Toxic Corruption
Transmission & Vectors
Non-Contagious: Toxic corruption cannot spread between individuals but is solely contracted through exposure to the Black Fog.
Causes
Entering and having prolonged exposure to the Black Fog.
Symptoms
Physical Symptoms:
- Breathing Issues: A grayish film develops on the lungs, causing chronic coughing and shortness of breath.
- Skin Mutations: The Kin becomes pallid and translucent, often glowing faintly with green or blue hues.
- Eye Alterations: Eyes glow, improving night vision but making natural light painful.
Magickal Symptoms:
- Arcane Sensitivity: Increased awareness of ley lines and magickal energies, often accompanied by debilitating headaches.
- Unstable Powers: Random Magickal abilities may manifest, such as energy bursts or telekinesis, but they are unpredictable and harmful.
Mental Symptoms:
- Hallucinations: Whispered voice and eerie visions that distort reality.
- Fragmented Memories: Survivors report confusion over past events, struggling to separate reality from illusion.
- Paranoia: A constant sense of being hunted by shadowy figures.
Treatment
Short-Term Measures:
- Gas masks and magickal wards can slow the onset of Toxic Corruption but do not prevent it entirely.
- Antitoxins derived from Verdant Depths plants provide temporary relief from physical symptoms.
Long-Term Measures:
- Purification rituals conducted by Order mystics can suppress symptoms but rarely eliminate them entirely.
- Advanced medical alchemy in the Upper City shows promise but is only accessible to the elite.
Prognosis
Mild Cases: Individuals with limited exposure may recover with prompt treatment, but lingering effects such as coughing and paranoia are common.
Severe Cases: Prolonged exposure often leads to irreversible physical and mental changes, with many succumbing to insanity or magickal overload.
Sequela
Late-Stage Complications:
- Chronic Respiratory Issues: Survivors may develop lifelong lung damage, resulting in constant wheezing, coughing, and reduced stamina.
- Permanent Skin Changes: Pallid, translucent skin may worsen over time, leading to painful sensitivity to light or chronic infections.
- Mental Instability: Hallucinations and paranoia often persist long after initial exposure, potentially leading to full psychosis in severe cases.
- Aetheric Overload Syndrome: Survivors with unstable powers may experience violent outbursts of magical energy, harming themselves and those nearby.
Recuperation Complications:
- Survivors undergoing alchemical treatments may suffer side effects such as tremors, migraines, or diminished immune response.
- Difficulty reintegrating into society due to lingering physical or psychological symptoms and associated stigma.
Affected Groups
Humans: Most commonly afflicted due to their biological sensitivity to both toxins and Aetheric energy.
Aetherians: Show unique reactions, such as amplified magickal abilities but with greater physical and mental tolls.
Automata: Rarely affected, but prolonged exposure can result in structural decay and erratic behavior in sentient models.
Hosts & Carriers
Hosts:
- Humans: The most vulnerable and commonly afflicted species, experiencing severe physical, magickal, and mental effects.
- Aetherians: Unique reactions include amplified magickal sensitivity but at a greater physical and psychological cost.
Carriers:
- Ironvine Absorbs trace Aetheric energies from the Fog but is not visibly affected, making it a secondary indicator of Fog presence.
- Glowmoths: Insects native to the Fog's perimeter; they exhibit bioluminescence enhanced by prolonged exposure. While not directly harmful, their presence signals proximity to the Fog.
Prevention
Protective Measures:
- Gas Masks: Effective in filtering out industrial pollutants, though less effective against Aetheric anomalies.
- Magickal Wards: Amulets enchanted by Order mystics can repel some of the Fog's effects but must be regularly recharged.
- Protective Suits: Advanced suits made from Ferrixite alloys offer better resistance but are costly and cumbersome.
- Fog Navigators: Trained guides equipped with specialized tools are often hired to minimize exposure.
Behavioral Precautions:
- Avoid entering the Black Fog unless absolutely necessary.
