[Lore] The Curse Of Flesh

[Swgrclan 2635]

The Curse of Flesh

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLBybw-IJ5U

There lies many ill ailments that exist in the world of Anthos and it’s predecessors; diseases, illnesses, cancers alike -- but some are worse than others, and many had learnt the worst are the ones that spread the quickest. However… it is not mere biological diseases that had touched the world with weakness and dismay. There are curses that exist amongst the masses; afflictions of ill intention that are not exactly considered as natural as diseases. They do not stick to one’s flesh and blood -- they cling to your soul. Whether they come about a deity or are the malignant creation of Man, they have been pests -- ones that cannot often be erasable, and there has been four that had left behind by one so his evil can be done beyond his defeat.

Iblees was powerful, once; it was in it’s prime when he revolted from the Aengulic and Daemonic councils to reap the mortals of their souls and their life essence. He sought to spread agony, and he sowed much of it, whether it was by his own hand or the hand of his dark children. So quick was he, before his first fall, to cast the four burdens upon the children of Malin, Krug, Horen and Urguan, and when his return came, he once again cursed them with the fate of the damned, for his plan to destroy the mortal race was all but unstoppable. But the curse faded, for the Wandering Wizard had lured the masses into another world -- one he could not reach when the final days of Aegis came.

But there was another curse that came about without his notice, without the notice of nigh-all and his children. He waged war with the Aengul of Souls - Aerial. He took hold of the stream of souls that kept the dead alive, and.. changed it, without the notice of even himself and the stream’s patron. This curse had shown, even without intention, the touch of the Fallen One tainted all. For those that had discovered the curse itself headfirst, their experience was horrifying -- they had become what they fought against. They bore the face of their enemy. Their blood did not run, but they still breathed. When they died and their soul drifted back to the warm embrace of Aerial’s monks, they did not bear living flesh; only that of a dead man’s.

 

“You believe you may simply banish me from this plane and that my taint shall not last? I have touched this world with evil and it shall forever be part of the souls that inhabit it.”

They were… hollow. Husks of their former selves -- yet, they lived. They had not gone insane. They could still feel; feel the breath of their lungs, and the shadow of a heartbeat in their chest. They were unaware how this… plague, this burden had took them even after their re-upbringing by the hand of the Aegisian Monks, yet, then again, they never remembered what led to their demise prior their revival. It was always the flash of lightning or the hurl the tainted flame that had felled these poor souls, those cursed with dead flesh. It was always the doing of the damned that caused these unfortunate souls to endure this wretched fate. Iblees had only unintentionally left his mark upon the stream of souls, it only took his avatars to unlock what he left for those that fell into their rotted grasp. By dying by the hand of the Undead Necromancers, the peoples of Aegis were afflicted with a terrifying curse that not only rendered them undead like their enemy, but kept them alive as shells of themselves. Hollowed. Husked. They were nothing and everything now, and bearing the identities of the Necromancers, they would be shunned.

So, those who had contracted this horrible curse fled to the wilds where, overtime and through the years, they had gone insane; and so many of them had fled, so many people that had been taken prior to their revival. Without a cure to their curse available, or anyone willing to cure them, those afflicted with the Curse of Flesh deteriorated into mere savages and mindless monsters. No one understood why so many corpses walked the earth while Aegis was still clinging to life; perhaps it was better they did not know, for the mind of frightened mortals would dwindle the lives of their own faster than the Undead themselves; the sin of betrayal comes quick when the masses learn of such curses. Fear leads to death when it grips so many.

But even as the four races fled their homes into the next, the curse seemed to remain. The walking dead still roamed the earth. It seemed that, even when the Triumvirate had adopted the stream of souls as to relieve Aerial of the duty to raise the fallen up and grant them life anew, Iblees’ touch had remained and the panicked and fearful fled to the wilds for their safety, knowing they would never be accepted again for the darkness that had taken them. For lands and beyond, the curse kept close; discreet and unknown, for those that managed to find out past it’s obscurity knew naught of what could fix it.

