Shade-Marks
Transmission & Vectors
Shade-marks are acquired when one is wounded at the hands of a Tenebrae. On rare occasions, the Tenebrae will wound to Mark, rather than kill, but the difference only shows later, when the wound heals normally the scar becomes a vibrant purple.
Causes
The Shade-Marks are a curse that are intended to keep the population of Byvarhan vigilant for those touched by the Corrupted. Much like Tenebrae, who are supposed to represent the highly mutated spawn of the Prima Materia; the Shade-Marks are to keep the population wary of the early stages of Corruption, where the infection can spread by those still wearing a more human mask.
Symptoms
The Mark starts smalls, always appearing from the wound that carries the curse as a purple discoloration. The mark first spreads to form basic lines, but it eventually forming words in the Byvarhan scripts that warn against approaching the afflicted. The Marked cannot hide their condition once the warning has grown words, as the Marks will glow to show through fabric.
Treatment
Only at the Temples of Forgiveness in the center of Byvarhan can purge the curse the fuels the discoloration and numbness. The Temple has access to the rituals and healers ready and able to reverse the changes caused by the curse.
Prognosis
Every inch of skin the Mark touches becomes numb to the touch. After 15 months, the numbness begins to extend beneath the skin to affect the muscles and bones, causing disorientation and difficulty moving. If the Mark isn't purged in 3 years, the body essentially becomes paralyzed, and the afflicted dies soon after from suffocation.
Affected Groups
The Shade-Mark can be passed to anyone that the Tenebrae think have a reasonable chance to reach the Temple at the center of Byvarhan. Most Tenebrae doesn't consciously know how they make the determination, but anyone as young as 12 to as old as 60 has been chosen to make the journey, the average age is 24. Half of those Marked succumb to the curse or die in another way before making it to the temple.
Hosts & Carriers
Humans are the species capable of hosting the Mark, as it's a divine curse that the Tenebrae are designed to spread.
Epidemiology
The Marks are incapable of spreading outside of the touch of a Tenebrae, but the Shade-Mark's warning causes many to think it can spread by touch or proximity
History
The Shade-Mark has existed just as long as the Tenebrae on Byhavarn.
Cultural Reception
The Shade-Marked are hated and feared on Byvarhan. Some see them as collaborators with Tenebrae, out to steal children and sacrifice them to their dark masters. In truth, there are as many stories of the Shade-Marked many evil plans as there are Marked, with each settlement having its own folklore and tall tales.
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