The Wild Touch

An old proverb states that the more one fears the darkness, the more names it has, and that is certainly true for the transformations wrought by the touch of the Wildlands' wild magic. Most people of The White City prefer not to speak of it at all, and to pretend that the Wildlanders were not once the same as them. When they do find themselves having to acknowledge that reality, it is most commonly spoken of as someone having been touched, twisted, grabbed, or taken by the Wildlands. The latter is especially common if the afflicted person does not have family or friends within the City who maintain regular contact, or have changed their name after the Wildlands changed them - the person they were is, at that point, effectively gone.

Causes

Simply put, the condition is a possible result of exposure to the turbulent magic flows of the Wildlands. What level of exposure is required for visible or otherwise detectable changes to occur seems somewhat individual, though generally speaking ingestion of anything obtained in the Wildlands, including water from its streams, will increase the chances of transformation, as will receiving deep enough scratches or bites from its denizens to break the skin. As the distribution of magic throughout the Wildlands isn't uniform, what areas one spends time in will also factor into whether one develops changes.

Symptoms

In the typical case, prolonged exposure to the magic of the Wildlands will result in physical changes to an individual's body, coming on gradually, as a rapid twisting of their natural form, or anything in between, in part depending on how high the dose they were exposed to. The exact nature of the transformation varies greatly, from the relatively benign and subtle such as shifting senses, to the extremely obvious such as growing extra body parts or having existing body parts twist into new forms.

Treatment

The transformations wrought by the magic of the Wildlands, once incurred, are irreversible. Due to the variety in expression of the condition, measures taken to address specific changes will be highly individual and depend largely on the individual's own attitude towards the changes they've undergone. Some will opt to try to mask their transformation as much as they can by seeking often risky procedures such as amputation of extra body parts, along with changing the way they dress to better hide their altered features. Others will simply opt to reduce any risk their condition might pose to others, or to embrace their new form and continue venturing into the Wildlands in search of lucrative natural resources.
It is possible that some portion of transformations could be wholly or partially reversed by expert mages in exotic locations, but there are no recorded cases of a Wildlander seeking such treatment.

Prognosis

The only viable alternative for most Wildlanders is to learn to live with the changes to their bodies, one way or another. It does seem that as the condition progresses through continued exposure to the Wildlands' magic, the more resilient the Wildlander becomes to high concentrations of magic - what would kill a previously unafflicted person in short order through rapid transformation incompatible with life may be survivable to a person who has already been changed a great amount.

Prevention

The easiest way to avoid being transformed by the Wildlands is, simply, to refrain from venturing out into the forest at all. Should that not be an option, exposure to its magic can be limited by bringing uncontaminated food and water in Whitestone-lined containers, and, if possible, to wear gear with ample Whitestone beads or plates affixed, preferably by an expert who can assure there are minimal gaps in its protection.

History

The first recorded cases, relatively mild by contemporary standards, occurred a few decades after the White Wall was erected. The first changes were observed in animals and plant life, but were not initially thought to be anything worth any more concern than the congenital defects naturally occurring in livestock populations. The first known persons to change were trappers, foragers, and hunters; people whose professions saw them frequently venturing into the forest for extended periods and consuming its fare.
Once it was realized that the changes were the direct result of exposure to magic, they were used as an example to the City's denizen of how dangerous it really was, cementing the City's status as a magic-free zone.

Cultural Reception

While travelers from afar may view Wildlanders with indifference towards their affliction or even curiosity, in the City that was once the home of nearly all of them, they are seen as other and viewed with revulsion, mistrust, fear, or a mix of all three. Touched by magic, they are no longer permitted entry into the City, and there are factions inside the Wall that would rather see them driven away from the austere, ramshackle shacks outside the Wall where most of them make their homes. Other factions would rather not do without the luxury goods brought in from the Wildlands and purged of magic, and pragmatically tolerate the presence of the Wildlanders outside the City as the source of these items - as long as the transformed woodsmen remain out of sight.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired