Cloaks' Curse

Withered Faces and Dark Cloaks

Your brother has been acting strange as of late. He seems sleepless, he occasionally freaks out over nothing, and he keeps staring out into the distance. It's as if he's waiting for something.

— Leila of Flentijk

Orange Pumpkin by Jessica Lewis

Cloaks' Curse is an extremely rare mental illness that can affect all geprati regardless of the individual's overall health or age. The cause of the condition has yet to be determined. A lot of people believe it to be natural, but nothing has been scientifically proven.

All reports of those suffering from Cloaks' Curse have had the same symptoms. Both in dreams and when they are awake, they see cloaked figures somewhere far in the distance. The condition was named after these cloaks once it was clear that they are something that all victims of the condition see.

Symptoms

All who suffer from the condition have seen the cloaks. These mysterious figures haunt the victims wherever they go; even their dreams aren't safe from their presence. Those affected by Cloaks' Curse have also been observed standing on elevated terrain and staring out into the distance, usually the sea or a large field.

Dreams

Those with Cloaks' Curse are more likely to remember their dreams. From what people have said, the dreams start off as a normal day would start. The victim wakes up and sees everything around them as it's supposed to be. For the recently afflicted, these dreams might seem like they are awake at first, making the later stages of the nightmares even more terrifying. As everything goes on normally, the victim will begin hearing whispers and seeing shapes move in the corner of their vision.

At some point, they will notice that all the other people around them will have stopped moving. All of them would have their backs turned to the bearer of Cloaks' Curse, their backs straight and heads looking down. When the victim moves close to see what's wrong, they would see that the faces of all the people they knew and loved are those of withered corpses. If the victim sees themselves in a reflection, then the same dead face would stare back at them.

Reality

When the victims are awake, they will occasionally see figures wearing dark cloaks in the distance. Usually, they appear on cliffs, the roofs of tall buildings, and other such elevated positions. A longtime victim may also wake up and expect to see withered faces like they do when they sleep. The confusion regarding what's real or not means that some victims are scared of looking at people's faces.

Type

Mental

Origin

Natural

Rarity

Extremely Rare

Affected Species

• Geprati

Potatoes by Marco Antonio Victorino