Solblight
The Deep-dweller's Curse
A adaptation affecting deep-dwellers and their kin, treated as a horrible disease.
You know, everyone keeps telling me that they're so sad I'll never see the sun. I don't get it. Why the hell would I want to look at a big old ball of light?
Symptoms-
Solblight is characterized by a severe sensitivity to bright light and sound. Intensity can vary, but most people with Solblight cannot stand being in moderate sunlight or crowded areas, and being in direct light or being shouted at can permanently damage their eyes and ears. In dark or quiet areas, symptoms are impossible to detect, but creatures living on the surface find life very difficult, even going permanently blind and deaf if they spend too much time in hostile areas. Due to their heightened sensitivities, those with Solblight can see in very low light levels, and pick up sounds inaudible to most.Causes-
Solblight originates from a natural adaptation to see better in the dark, and pick up quieter noises, evolved by creatures that live underground. Unfortunately, these adaptations made living on the surface difficult, as the sudden influx of light and sound is overwhelming. Any creature with ancestry in underground cities is susceptible to inheriting Solblight, as it is hereditary and passed on through blood. This includes those with Luminean or Nemuric decent. The only way for a pure-blooded surface dweller to get Solblight is through a cursed item or enchantment. Though cursed items themselves are very rare, Solblight is one of the more common curses for them to hold. Any item engraved with symbols referencing fear of the light, or love of darkness, will likely cause severe Solblight.Rarity-
Solblight is impossible to detect until someone with it is exposed to bright light and sound. As such, only surface-dwelling creatures can be diagnosed. It is widely theorized that almost all cave dwellers have Solblight to some extent, but their dark, quiet environment means that none suffer averse symptoms. On the surface, though, Solblight is quite rare, and carries a negative social stigma.Treatments-
Tolerance Therapy-
Solblight cannot be fully cured, but small amounts of exposure can build up tolerance for light and sound over time. This process is usually considered not worth the distress and pain, though, and is not widely practiced. It is also very easy to overdo exposure and permanently damage the patients hearing and sight.Physical Aids-
Dark glasses or contact lenses as well as earplugs are used by most afflicted with Solblight living on the surface, however the social stigma they carry is enough for some to forsake them. Attempts to make lenses and earplugs less visible and more comfortable are in place, but the low social standing of those with Solblight effect how much research is done for their benefit, and many surface-dwellers hold some fear for those with Solblight, so they resist anything that would allow them to blend in with the rest of the population.Avoidance-
Another method of removing any pain or distress is to live underground, in cities such as Luminiya. Solblight is common there, and carries no social stigma, and symptoms are seldom agitated. Not everyone is happy living so far from the surface, but it provides the most comfortable life that someone with Solblight could live, as the area is naturally quiet and dark.Stigma-
The distrust of deep-dwellers shows itself most clearly in the treatment of those with Solblight. The conditions hereditary nature makes finding partners on the surface difficult for underground creatures, and the environments that make those with Solblight comfortable are the opposite for most Nevians. An association with the dark does not help, as most surface dwellers fear it.Harmful stereotypes are common in depictions of those with Solblight- exaggerated caricatures of pale, furless creatures with huge black eyes and fleshy ears. Much of this propaganda resembles Seekers, which are universally feared, and draw on common traits that those with Solblight share- just magnified. Dark eyeglasses and contacts worn by those with Solblight to block out light can give the appearance of large, void-black eyes, and an aversion to light results in very pale skin. Solblight does not physically alter the shape of creatures ears much, but it does increase their hearing, which leads to to assumptions that they have bigger ears.
Name Origin-
Solblight goes by many names- the most common of which being Solblight, Sunsickness, and Solaria. Almost every culture has a name for it, but they all follow the same pattern of words, referencing a disease of light. Solaria was the first name, coming from the Luminean language- from Sol, meaning Sun, and 'aria', meaning sickness or disease. Sunsickness and Solblight both stem from Nevian , Sunsickness being the more casual term.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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