Fogblight

The Madness of the Mist

Written by David_Ulph

Causes

The cause of the Fogblight is just any contact with the fog of the Mistwall. Spending any length of time will allow one of the symptoms of the illness to begin its development. For children born in the communities found within the region, the symptoms of the illness only appear to show after puberty.

Symptoms

Symptoms vary extremely from person to person. Sometimes, victims will develop multiple symptoms over time.

Madness

Victims will develop sudden mood swings, becoming suddenly violent or depressed. Slowly over time, their mental perception of the world deteriorates and twists. Victims feel their joints ache with fictional arthritis, their hands go cold against the fire, their hearing is muffled and food goes bland. As the effects develop slower than the rest, others view the victims of madness as just going insane and so the victims end up isolated and bitter.

In the final stages of illness, the victim will suffer true hallucinations and voices, ultimately leading to suicide.

Sadism

Victims will develop piercing headaches which can result in bleeding from the nose or ear if left long enough. The victim will find that inflicting pain and killing another living being will temporarily ease the pain and will feel as alive as ever. When the headaches come back after an hour or so, they will be joined by the hallucinated voices of those they have killed. As the victim kills more to ease the pain, the period of relief becomes shorter, and the voices drown out all else. However, as the period of relief gets shorter, the feelings of warmth and ecstasy intensifies, seeing vibrant colours and sensations in everything. The victim will usually become addicted to this feeling.

The final stages of the illness can come in two ways. The first is when the victim can see the mental damage that is happening to them and will attempt to outlast the pain. This will result in death of bloodloss. The second is when the illness takes over the victim's mind completely, leaving them in a crazed killing frenzy until someone else finally kills them.

Paranoia

Victims will develop seeing illusions and shadows creeping up in the corners of their vision. The victim will start seeing these sporadically and unexpectedly. As time goes on, shadows will start to be seen behind windows or closed doors, creaking noises heard in empty houses, and the victim will imagine others around them doing strange movements and gestures.

In the final stages of illness, the victim will start smelling rot and blood, gnawing and scratching noises are heard behind every wall and door, and they will become insane and cast out by the community or worse. Usually, the victim will be driven to suicide or isolation.

Kleptomania

Victims will develop a sense of fascination in inanimate objects. Specific objects will appear inviting to the victim's eyes, becoming vibrant, perfumed, and enticing. These objects will never belong to the victim. As the illness develops, the fascination becomes more unhealthy. The victim will force themselves to steal the object and obsess over them, as they appear to be the only thing of beauty and peace in such gloom as the Mistwall. As it develops further, the stolen objects lose their initial appeal and a new object will catch the victim's eyes.

In the final stages of the illness, the victim's fascination and obsession will transfer on to more than minor trinkets; jewels, clothes and even livestock or people will be stolen by the victim. The constant stealing can cause strife, isolation and violence within a community, or later a paranoia that others will steal their own collection.

Treatment

The only true cure for the illnesses of Fogblight to stop developing is for the victim to somehow escape the Mistwall. Even still, while they will feel the weight of relief, the mental damage will scar their soul, causing temporary lapses into their developed madness.

Prevention

There are some individuals and beings that can prevent gaining the Fogblight when travelling through the Mistwall. As the creators of the Mistwall and most likely the illness itself, the lieutenants and loyal subjects of the Golden King, as well as his highness himself, could pass through the region untouched. It is also believed that any other being that is within the vicinity of a Golden Artefact will remain untouched.

Some people however, are immune to the illness. There is no rhyme or reason as to why these lucky individuals are immune. Naturally these people will end up being the leaders of communities.

Type

Mental

Origin

Magical

Rarity

Common