But Anthos had brought about an era not of peace, but of progression. The Clerics of Taharie had surfaced after their long  journey to establish themselves and made names for themselves, showing the power they bore. While they were incapable of removing the curse from the stream of souls that kept the masses alive, they were capable of breaking the limbo of those stricken with the Curse of Flesh and ushering them back into life. Even with the shadow of the Black Wyrm’s wings looming over the land like an omen, the land and it’s inhabitants were assured that should such a dire fate befall them, it took but a journey to the Clerical Order to remove their illness.

But perhaps the curse bore deeper meaning despite acting as a mistake. Perhaps it offered a lesson -- cling to the lives of yourself, your friend and even your enemy. Fell them so quickly, and you bring about the face of a threat long-passed.

Overview of the Curse

The Curse of Flesh is an (optional) addition to the current revival system that offers consequences to death, whether it was delivered by another or by someone’s own hand, intentional or not. While the curse’s effects do not benefit the victim, it gives them more character -- a purpose that could lead their development, something that could be seen as a benefit in itself. Additionally, the curse acts as an explanation to all of the undead-related mobs that dwell on the map; explaining they are people that went insane after having been stricken with the curse and could not find a cure.

Contrary to implications that the curse can give, the Curse of Flesh does not truly make someone undead in a sense where mortality has not escaped them -- completely. All of the Afflicted are capable of dying as easily as could in life. From wounds to even illnesses, people who have been cursed with this “undeath” are in no circumstances any more immortal than any other living beings. This is why it could be considered such a horrible fate to endure when one focuses on what other weaknesses come into play once they contract this curse. The following misfortunates are what would settle over a Cursed’s being once they had been revived into their limboed form;

Complete Sterility

Waning Mental Stability (dependant on the character)

Probable Societal Shunning

Higher Weakness to Offensive Holy Magic (healing excluded)

And several more, depending on how one would like to structure their cursed character. However, it must be understood that those who had been afflicted with this curse are not to be considered “tainted” or “malignant” undead. This means that since their limbo is unnatural and allows them to be harmed by Clerical and other related holy magic, that they would not be completely stripped of it like they would when becoming a Lich or other evil-based creature of the grave. Being cursed is more like a state of being; meaning if a Druid or Cleric had suddenly turned into one of these semi-undead, they would not lose their powers because their fate was not chosen by them, nor would it truly affect their connection to their chosen deity since the curse would not shape them into a truly dark-minded being.

The Afflicted are still mortals and their holy power, let alone arcane power, would not be stripped of them because they had been cursed with an omen that would lead them to a state of insanity if they would not get themselves healed -- which, should this state arrive, would be the time that whatever connection they bore to any god would be broken as they had become a feral, flesh-eating creature just like the rest of them that roam the numerous lands that the masses inhabit.

Periods of the Curse

There are four known “periods” of the Curse of Flesh that reflect upon the state of the individual that had been cursed. They are listed below as followed:

Period of Change

The Period of Change is considered the starting point of the Curse of Flesh, where the Afflicted first endure their changes. While they are not completely prominent, they are noticeable -- pale graying skin, distant and faded eyes, cold flesh and veins that bear no pulse. The Afflicted thus far feel the same as they had in life; akin to a mockery, a shell of what they were. All the while, those enduring the Period of Change feel the constant sensation of… dissatisfaction. The urge to garner a purpose and to set their mind to it is greater than it ever was before, even in life; to the point where straying from the path of purpose would seem to make those who are cursed feel empty and dejective.

Period of Waning

The Period of Waning comes when an Afflicted as both neither had themselves cured of their curse and have not actively focused on a goal. The repercussions of not chasing a purpose lashes out at them and, no matter how valorous or proud they could make themselves up to be, the whispers of weakness would linger their beings; not in their muscles and limbs, but in their mind. This period brings about little physical changes; at most, those in the latter state of the Period of Waning have become more like a corpse and less like an incredibly sickly individual.

Period of Descent

The Period of Descent is where true change comes about. Likely plagued by the shunning of their mortal kin, the Afflicted, or “Descended” when in this state, and by the gripping pain of doubt and depression, those accursed with the Period of Descent have neared the darkness that would gradually take them when they reached the next state. The Period of Descent is the final point of return, for the one that follows is the one that all Afflicted or Descended fear.

