Curse of Stone
A magical ailment the Dwarves inflected upon the Giants to end their war.
Transmission & Vectors
All pure blooded Giant's are born with the Curse of Stone, some of the lesser Giantkin such as Ogre's and Ettin suffer from a more mild case of the Curse.
Causes
Sacrificing their Agelessness the Dwarves powered the Curse to return the Giant's to the stone from which they were made.
Symptoms
As a Giant ages, they become covered in stone growths until eventually they fully transformed into a statue of themselves.
Treatment
The only successful treatment to avoid the Curse of Stone was made by Giant Tribes who transmuted themselves into lesser Giantkin to avoid the effects, such as Human's and Goliath.
Prognosis
Curse of Stone eventually leads to death, though some Giant's die of complications of the Curse before they become statues.
Sequela
Giant's slowly become more and more stone like, becoming slower and more durable though the process is quite painful.
Affected Groups
The Curse primarily affects Giant's and Ogre's to a much lesser extent. while rare it is possible for lesser Giantkin such as Human's and Goliath to contract the Curse as well, considered a fluke of breeding and arcane fluctuations brought on by the shattered Ley Lines these infections are rare.
History
The Curse of Stone was a desperate move by the Dwarves to end the war with the Giant's. following the Draconic Wars the Dwarves were not as prepared for a second war where as the Giant's were well prepared having stolen a good portion of the Draconic empire's resources as they advanced alongside the Dwarves. The Giant's merciless curelty lended them the advantage early on, but the Dwarven Emperor Argan's cunning meant the war was more drawn out than even the Giant's had considered. eventually both sides were struggling for resources, and encroached upon Elven lands, and experimented with magics to end conflicts faster as well as provide relief and food. After a successful trap the Giant's laid to kill Argan and demoralize the Dwarves, they pushed hard into the Dwarven kingdoms, using magic to bring forth earth elementals to pry open the Dwarven forts buried in the stones. before the Giant's could claim their final victory however, the Curse of Stone was cast by the Empress, with the assistance of the Nameless Black. The Curse instantly petrified the majority of the Giant's forces, leaving only the younger and less experienced Giant's alive who began to panic as they suffered the latent effects of the Curse. in their fear, the abandoned the majority of their stolen lands as they no longer had the troops to hold these areas nor keep their slaves in line. Many of the Giant Clans resorted to transmutation to escape the Curse, becoming lesser Giantkin and forsaking their kin. after the dust had settled very few pure Giant's remained.
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