Creatures of the BlightBlight was created by the former arch-demon
Ossus, but it had no purpose to it until Ossus used the Surge connection from
Zayl Rathman's runed necklace he lost in a fight to the creator of Blight to give it such a purpose. Now as a weave of magic the Blight is more deadly than most forms of magic. The Blight may spread like wild fire if it is not contained properly as it has in Hell and
Aeria. Vampires, Therianthropes, demons, dragons, and even the gods themselves are prone to its dark corruption. However, the influence of the Blight has been hindered since the capture of Ossus' avatar on Aeria in the
Wastes, which now act as a haven for the Blight-Casters of infamous skill. Blight offers power, immortality, and a strong community who will accept anyone into its ranks. A tempting offer for some, the only option for the many more who have fallen victim by another Blight-Caster and want to keep living.
The Blight seeps into its victim, rapidly decomposing the organic mass of any target. The only thing able to hold it back is the capabilities of such a victim. Willpower and magic may hold it off for awhile, but the Blight will never leave the body. This renders the Blight as an incurable parasite of sorts. Any surviving person with the parasite in them becomes a caster themselves after a few weeks depending on the amount of Blight inside the survivor and the survivor's race. After the weeks long period of adjusting to the Blight, the survivor's
sacred field would begin to fail to allow the Blight's integration with the Caster in order to warp and change with the Blight. Without a sacred field to protect them, the Caster relies mostly on the Blight to absorb any type of damage. Most do not survive this experience, instead becoming mindless thralls to the Blight-Caster. Animals and mortals alike are prone to lose this battle between wills.
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Blight Hunters-----------------------------------
Many factions have been created to hunt down the Blight and its creator, Ossus. By far one of the most effective and efficient are the
VIndicators, who reside on Kerodil. Using the Surge as a weapon, which the Blight is based off of, they have effectively contained the Blight in the Wastes along with other factions. The
Pychekan Commisariat is the second, but more infamous in their methods to eliminate any Blight-Casters or anyone that is accused of being a dark creature. They operate out of the Pychekan military for
Pycheko while the Vindicators have their own rule.
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Vampires-----------------------------------
Vampires, though resistant to magic, are still prone to the effects of Blight. Though they have no blood circulation, Blight may travel on its own to encompass the whole body of even an elder vampire who has lived for centuries. Blighted vampires are less susceptible to become one of the mindless thralls because of the magic that comes to them through the years added onto their lives in devotion to
Shar. In the case of become a Blighted vampire, the vampires still retain many of their vampire features but now must feed the Blight instead of their own hunger for blood. The most obvious feature that seems to be constant in being removed by the Blight is the removal of their sun sensitivity. Ossus himself had a small army of vampires that followed him in the time he roamed Aeria, this has tried to be recreated by many Blight-Casters, though none seem to have succeeded.
Yet, there are more willing ways for a vampire to join the ranks of the Blight-Casters. Through drinking the blood of a Caster the vampire absorbs the Blight into their body, where it would fester and grow off the magic inside the vampire. Vampires who undergo the transformation into a Blight-Caster may continue in a sad form of existence that barely benefits them, but moreover enslaves them to the unsatisfying Blight. Since vampires have no blood flow, the Blight eventually pushes out to their skin surface, the brain, and the nerves. Here, when the Blight has reached this stage, they only feed the Blight with the lifeforce and the blood they consume. This state keeps the vampire in a constant battle against the parasite for blood consumption, leaving the feeling of always being starved for the vampire. In return, the Blight offers what it can: immunity from the sun and silver as well as acting as a healing agent to the vampire since it cannot heal in its state of starvation.
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Therianthropes-----------------------------------
Therianthropes share a more beneficial pact with Blight, but it is rare to ever see a 'thrope connected with the parasite weave. While still being able to transform, the purpose and functions of this transformation change drastically to aid the host. While still feeding off the hunger of the Therianthrope, the Blight offers a wide range of abilities to the 'thrope. Less pain go into transformations, able to better control transformations, resistance to silver and magic are just some of the beginning perks for a Therianthrope. Months later, their claws begin to shift into Blight covered blades that may cut through some metals even without the 'thropes increased strength the Blight enables. However, the abilities come at a price. The Blight begins to seep into the brain, nerves, and lower layers of the skin much like the vampire to consume blood and flesh fed to it by the hungry Therianthrope.
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Demons-----------------------------------
In the ongoing battle for Hell between the former arch-demon Ossus and the heir to the Dread Lord,
Bane, many demons have been corrupted either willingly or by force through Ossus himself or one of his many minions. This battle for full control over
Hell has been continuing ever since the God Wars two thousand years ago at the time of
Sylnorath's death. The Dread Lord's heir, Bane, fights with the ideals of his father in the
Dreadrealms in order to rid the Blight from Hell. No clear victor has come out, nor will there be unless something is changed to off the stalemate.
Blighted demons come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, abilities, and weaknesses because of the large number of different demons in Hell. In Hell, there is nothing Ossus wants more than to have Blighted Banespawn to fight for him. This is increasingly difficult because of the resistances the Banespawn have. However, Ossus manages to cope with the vastly superior manpower of all the arch-demons combined against the God of Tyranny.
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Dragons & Dragonkin-----------------------------------
An even rarer sight is to see a dragon that has been corrupted. Once a majestic race that ruled over Aeria, now only reduced to a few that is able to be counted on two hands. Believed to be extinct by the common people, the few left are left in sanctuaries to be guarded by dragonkin. Since Ossus' time, some dragons followed the former arch-demon believing he would restore their old power and rule over Aeria and get rid of the gods that now reigned. They were only to be betrayed by him and be turned into one of his thralls on Aeria. Many others followed the Vindicators against Ossus, but it was too late and a war began between the Blight and the unblighted. Now, only three or four dragons remain Blighted. Untold effects remain in the Blighted dragons and are easily Ossus' greatest assets on Aeria.
Dragons as well as dragonkin are desired by the Blight because of their connection to Aeria and the World Storm. Feeding from the World Storm via these creatures, the Blight would never starve nor hunger while inside a person of dragon blood. With the Blight, dragons can use a new breath ability that devours spirits from afar.
