Grip of the Scourge

The condition gripped select denizens of Pont du Vivre as last I saw it in Eravlicht. Victims—beset by a mindlessness that had set in even prior to their transformation into undead—blocked multiple streets. Eyes sunken, turned white. Jaws unhinged. Their skin pale, decaying, yet their bodies were infused with a monstrous strength and endurance. This ungodsly stamina allowed them to ceaselessly attempt at breaking down the barriers to buildings forged by blockading survivors. Though less obvious, especially for the inexperienced, I noted the presence of an aura emanating from each creature. Some may describe it as a rot, putrid, and necrotic...death, but I had long since known it to even be beyond. For them, utterly gripped by this ancient evil, there was no hope nor salvation. The Scourge are creatures of utter despair. Their souls, forfeit.

— Colonel Firon Gael'toryn of the Order of Avalon, 3468 3E

The Grip of the Scourge is a condition ascribed to all creatures categorized as part of the Scourge, though it typically applies to afflicted humanoids. The condition has been most prominent on the continent of Varia, where it surfaced during the First Era and subsequently caused the outbreak of the War of the Scourge. While the Grip of the Scourge had not been completely eradicated, the condition had lost prominence during the Second Era, but in the Third Era, the return of unexpected outbreaks of the Scourge every several centuries pushed it forward to the forefront of Varian affairs.

Transmission & Vectors

Throughout history, users of dark and forbidden powers have also been able to manipulate magic to turn creatures into Scourge. However, full-fledged Scourge, from humanoids to undead and monstrosities, can cause other creatures to be afflicted by the Grip of the Scourge through bodily contacts, such as through wounds or extended proximity with such monsters.

History

The magical condition which created the first Scourge appeared in the waning years of the First Era. The rise of the incurable and irreversible monsters that became known as the Scourge served as the main cause for the fall of the ancient Varian civilizations, a series of events which brought an end to the First Era and plunged the continent into the War of the Scourge. The war lasted for a nondescript amount of time, though scholars typically date it as lasting for at least three centuries. The Grip of the Scourge gradually spread throughout Varia, plunging civilizations into broken societies of mindless monsters, while surviving peoples fended for themselves through a mixture of fate, luck, and protective magicks. The rise of King Avalon of Avon and the Varian Coalition eventually brought the Scourge to a controllable state later managed by the Order of Avalon.

In the Second Era, the time following the War of the Scourge, the Order of Avalon managed pockets of Varia where the Scourge and its Grip surfaced, and over hundreds of years, the holy order managed to reduce occurrences to the point that the Scourge had nearly left the present mind of most Varians. However, the rise of the warring states and the ushering of the Third Era coincided with the return of the Scourge in different parts of Varia. While the Order of Avalon maintained its ability to handle outbreaks, its sporadic return and confirmed outbreaks over the millennia have occasionally brought the Scourge to the forefront of the continent's many conflicts. Since 3000 3E, Varian scholars, from historians to theologists, have noticed an increase in the Grip of the Scourge's occurrence through pockets of Varia's populations.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare