Chaos Corruption

All creatures who are at least somewhat intelligent know that one always needs to stay away as far as possible from Chaos Areas. Those that do not risk getting corrupted by the magic of that place. A painful and often irreversible process. The state the affected are in is something I would not wish upon my worst enemy.

— High Sage Syronikir

The people of Niorath fear Chaos magic and its effects. This is with good reason as getting in contact with this form of magic can result in disastrous effects. No one is spared from it, no plant, no creature and not even the very soil remains unaffected.
Luckily the use of Chaos magic is forbidden to prevent such disasters. Nonetheless the people of the past did not adhere to these rules and caused various Chaos Areas all across the planet. Anyone who dares enter these places risks getting infected with Chaos Corruption. A condition that at first causes only severe headaches but as the day of infection advances mutates the affected in unnatural ways.
Once the corruption has run its course it is sometimes even impossible to see what a creature was before it.

Extra Information

Affected

Every living creature

Transmission

Unknown, general proximity can be enough

Incubation

2 days

Lasting Effects

Mindeless husk

Origin

Primal Chaos

Corruption

A fair amount of studies have been done into Chaos Corruption and although the people of Niorath know quite a lot there are still many unknowns. The fact that the affected are so dangerous to any bystanders shortly after being infected makes it even more difficult to research or treat.

Spread

Carriers

As far as scientists have found out a person that was infected does not pose a direct danger to others. The corruption does not seem to be transmissible between creatures. Those that are infected themselves though become a problem in another manner as they become ever more violent.

Transmission

How the corruption actually transmits is still a large unknown. In general it has been found out that just being close to a source of the Primal Chaos, especially the Chaos Crystals, can cause the corruption to happen. Some believe it could be airborne but others assume that there is an thus far unknown force causing the infection.

Yamaderis misplaced this image by Kefkjaco with heroforge

Environmental factors

Luckily for the world of Niorath the corruption can only occur in Chaos areas. So far they seem to have been rather stagnant over the centuries. Newer reports, however, claim that sometimes Chaos Tempests cause the area to grow.

Prognosis

After the infection it takes only a few hours for the first symptoms to appear. At first the infected will notice a very strong headache which can be accompanied with nausea and extreme fever. Near the end of the first day a part of the body typically starts showing signs of corruption, which are often purple crystal growths which will only increase in size. Once the second day has run its course the individual is completely gone and remains a former husk of itself. Although very much still allive and extremely violent, the person that was before will never return.

Symptoms

First Symptoms

• Extreme Fever
• Nausea
• Severe Headaches

After 1 day:

• Severe headaches
• Irregular Spasms
• Vomitting
• Violent tendencies
• Crystal Growth

On the 2nd day of the disease the infected will be physically alive but mentally gone.

Causes

The most likely reason for the symptoms is the growth of the crystals. From what little research is available we know that they target the nervous system and eventually take over the entire body. It often starts on one body part even if this was covered. The affected body part seems to be random.

Treatment

So far there has been no effective treatment. If the infected is lucky enough to have only crystal growth on a limb it is possible that amputating it can help. Nonetheless, most persons still die due to other complications later on mainly caused by organ failure.
Those that survive will always have nightmares about the Primal Chaos for the rest of their lives.

Lasting Effects

Those that survive have an altered mind and will never fully recover mentally. They will suffer from waking nightmares about aberrations and alien landscapes.
The ones that 'died' become true monstosities and will corrupt further and further as long as they are 'alive'. Almost all of the corrupted have chaos crystals growing out of their body and their body parts can be completely mutated. Some even change in height or build, although this is believed to be the case for those that have already been corrupted a long time.

Guild Wars 2 concept art by Kekai Kotaki

Further Reading