Blight Evolution Timeline

The Calm: Before Caim and the other “Outsiders” arrived, The Blight was a natural phenomenon that was combated by hunting the Blightbeasts and eventually learning to destroy the Blight Loci.

Blight Catalyst: Upon the arrival of the Outsiders, over the course of a year, the Blight increased the rate at which it fed upon energy, grew, and spread. Some scholars have described it as a kind of Blight Pulse (using the scientific meaning of Pulse), wherein Festerfonts suddenly became much more efficient at tapping into and managing energy.

Emancipation: Without warning Blightbeasts began to behave differently, straying beyond the borders of their Festerfonts and attacking any they encountered. This made many Festerfonts more vulnerable. The Blight Seekers Guild took action and destroyed as many as they could all across the planet, but it was not enough to outweigh the threat of the rampaging Blightbeasts.

Proliferation: Blightbeasts became fertile, feeding not just to kill, but to acquire nutrients and spawn more Blightbeasts. Blightbeasts each reproduce differently, some developing gendered variants unlike those found in nature to date. Once an individual, pair, or group has engaged in reproduction, they no longer leave behind a Blightseed upon their death. Instead, the Blightseed produced by the (more dangerous) children is much more potent. This can continue for many generations of breeding, until the Blightseeds produced by these “Latestage Malevolents” become highly sought after.

[????] World Shift: After a critical stage of Blight infestation, humans discover a way to move to another planet like theirs with Blight Magic. This has never been down before, but the decision is made to make the journey after it becomes clear that death is all that remains on the current planet.

Notes: Once the Blight evolves, there are leylines crisscrossing the planet's crust where it is safe. Civilization changes to survive along these intersecting paths. Then, the Blight dives into the Darksprawl to try and fine the source of the leylines and cut them off.