- Limit time spent in contaminated zones to reduce risk.
Epidemiology
Spread and Occurrence:
- Non-Contagious: Toxic Corruption does not spread between individuals but is directly tied to exposure to the Black Fog.
Outbreak Triggers:
- New breaches or expansions of the Black Fog into populated areas.
- Industrial accidents or magical experiments destabilizing ley lines and releasing additional Fog.
- Seasonal shifts, particularly during the Iron Moon Cycle, which amplifies the Fog's Aetheric effects.
Population Dynamics:
- Lower City residents are disproportionately affected due to their proximity to contaminated zones.
- Increased cases among adventurers, scavengers, and rogue factions attempting to navigate the Black Fog for resources or relics.
History
The history of Toxic Corruption is deeply intertwined with the development of Argenthold and its unchecked industrial and magickal expansion.
Origins:
- Early Signs: The first cases of Toxic Corruption appeared shortly after the formation of the Black Fog. Workers assigned to clean up industrial spills near ley lines began exhibiting strange symptoms, including glowing skin, eyes and erratic behavior.
- Discovery of the Black Fog: As the Fog spread, entire neighborhoods were abandoned. Survivors who emerged from the affected zones were marked by physical and mental changes, leading to the first recorded instances of the condition.
Initial Reactions
- Order's Intervention: The Order of the Silver Dawn attempted to study the phenomenon, attributing it to the merging of industrial waste and Aetheric anomalies. Initial efforts to "cure" the afflicted focused on harsh purification methods, many of which resulted in fatalities.
- Widespread Fear: By SE 100, fear of Toxic Corruption had taken root among Argenthold's population, with survivors stigmatized and treated as pariahs.
Recent Developments
- Weaponization: Some revolutionary groups discovered ways to use the Black Fog as a weapon, luring enemies into contaminated zones.
- Advanced Research: The Order's elite scholars in the Argent Spire continue to study the condition, though rumors suggest they are more interested in harnessing its magickal byproducts than curing it.
Cultural Reception
Research and Containment:
- The Order of the Silver Dawn: Monitors survivors for study, often confining them in research facilities under strict surveillance.
- Revolutionary Factions: Exploits the survivors for their unstable abilities or use their stories as propaganda against the Order.
- Isolation Protocols: Entire districts are quarantined to prevent further incursions into the Black Fog.
Impact on Society
- Survivor Stigma: Afflicted individuals are often viewed as dangerous and untrustworthy, relegated to the fringes of society.
- Exile: Many survivors are driven out of Argenthold or subjected to forced labor and experimentation by the Order.
- Cultural Fears: The Black Fog and its effects have become an enduring symbol of Argenthold's hubris, featured in cautionary tales and revolutionary rhetoric.
Public Perception
- Fear and Suspicion: Survivors of the Black Fog are often viewed as cursed or dangerous.
- Folklore: Tales of lowing, corrupted figures emerging from the Fog are common in Lower City urban legends, often serving as cautionary tales for children.
Art and Literature
- Depictions in Media:
- Painting often show corrupted individuals with glowing eyes and skeletal frames, symbolizing Argenthold's darker side.
- Plays and novels feature corrupted characters as tragic figures, their powers seen as both a gift and a curse.
- Revolutionary Propaganda: Rebel factions use image of corrupted workers as symbols of the Order's negligence and the dangers of unchecked industrialization.
Legacy
- Symbol of Argenthold’s Hubris
- Toxic Corruption is often cited as a direct result of the city’s obsession with progress at any cost. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of tampering with ley lines and ignoring environmental impacts.
- Scientific Milestones
- The condition has spurred significant advancements in alchemical and magical medicine, even as these breakthroughs remain inaccessible to the Lower City.
- Impact on Politics and Society
- Survivors of the Fog often become rallying points for revolutionary movements, embodying the suffering caused by the Order’s policies.
- The condition continues to fuel debates about the Order’s priorities and the true cost of their technological and magical progress.
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