Major organ failure begins, and the victim’s mental state deteriorates into psychosis. Physical mutations become pronounced, altering the victim’s body into grotesque forms.
5. Pre-Transformation: The victim’s humanity begins to slip away entirely. They exhibit extreme physical and magical volatility, with their body warping into a barely recognizable form. At this stage, the victim loses all social and emotional connections.
6. Monstrous Transformation: The final stage, where the victim fully transforms into a monstrous entity, losing all remnants of their former self and becoming a creature driven by corruption.

Mutations

As corruption progresses, victims might acquire various mutations, which could provide short-term advantages but also highlight their loss of humanity. Common mutations include:

• Enhanced Strength or Endurance: Often at the cost of increased aggression or pain.
• Chitinous Skin: Provides some armor but makes movement painful and stiff.
• Sensory Mutation: Enhanced sight or hearing that comes with painful sensitivity to normal sensory inputs.

Removing Corruption

Early Stages: Lesser restoration spells can alleviate corruption symptoms temporarily.
Advanced Stages: Greater restoration or heal spells are required to remove higher levels of corruption.
Complete Cure: A wish spell is one of the few ways to completely reverse corruption, especially at its later stages.

Death and Dying While Corrupted

Raising the Dead: Victims of corruption who die can be brought back via revivify or raise dead, but their corruption level decreases only slightly. True resurrection or similar powerful magic is needed to fully cleanse their corruption.
Undeath: If not properly treated, corpses of the corrupted may rise as undead, or other corrupt monsters, further spreading corruption and terror.

Monstrous Transformation

Upon reaching the final stage of corruption, the individual irreversibly becomes a monster, often an aberration or a monstrosity, driven by base instincts. This transformation is:

• Permanent: Unless reversed by divine intervention or extremely powerful magic.
• Dangerous: The transformed creatures are often hostile and extremely dangerous, posing a significant threat to all life around them.

Reversing a Transformation

Nearly Irreversible: Transformations caused by final-stage corruption are nearly irreversible.
Wish and Divine Intervention: These are the only known methods to reverse such transformations, restoring the individual to their original form.