The Plague of the Accursed

“Since our inception, it has been the disbeliever’s prerogative to strive against nature. They have chased away the darkness and brought even the mightiest of mountains to heel. These were not taken—given—and held in a primordial balance the gods intended them to maintain. They would not maintain it. Whether by greed, avarice, or sin, they found themselves uncontent with their position. They challenged the natural order. The natural order responded in kind. Where once men were born, something more wicked. Born were the accursed ones.”

  — ‘Herr Affliction’, an Official Herald under the Temple of Pyril

Accursed, or curses*, are maligned conditions brought on by mystical forces. They, unlike diseases, are not bound by natural protections, knowing no injury through cleanliness or charity. With one understood, it does not bring further clarity, as each is as different as they often are deadly. The only consistency they share aside from their mystical origins is that they affect only sapient beings, frequently suggesting a distinct disconnect from the natural world. 

Since the discovery of Cultist magic, all that was once known of curses has been shrouded. What remained with House Cassen perished alongside them, leaving us to pick up the pieces. While much of the accursed realm remains a mystery, we have gleaned the following:

* Cursed individuals cannot have multiple curses at the same time.

Higher Curses

  Denote conditions that significantly alter the form and/or behavior of the victim. These represent the most well-known — yet still misunderstood — curses, but are also far more dangerous to the common man. Any respectable bounty hunter should consult the following charters:

• Undead

• Vampirism

• Lycanthropy

• Shaykhu
  
  

Lower Curses

Are those whose effects are minimal, albeit still noticeable. Victims of these conditions are more readily regarded as debilitated than as monstrous — although certain institutions like the Pyril Temple make no distinction between the two. Apothecaries and doctors should study the associated charters to acquire a greater understanding:

• Wyldness

• Death-touched