Elder Curse
Though civilized and city-building folk have taken over most parts of the world, there still exist places where more primal powers hold sway. And although the orders of man can overpower the spirits of nature, man alone is little compared to an ancient wildland fae. It is likewise with demons of the borderworld, who rarely can push their way into the prime. Though too few to challenge the orders of civilized folk most of the time, they can leave their mark on individuals.
An Elder Curse is a legacy of an otherworldly being affecting your bloodline in some way. From being infused with the blood of fiends to lycantrophy and other maladies, the elder curse is carried across the generations. Although it might suppress itself for a time or skip a generation, elder curses never quite go away, at least not without the aid of powerful magic.
Curses
Elder curses vary wildly, but most are not actually deleterious to the survival of the one who bears it, at least not directly. Usually, they transform the cursed unfortunate in some way, making them appear monstrous to their peers. It is claimed lycantrophy arises from an elder curse, the vengeance of a wronged wildland fae. Curses might also affect the bearer after death, as some demonic curses are known to cause the subject to rise up to torment the living after passing.
Curses are difficult to reverse. Driving away the touch of an elder power is a feat few are capable of, and many those who carry an elder curse do not know what it is. Powerful rituals of exorcism are required to excise the curse, but this is considered less reliable than finding the creature that originally laid down the curse and bargaining with it. However, this has its own risks.
Causes
The carrier of an elder curse likely received it from an ancestor. That ancestor either angered or bargained with an elder power, and either accepted a curse for some service or had one thrust upon them in retaliation for some affront. Some might even have sought out the curse, as while many make the bearer monstrous, they can also grant power.
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