This period is one where the stability of the the Afflicted are at it’s very depths; upon the brink of insanity with no purpose or cure to ease their mind. Their bodies, additionally, have been subjected to a greater state of change -- while their flesh appears to be rotted and falling apart, the Curse of Flesh has not allowed this deterioration to diminish how much they are capable of feeling; they are burdened with agony, and when stricken with it the pain is real and alive. Not only would a Descended be physically weakened, depending on the person who had been cursed, but they would be mentally distant as well, for they near the brink of oblivion and the point of no return.

Period of Desolation

The Period of Desolation is what brings about the plague of walking dead that touches every world that the mortal masses inhabit. It is like a lesson that no one learns from -- to base the land off territories and wat and to let man fend for himself in individual numbers means to leave them to a darkness that swallows all and takes the shape of dead men walking. Without purpose, there is no strive. Without strive, there are only the desolated; and there are so many, so many that have walked the soils of Aegis and beyond. The Period of Desolation is when the Afflicted pass over the edge of stability and become true monsters; weakness of the mind has taken them, and it has formed them into mere feral beasts that only seek to express their rage through slaying man and rending his flesh. Even in this state, the work of a Cleric would only do to pain them further; even Taharie’s touch cannot cleanse these creatures of their agony and rage.

The bodies of the Desolated are utterly decimated and deteriorated; the very skin that clung to their flesh had fallen away and revealed blackened muscle beneath and even bone. It is often the Desolated roam the lands aimlessly with whatever they had adorned before their turn still intact; meaning that if a roaming knight of plate and sharpened steel had succumbed to decay and madness, it would not bode well for those that would find him.

It would take roughly fifty to eighty years in total to reach this final period and feral state of being from the point of the Period of Change to the Period of Desolation.

Curse Guidelines

- The Curse of Flesh is an optional but encouraged trait to adopt when death takes someone’s character in a legitimate manner, whether it be from PvP in a large-scale siege or an RP battle in the form of a duel to the death. Because of this, the curse cannot be forced on anyone unless it becomes apart of the server’s death system (which is a doubtful possibility).

- Because the curse is optional and is something that comes “naturally”, it cannot be forced onto anyone nor can it be created and spread to people via the use of magical or alchemical mediums like Necromancy or similar alchemical concoctions.

- The curse does not make someone immortal. There are no benefits to the curse beyond it being something that may prolong a human’s lifetime by fifty to eighty years on behalf of the limboed state they were cast into -- but even then, death by age could easily considered a better fate than what the curse brings. The curse and all of it’s periodical changes do not make someone immune to pain, physical trauma and even death - which, in some cases, can speed up the process of descending along the periods. At most, an Afflicted who endures the Period of Descent can feel dulled pain, but only that at most.

- The Afflicted who had turned by the Period of Desolation is essentially a zombie, so it would either need approval from a moderator / Lore Master to play outside of event circumstances.

- Clerics can still utilize their magic as an Afflicted, but only if they stay on the path their deity designated for them. However, much like a pyromancer's flame can scorch their own hands, an Afflicted Cleric must be careful when handling their holy magic - should it be offensive. It must also be noted that self-healing is not possible in a way where it would be too taxing for the individual healing themselves, only urging them further to seek out those that can cleanse them of the curse like an Ascended of Cleric.

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Comments and feedback are appreciated.

[Moot 1715]

I love it. I know this doesn't replace anything, and is simply an addition; but I can't help feel this is a way better system then the Monks.

+1 from me.

[E__V__O 1984]

I liked reading this lore, although I have a few qwirks with it, I will re-read later to see if I still think qwirks are still in so it is a +1 from me, to enhance role play! :D.

-

Though I would like to state that, monk magic isn't a form of holy magic. With this stated are they able to affiliate to remove the curse? Also this is a question, not a rant~ Kala try to not point out something that isn't apart of the conversation such as

 

 

ut I can't help feel this is a way better system then the Monks.

+1 from me.

 

 

Other than that, I still keep my +1.

