Content warning: talk of body horror
Corruption is a type of magical condition present in
Thenia. Although it's a relatively rare disease, all fear it because of its gruesome symptoms and a large chance of either permanent disabilities or death. Perhaps even more frightening is that in some cases, there is absolutely no way to prevent it.
Kazza stared down at his forearm, and the fear that rose up in him felt like bile; in fact, he did lean over the railing and vomit. This...this couldn't be, he told himself. But the rash was unmistakable: his forearm had begun to turn black, and it was already tender to the touch. He was...Corrupted.
He was Corrupted, and he had caused it. He was Corrupted, and it was all his fault. He was Corrupted...and it was already too late. All of the nosebleeds he had had recently, as well as the anxiety; it all made sense, and he had ignored it. He had subconsciously rejected the idea of Corruption, but the signs were unmistakable now.
Kazza had played with fire, and now, that fire was going to eat him up alive.
And he had no one to blame but himself.
History
Corruption has been recorded since records have been kept, although there was a noticeable uptick in the
2500s. Because Corruption cannot be spread from person to person and cause epidemics (thankfully), famous people being affected by it are usually how it makes headlines. Most notably, a recent Premier of
Skanzia was infected (and immediately ousted in shame), as well as a royal member of the
Islan Court. Historically, the most famous cases of Corruption were the founder of the
Scholomance (who ultimately died of it), as well as one of founding members of
Ravka.
Transmission
Fortunately, Corruption cannot be infectiously spread from one person to another without
magic being involved.
Causes
There are thought to be two possible causes, depending on the infected:
Corruption Magic
For humans, the cause of Corruption is always clear: a subtype of
Dark Magic, called Corruption Magic, can be utilized to cause Corruption in a human. Magicians and witches can also be affected by Corruption Magic, although the case of Corruption will be far less acute than if it's acquired in another situation. This type of Corruption can be differentiated from the other type by the lack of rash described below.
Use of certain magic
It's said amongst
magicians and
witches that constant utilization of
Dark Magic or magic for any malicious purpose for extended periods of time can cause Corruption. However, this hasn't been absolutely proven: it's simply that if Corruption Magic hasn't been used (and another magician can tell if this is the case), then the assumption is that it was caused by the use of too much Dark or malicious magic.
To differentiate the two, sometimes the former case is called
External Corruption (as it was caused by an external force) and the latter is called
Internal Corruption (as it's thought to be caused by that person).
Symptoms
Symptoms of Corruption typically begin to occur just a short time after acquiring it, usually just a matter of a day or two. However, the time between acquisition and conclusion (whatever that may be) could be up to a year.
The physical symptoms include bleeding in the eyes, gums, and nose, high fever, vomiting, rash (black in color, very painful, and only in cases of Internal Corruption; this never occurs in External), headaches, sweating (sometimes blood; almost always in Internal), skin sloughing, and decreased organ function (this often causes internal bleeding).
The psychological symptoms include paranoia, hallucinations, anxiety, insomnia, delirium, and a debilitating feeling of constant terror. (External Corruption usually only causes anxiety and insomnia.)
If a magician or witch is infected, the magical symptoms include "disrupted" magic (i.e., magic that doesn't work properly) and the inability to use magic at all. Disrupted magic or loss of magic can be temporary or permanent.
Treatment
Corruption can be treated; however, it's imperative that it's caught
very early, otherwise, treatment becomes impossible. Once the symptoms first appear, the person has a matter of just a few days before treatment isn't an option; unfortunately, many people's symptoms aren't serious enough to seek treatment until it's too late.
Treatment includes concentrated use of
Abjuration Magic,
Potion Magic, and Healing Magic. If treatment is sought early, recovery is almost always guaranteed, but once the symptoms are present, the likeliness of survival drops to about 50%.
In
very rare cases, some magicians have been further along in the disease and have been able to utilize their own magic to aid a cure.
Prognosis
Corruption may cause death or long-term complications like permanent organ damage, chronic fatigue, joint pain, vision issues, mood and sleep disturbances, skin problems and Decay (related below). The fatality rate is about 50%, and the chance of long-term complications is about 75%.
Long-term consequences
In some cases, a horrific long-term consequence of Corruption is
Decay; this happens to about half of the survivors and is reinfection of Corruption. A case of Decay is always fatal. It's unknown if someone has caused Corruption to happen again, or if Corruption just sometimes spontaneously re-manifests.
Prevention
There is no way to prevent this disease for humans; for magicians and witches, it's important that they are careful with what type of magic they practice, and how often, to ensure they don't develop Corruption.
Cultural reception
Those that suffer from External Corruption are almost always viewed as victims worthy of pity, while those with Internal Corruption are feared and reviled, as they are viewed as having been the cause of their own demise. (Even though the cause of Internal Corruption isn't proven.)
Survivors of either Corruption are considered by some Thenians to be "unclean;" in fact, many believe that they should simply be executed to ensure that the Corruption cannot re-emerge or that someone isn't tempted to inflict it on someone else (this is based on the idea that Corruption causes Corruption of the mind as a long-term effect; most medical authorities would agree that this is false, although the negative consequences from surviving such an ordeal may cause unwanted psychological effects).
Groups affected
For the most part, only
magicians and
witches can be affected by Corruption, since it is a magical disease.
However, there are some magicians, like
Kazza Hallow, who have Corruption Magic and are capable of causing this condition through their magic. In this case, magicians, witches, and humans can be affected.
Creepy! The one question I have is how much dark magic is too much? If there's no set point, that should probably be mentioned, that it's extremely individual. Thanks for the interesting read!
Thank you so much! That's actually a great question that I should have addressed here; the amount of Dark Magic usage is only speculated as the cause. In fact, there is another cause entirely, and Dark Magic has only a little bit to do with it, so I'll add that in. Thanks for the read; I always really appreciate it!