The Blight

The Blight: A Whispered Curse

Little is understood about the creeping malevolence known only as "The Blight." It is not a disease in the traditional sense, nor a curse spoken of in ancient tomes, but something darker—something alive. It is whispered to be older than recorded history, predating the gods themselves, and its arrival is heralded by despair and decay.

Signs of its influence appear first in the land—lush forests reduced to twisted, withered husks; fertile soil turned black and unyielding. Wildlife flees or succumbs, leaving behind hollow-eyed beasts, their bodies distorted by an unseen hand. The air becomes heavy, suffused with a fetid, unnatural stench. Those who linger in such places often fall ill, but what happens to them after is not easily spoken of.

Among the afflicted, rumors abound: veins blackened like tar, limbs gnarled as if aged centuries overnight, and eyes devoid of light or life. The few who have survived close encounters speak of whispers, faint but constant, beckoning the mind toward madness. It is said that those touched by the Blight hear their own voices pleading for release, yet their lips remain still.

No one knows where it came from, nor why it spreads. Some claim it is the punishment of forgotten gods, their wrath unbound. Others believe it is the work of mortal folly, the unearthing of something that should have stayed buried. Still, a more sinister theory suggests the Blight is sentient, a force that seeks not just to destroy, but to corrupt and claim.

Efforts to combat the Blight have proven futile. Fire cleanses the surface, but the corruption always returns. Magical wards falter, their energy drained as though the Blight hungers for power. Even divine intervention seems to have no effect, with clerics left shaken as prayers go unanswered.

Scholars who have dared study it whisper of a connection to ancient relics or forbidden places, but their findings are sparse and fragmented. Perhaps the most chilling thought is that the Blight is not simply spreading—it is searching. For what, no one can say, but the unease in the hearts of all who speak of it is unmistakable.

And so, the Blight remains a shadow over the land, a creeping, insidious force that defies understanding. Towns are abandoned at the first sign of its presence, and the brave who venture into its grasp often do not return. Those who do are changed, haunted by what they saw—and what they heard.

See Blight Wolves.