Avarice

Commonly known as the Emerald Curse among members of the public, avarice remains an endemic problem in the high places of the erinindal city of Kassar despite the best efforts of public officials appointed by the Dominion to deal with the city's mental health crisis. Just this week, Lady Rwnna of House Lledyr was put under close observation after the household cook, along with other members of the household, reported that she had directed them to conclude the purchase of a bejeweled necklace and a pair of earrings appraised at thirty thousand rasi, despite an ongoing moratorium on the trade of high-value items.   Walking along the upper district of Kassar, it is difficult to imagine that the quiet streets and empty high-end shopfronts, were quite lively and bustling a few short months ago. In fact many of the owners of these now-empty establishments were unaware as to how bad the avarice problem was in their community until an investigation launched by the Dominion unearthed centuries of systemic corruption, greed, incompetence, and exploitation in the government, church, and aristocracy of Kassar.   "I started my business in the upper district because I knew a lot of people up here had a lot of money to spend, 'cos they were all born into rich families. I guess I always sorta knew that they were doing something fishy to get all that money, after all I got cheated a couple of times myself. I just chalked it up to the cost of doing business, y'know? And I thought it was just normal for nobles to want to wring the little guy for every last rasi. I never would have thought it was this bad. Now that I've got some perspective, and I know that it doesn't have to be this way, I can't help but feel I've been hoodwinked. There's some twisted people in this world, and I'm just glad the Dominion's here to sort things out, now," said Nedric Wylldbrwn, a local who runs a small jeweller's workshop in the upper district.   The Dominion's therapists are hard at work in treating the individuals afflicted with avarice in Kassar's government, church, and aristocracy, but are continuing to see a lot of pushback and resistance from their patients who claim that there is nothing wrong with them, and that it is perfectly reasonable to seek to make the most possible profit out of a given venture. For those who are familiar with the Emerald Curse, however, assertions such as these are the mark of an advanced form of the affliction which usually means that it will take a lot of time and effort to rehabilitate those individuals.   Avarice took root so deeply in Kassar that it infected the church, the state, and the nobility for many years before the true extent of the problem was revealed, proving yet again that it is one of the most insidious forms of mental illness that is capable of gripping an entire community. If you or your loved ones suspect that there is an avarice problem in your community, it is best to advise the Dominion as to your concerns. Even if the investigation does not turn up any indications that your community is suffering from avarice, it is better to take the precautionary step as left unchecked, avarice can make the very institutions you rely on for survival crumble before your eyes.
— The Colonial
  Avarice, RylkhetĂ« in Tretalleri, is considered by the Dominion as one of the most dangerous afflictions of the mind that requires careful attention and treatment. Avarice is typically characterized as profit-seeking or wealth-seeking at the expense of personal accountability, empathy, and ethics. Left untreated, avarice leaves no outward signs of harm on the afflicted, to say nothing of the incredible amounts of damage that it can do to the greater community beyond the afflicted.   Individuals who suffer from avarice develop a dependence on the rush received as a result of accruing wealth and develop a problematic inability to think on the long-term, often rendering them incapable of making decisions not tied to immediate short-term profit. As the illness disproportionately affects the privileged and those in positions of power, avarice has the ability to cause a catastrophic decline in living conditions, life satisfaction, and governmental competence in communities that are burdened by the yoke of this terrible affliction.
Type
Mental

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