Mark of the Butcher

A potent curse that was designed to create bloodthirsty madmen.

Causes

The mark of the butcher is a file curse, one that inevitabley causes the victim to go insane. A mage imbues a nail with the blood of an innocent, then uses necromancy to stain the nail red with their blood. the victim is laid within a Msytrium circle, often paralyzed in a way they can feel the next steps. an enchanted hammer is used to hammer the nail into the back of the victims skull, completing the ritual and binding them with the Mark of the Butcher.

Symptoms

The Mark of the Butcher causes pain within the victim at all times. this pain can only be aleviated by acts of violence, upon themselves or another living creature. the pain becomes more intense the longer the victim goes without giving into the will of the curse.

Treatment

Removing the nail from the back of the head only causes intense pain within the victim, sending them into a mindless bloodfrenzy where they attempt to recover the nail. the only way to remove the curse is to have it dispelled by a powerful mage.

Prognosis

few have survived more than a year with the Mark of the Butcher, those that do are often gladiators who were born to bloodshed in the first place. some cases the victim swallows their own tongue, tears out their throat, or claws out their eyes to make the pain stop rather than harm another person.

History

The Mark of the Butcher was created by the Khoven during the ancient days of their empire, before the undead legions were at full strength. It was used to turn prisoners of war into mindless murderers to be set lose upon their former allies, it had the added benifit of devestating the moral of the enemy. after the undead legions were bolstered, the curse became less useful, and was shifted to the homestead where it took a place of punishment for murderers or for entertainers who indulged in bloodsport. after the fall of the Khoven, the curse was used only by evil necromancers and petty kings to punish those who they felt wronged them. recently however, it has regained popularity, with the resurgance of Bloodsports in Irrindor the Curse is becoming more and more frequent.

Cultural Reception

Some gladiators have taken to buying the curse for their own needs, in an attempt to become ultimate killers for their art.

Type

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare