Dučan-shunned

In the religion of Dučana, great importance is placed on Dučan's presence at the birth of a child. More than anything else, it is believed to influence someone's path in life. A child born when Dučan is at its fullest is a child that will encounter a wealth of good fortune in their life. On the other hand, however, those born under the new moon are destined for hardship and tragedy. Whether or not this is actually true is, of course, not really known, but there are enough "self-fulfilling prophecies" as a result of this mindset to make many believe it is fact.
In every myth, however, is a kernel of truth. Dučanans choose to blame it on the absence of Dučan during a birth, but the truth is actually based on something worse: the absence of mojy, magic. The Collapse caused most of the continents outside of Kima to be designated utterly void of magic, or close to it. As a result of this, very few children are born outside of Kima who show the ability to manipulate mojy, and almost no residents of those continents possess širiks, magical shields against blood magic that every living creature is supposed to have.
The difference between Kima and its neighbors across the seas are that Kima is considered the birthplace of magic, the Cradle of the World. Magic is abundant there, ever-flowing from the Mojy Tree…or, it used to be. While Kima did not suffer the continent-wide loss of magic that the rest of Eiros did, it was ground zero for the start of the Collapse. The war between the Ancients and the dragons was so great in Kima that parts of it were ruined beyond absolute repair. The roots of the Mojy Tree were destroyed. There are no plants, no animals, and there is no magic. These places are stifling and uncomfortable for the average person, and can be downright lethal to those who are sensitive to the flow of mojy. This is where aleksium is mined, a magic-nullifying metal. These places don't just lack magic. It's as if they suck it out of anything that enters.
Children born or conceived at or near these locations, or in places with lots of aleksium, have been found to suffer birth defects from invisible disabilities to mutations and missing vital organs. Many of the children with the more extreme effects don't last very long, but the ones that do survive are not looked upon fondly by greater society. Their conditions are blamed on the new moon and "bad luck," completely ignoring that they are actually caused by the actions of those who ignore the harmful effects of aleksium, and the death of mojy all around them.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Congenital

Rarity

Extremely Rare