Blight
Blights are the corrupted form of Eladrin, warped and twisted when their devotion to nature becomes fanatical. These entities emerge when Eladrin forsake their balanced stewardship of the natural world, deciding that humanoid species are either an affront to the ecosystem or a threat so great that they must be eradicated entirely. Blights embody the rage of corrupted nature, a dark mockery of the harmony Eladrin strive to uphold.
Origins of the Blights
The transformation into a Blight begins with despair and rage. Eladrin who suffer great loss due to humanoid exploitation of the natural world—forests burned, rivers poisoned, wildlife slaughtered—may begin to view all humanoids as irredeemable. In their hatred, they forsake the balance of nature, becoming consumed by a singular purpose: the eradication of humanoid life.
This shift in ideology alters their very essence. Their once-beautiful wooden forms grow gnarled and thorned, layered with bark or fungal plates, and their faces become grotesque, bearing twisted versions of their former grace.
Forms of the Blights
Blights take many forms, all inspired by nature's most dangerous and destructive elements. Common forms include:
- Thornblights: Covered in dense, barbed thorns, these Blights use their bodies as weapons, slashing and entangling their enemies in deadly brambles.
- Sporeblights: Fungal Blights that exude toxic spores capable of weakening and disorienting their prey. These spores infect nearby flora and fauna, creating a hostile ecosystem.
- Rotblights: These Blights radiate decay, causing nearby plants and animals to sicken and rot. Their touch spreads disease, leaving infection in their wake.
- Vinebloods: Agile and sinewy, these Blights use whip-like vines to ensnare and crush their enemies.
While they prefer to remain in their natural forms, Blights can also disguise themselves as unassuming plants or fungi, lying in wait to ambush unsuspecting victims.
Blight Propagation: The Infection of Eldar
One of the most terrifying aspects of Blights is their ability to spread contagion. By infecting Eldar, the ancient tree-like guardians of Eladrin groves, they can rapidly produce more Blights. This infection twists the Eldar into massive Blightlords, grotesque trees brimming with thorns, venom, and decay. Blightlords serve as powerful brutish siege monsters, and the focal points of the blights' infection, tainting the land around them.
When an Eldar is infected, it begins to produce pods or spores that birth new Blights. This rapid reproduction makes Blight infestations a dire threat, capable of overwhelming entire groves or forests in a matter of weeks.
Environmental Impact
Blight corruption extends beyond the Blights themselves, infecting the surrounding ecosystem. Plants become aggressive and toxic, with vines lashing out at passersby and flowers releasing poisonous pollen. Animals in Blight-infested areas exhibit unnatural aggression, attacking humanoids without provocation and displaying signs of psychosis, such as frothing at the mouth and erratic behavior.
Strangely, this psychosis does not affect humanoid species, though its effects are devastating on the plants and animals that depend on them. Scholars debate whether this immunity is a cruel irony or a deliberate mechanism of the Blights, designed to isolate and overwhelm their prey.
The Eladrin's Eternal Vigil
Eladrin groves and regions are in constant danger from Blight infections. Even the smallest seed or spore can lead to a full-scale outbreak if not immediately contained. Eladrin warriors and druids are tasked with patrolling their forests, seeking out and destroying signs of Blight infection.
Combating Blights is a dangerous task. Their resilience and numbers make them formidable foes, and the act of destroying an infected Eldar is a heart-wrenching decision for the Eladrin, as it means losing a cherished guardian of their grove.
To prevent outbreaks, Eladrin perform purification rituals and maintain a vigilant watch over their Eldar. Some groves even employ symbiotic relationships with creatures immune to Blight corruption to aid in their defense.
Motivations of the Blights
Blights are singularly focused on their goal of eradicating humanoid life, driven by an overwhelming hatred and a belief in their own righteousness. They view themselves as nature’s vengeance, purging the "plague" of humanoid existence to restore balance. Their corrupted minds cannot comprehend the destruction they cause, as they are blind to the interconnectedness of all life.
Unlike the Eladrin, who seek harmony, Blights see nature as a weapon and themselves as its wielders. They do not build or nurture, only destroy, leaving barren wastelands in their wake.
Legends and Warnings
Among humanoids, Blights are the stuff of nightmares, cautionary tales told to children to warn against disrespecting nature. Stories of entire villages being wiped out by waves of thorn-covered monsters or choking clouds of fungal spores are common in regions near Eladrin groves.
For the Eladrin, Blights are a reminder of the dangers of imbalance. They embody the consequences of allowing despair, hatred, and pride to consume the soul, turning protectors of nature into its most fearsome destroyers.