[Swgrclan 2635]

I liked reading this lore, although I have a few qwirks with it, I will re-read later to see if I still think qwirks are still in so it is a +1 from me, to enhance role play! :D.

-

Though I would like to state that, monk magic isn't a form of holy magic. With this stated are they able to affiliate to remove the curse? Also this is a question, not a rant~ Kala try to not point out something that isn't apart of the conversation such as

 

 

Other than that, I still keep my +1.

 

The Monks would be incapable of removing the curse, only bringing the individual back to life with the chance of it attaching to them. If curing the curse that quickly was the case, it would not be as big of a deal as this post implies it would.

[Agith 224]

The lore is pretty damn well written, kudos to you for not only explaining our current mindless undead. But also creating prospective great roleplay. 

 

However I am curious, these people still eat like normal people as well? Or is their appetite made to a different standard now?

[E__V__O 1984]

If I could ask, why the monks would be unable to remove the curse?  They work with the soul, not the body itself? Does the curse work with said soul?.

 

Also if said person with the curse would be touched by the healing stream/mist of the monks, would something different occur?

 

Edit: Would you prefer to speak of this in a private discussion if some aspects are given?

[Swgrclan 2635]

If I could ask, why the monks would be unable to remove the curse?  They work with the soul, not the body itself? Does the curse work with said soul?.

 

Also if said person with the curse would be touched by the healing stream/mist of the monks, would something different occur?

 

Edit: Would you prefer to speak of this in a private discussion if some aspects are given?

 

The monks would be able to heal the rot and decay the curse brings, but that would only subdue the curse's effects. The Clerics and Ascended would be able to remove it's taint and heal it completely.

 

The lore is pretty damn well written, kudos to you for not only explaining our current mindless undead. But also creating prospective great roleplay. 

 

However I am curious, these people still eat like normal people as well? Or is their appetite made to a different standard now?

 

 

Their body is in a state of pause, or limbo, so they would not realistically require sustenance like food to survive.

[Lago 2569]

So does this arise from the monk healing going wrong then? Kind of like organ rejection but with the whole body?

[E__V__O 1984]

I am confused now, though I still keep my +1 out here.

 

The monks heal the body by the souls-image, returning to the state of them being perfectly fine, perhaps even before the curse even comes across. That being an under-statement, what is meant by "Aerials" monks?. 

-

Clerical and Ascended arise from the magic given by a patron, as what do the monks have~ though monks have no possible way of healing? I am confused on the factor. Sorry if it is clouding up the topic.

[Swgrclan 2635]

So does this arise from the monk healing going wrong then? Kind of like organ rejection but with the whole body?

 

It could be perceived as that. I think the best way the explain it would be as a sporadic affliction that has a chance of popping up whether or not a Monk had messed the ritual of revival up deep down in the temple chambers.

 

"It seemed that, even when the Triumvirate had adopted the stream of souls as to relieve Aerial of the duty to raise the fallen up and grant them life anew, Iblees’ touch had remained and the panicked and fearful fled to the wilds for their safety, knowing they would never be accepted again for the darkness that had taken them."

 

 

It could be considered a taint that only Clerics can remove, as a Clerics' magic operates in a way where it's supposed to remove these kinds of dark things.

 

I am confused now, though I still keep my +1 out here.

 

The monks heal the body by the souls-image, returning to the state of them being perfectly fine, perhaps even before the curse even comes across. That being an under-statement, what is meant by "Aerials" monks?. 

-

Clerical and Ascended arise from the magic given by a patron, as what do the monks have~ though monks have no possible way of healing? I am confused on the factor. Sorry if it is clouding up the topic.

 

 

The monks create the body by the souls' image, but the curse is sporadic, or random, in a way where it is not initially expected and can be easily overlooked because of this. Unless Monks are also given the taint-removing powers of Clerics, Druids and Ascended, they would be incapable of removing the curse. At most, like I said before, they could slow the deteriorative speed of the Afflicted's designated period but not remove the curse as a whole.

This is to assure that the curse itself actually has meaning and is just not another ailment that can't be knicked away right off the bat -- in simpler terms, it's something one must work for to remove.

[excited 10834]

Enjoyable read, I got goose bumps! +1