Shadow Fugue

It's said there are places man was never meant to travel, and the rebuttal is usually some bravado about how mankind can conquer any frontier they set their mind to. I'm sure none of them have ever been to the Shadowfell. Those umbral realms are a place where the body is not the first to feel weak - the mind is. Setting your mind is rather difficult when hounded by your inner doubts...

— Brother Haralan

The Shadowfell is a dangerous place for many reasons, but there is one single reason it has resisted any intrusion from those attempting to build new cities there. The very essence of the Shadowfell tends to sap away mental energies, slowly consuming the creativity, optimism, and motivation of living beings until they are mere husks of themselves. This has been referred to as 'shadow fugue' by scholars, and over time it has grown to encompass similar mental states of mind which are not rooted in exposure to the Shadowfell's energies. Naturally, this can be confusing enough, but since recovery from either follows similar steps it's never been hotly debated outside of scholarly circles. Those who are affected by true shadow fugue become pariahs and drift away from society. With their being disconnected, recovery becomes impossible. This is how the shadow fugue, the true shadow fugue, claims victims from even the bravest souls.

Causes

True shadow fugue is caused through long-term exposure to the Shadowfell, though the period required varies wildly from person to person. It can take as little as a day, or as long as years, to display symptoms. Nevertheless, it is almost inevitable to succumb to the dreary atmosphere and oppressive murk - every attempt by those traveling into the Shadowfell to create a permanent settlement has failed spectacularly and left ruins inhabited by what remains when the mind is broken. Only the shadowkin have proven to have any significant resistance to shadow fugue, though scholars have argued their general fatalistic outlook on life may be disguising the symptoms before they reach a critical state.

As noted, there are many other mental states which are called "shadow fugue" without actually being shadow fugue. It is thought stress is a primary cause, yet there are almost always searches for Shadowfell influences in places where a number of people wind up succumbing to this state of mind.

Symptoms

Let's be clear here. Your friend? What he's got I don't have a cure for. Those eyes tell me everything I need to know. He's already dead, in the soul. It's a matter of time before the body follows.

— Tyge Volantis, Alchemist

Shadow fugue as derived from an unnatural source manifests almost exactly the same, from person to person. The first signs are an individual beginning to show lethargy and a reluctance to converse with anyone. Conversations tend to end abruptly, when they happen at all, or bend towards rhetorical questions suggesting a fatalistic outlook. What sets true shadow fugue apart can take some time to truly tell, but the following are good indicators:

• An affected individual will show reluctance to expose themselves to direct sunlight, being outside during largely overcast days or sticking to shadows. When in direct sunlight, a greyish hue is notable in their skin if the condition has progressed far enough; this is a sign the individual will require help through divine curative magic quickly or it will become irreversible.
• The affected will avoid making eye contact, while their eyes may have grey or black specks inside the whites of their eyes. Their irises might also have the color 'washed out', muted to a less colorful state. Given enough time to progress, this will lead to steel-grey irises and decidedly unhealthy-looking eyes. These effects do not seem to harm their vision at all, and might be considered purely superficial.
• Most tellingly, an affected individual will show rather sharp disdain for any veneration of deity done in their presence. Sometimes this may be a quiet sneer, or it may manifest as active heckling of the faithful. This symptom is another one of the signs shadow fugue has progressed far enough to be nearly irreversible.

Treatment

True shadow fugue, caught early, can be mended through time and the effort of friends to continue positive interactions. Eventually, the affected individual will recover and realize they were truly not behaving normally. More advanced cases will require the intervention of divine curative aids, made more difficult due to symptoms getting in the way. Primarily, priests of the Eternal Light or Sister of Blossoms will know ways of combating the shadow fugue.

Prognosis

True shadow fugue will progress in several stages, and while the length of each stage may vary their progression will rarely be different. First comes the mental fatigue, and the loss of positive mindset and motivation. After this has cemented itself, the affected will steadily begin actively pushing away any attempts to reach out and assist them. This can range from actively ignoring or aggravating friends trying to help, to giving more volatile rejections to those possessing curative magic. Physical embodiment of the shadow fugue will begin showing after this stage, starting with symptoms as noted with the eyes and skin. If the shadow fugue remains untreated, the affected will permanently be altered and eventually disappear from their life with no warning. What happens to them is uncertain, but it is believed this is the origin of many of the twisted ghostly undead which haunt the dark corners of the world.

Prevention

Look, I will - again - assure you in the strongest possible words. I can't sell you a potion to protect you, nor can I give you some powder to mix into your wine to fortify you. You're on your own, there, under the sky with no sun. If you still insist on it, I'll just whip you a batch of colored water mixed with bitters and count your coin. Your choice.

— Tyge Volantis, Alchemist

Naturally enough, prevention of true shadow fugue can be done through not traveling to the Shadowfell. Should one need to travel there, there are some protective incantations which can delay the onset, but they are no guarantee of having success in preventing it. Similarly, there are a few assorted protective amulets offering similar protections with the same caveat. If a sufficiently powerful priest who channels divine magic is present, there can be a preventative use of curative magic just to be sure shadow fugue cannot take hold. However, this uses up a significant portion of their energies and is still no true guarantee.

Despite what any scholars may say, no evidence has been collected suggesting any herbs or draughts will protect one from onset due to prolonged exposure. Similarly, merely possessing faith in a deity's power and presence is not enough to protect one's self or others. Unscrupulous folk have routinely attempted to sell various useless goods to those seeking to enter the Shadowfell. While the belief these methods work can be helpful in combating early onset of symptoms, it tends just as often to lead to a steeper decline when these methods do not work.

Table of Contents

1. Causes
2. Symptoms
3. Treatment
4. Prognosis
5. Prevention

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Type

Mental