End in Corruption Myth in Nys | World Anvil

End in Corruption

The so called "End-in-corruption" (klos fr'adei in nordic language) is a belief about the ultimate fate of the world, somewhat popular among the people in the Reawakened Confederation; it states that the world is bound to be enshrouded in corruption, no matter what people do, and how valiantly they fight against the Abyss.

Summary

According to the theory, the existence of living beings, especially the presence of intelligent life, contributes to the creation and build-up of corruption: by ony existing, every person would produce energies in excess, which would be continuously and involuntarily released in the environment; all these energies from different people would then mix up and form a chaotic disturbance, very similar to the effect of abyssal energies, forming the base for abyssal corruption: upon this base, the Abyss would anchor itself and use it to project its energies and abomination in the world.   Year after year, believers say, the build up would be so strong that the corruption starts regenerating itself, increasing its volume in a runaway effect, poisoning all life on Nys, leaving behind a barren wasteland that the Abyss would have no difficulty submitting to its will.

Spread

The belief was quite popular among the Reawakened up until the nineteenth century, when the Abyssal Crisis took place. Many believers thought the end had finally come, but their leader Canopus organized defences in the whole confederation and those who believed in the value of their own actions did fight against the abyssal hordes, at first resisting, then pushing back against them. The victories cast a shadow over the idea of the End-in-Corruption, showing not only that fighting was possible, but also that victory was, indeed, achievable. Many ex-believers took arms against the invaders and contributed to the final victory. When the crisis subsided, the theory had become a niche.   The belief has always been highly discredited everywhere else on Nys, especially where the Moon Church influence is stronger.

Cultural Reception

Doujatar wizards have longly researched about the subject, and found their conclusions:  
What the Reawakened believe is that living is the root cause of corruption, because of a build up of chaotic energies in nature. Extensive researches have been repeatedly done over the centuries, and we can now state, without any doubt, that this theory is false. The only similar effect that has been observed is related to a high use of magic in a single place: when several powerful spells are cast within a small enough timespan in a close enough space, the residual magical energies released during the process merge and interfere with each other, creating a chaotic disturbance; however, not even in battlefields with a widespread use of magic from both sides is the phenomenon detectable: making it visible takes a great deal of precise planning. Even so, it is like pouring a drop of poison in the ocean: too little for life to care.   Nevertheless, it would be wise to take this effect into consideration when organizing magical training or exhibitions in closed spaces without much ventilation.
— Notes on the Use of Pure Magic, Tiar Glagne


Cover image: Nys Logo by Fabrizio Fioretti

Comments

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Aug 6, 2023 18:51 by Deleyna Marr

I like how you build upon the myth with the "modern" interpretation, and then the warning to still consider it when doing magic in closed spaces. Nice balance.

Deleyna
Aug 7, 2023 16:34 by Daniele Salierno

Hi, thank you for the feedback! I love writing about myths and legends, and how they're revisited in modern times.