Keridan
Member
|
quote:
Word Count: 4089
Book: N/A
Characters: The Hero - Keros (Mentioned)
Genre: Informative Journal [AKA, No Idea]
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Well, hello again! The last time I wrote something for DragonFable was... ah, over a year ago, I think. I wrote back when Gren was my hero, which was definitely a while back. I come here with a writing again, with an idea I expanded on from the initial creation of a "brief" idea (Brief being... 1k words. I have a very active thought process,) to a more thorough writing at, well, 4k words!
I hope this writing doesn't break rules, it does have some unsavory topic mentions, but I avoided what seemed to be apparent with rule breaking. I guess if this gets deleted, it's a sign I messed up somewhere. I read the rules and this shouldn't be rulebreaking, but I don't know man, sometimes I never know anymore.
But in any case, I hope you all enjoy! It may end up as a series based on possible ideas, with "Keridan Raal" as my author avatar character, but at this point, I'm very unsure. If it is, I'll edit the title here of course, to reflect this.
Content Warnings: Vomiting Mentions, Blood Mentions, Body Horror Mentions, Violence and Death due to Prejudice Mentions
From the Journals of Keridan Raal - An Excerpt on Light Sickness, Written August 27th, 593 of the Elemental Era
Light Poisoning, also known as “Light Pollution,” “Light Corrosion,” “Light Corruption” or “Light Addiction,” (archaic “Light’s Punishment,”) is a chronic disorder of the body, mind, and possibly even soul, caused by an overabundance of Light Magic within the affected individual, and further aggravated with consumption and usage of said magics. While this was once considered a natural curse over an actual ailment, it has since been discovered to be connected to the practice of creating artificial Light Magic connections within individuals not naturally attuned to the realm.
First documented over five hundred years ago to the current date of writing, Light Poisoning was found to have affected a priestess named Lady Solstice, a wielder of impressive Light Magic of her time. In that current time, the discovery of the ailment, then called “Light’s Punishment,” was met with negative reactions, as this discovery hailed from a time of significant change; only a few decades prior elemental harmony was truly achieved amongst Lore. Due to the lack of understanding at how the elemental realms worked, many people believed it was divine justice, or a force of retaliation from the Light Realm, at the idea of power abuse from its followers.
With this considered, the idea that Lady Solstice was performing devious deeds without anyone’s knowledge became a prevalent rumor. Lady Solstice was exiled as a result, her fate left unknown, though a few years after her exiling, a creature cloaked in light started to cause havoc in the region; with knowledge of how the ailment works with the modern progressive of magiscience, logical assumptions have lead to Historians believing this creature, now known as a “Blind Fury,” was possibly the end result of Lady Solstice and her lack of treatment.
Over the years though, the ailment made more appearances, even in young children or teens that had no notorious deeds to their names. It also lead to more rises of “Blind Furies,” and evolutions of their appearance as time passed, as well. Finally, later discovered found “Blind Furies” to be the end results of the aforementioned affected individuals, after some that were kept in confinement for speculated crimes were witnessed transforming into the “Blind Furies” after a period of time.
Because of these discoveries, curious individuals began to create many speculations of their own, which over time evolved into actual investigations with the growth of magiscience. While there were a significant amount of individuals and cultures that still believed adamantly in the idea that this imposed curse was definitely the retribution of the Light Realm, it simply was not enough to curb curiosity of various groups of people, such as Magisters and Doctors. As such, many royal houses actually funded towards the investigations, which included a multitude of different observations at first; such examples being various kinds of blood testing, searching for or learning information on the affected individuals past and/or current lifestyle, and studying the bone structures of deceased individuals once afflicted with the “Punishment.”
It took many years of investigations to truly and safely come to an accurate conclusion, with numerous proposed speculations tossed aside with new information found within various later investigations (One such example being a proposed outcome for any person strongly connected to the Light Realm eventually finding themselves plagued with this “Punishment,” which was proven false, as some individuals with, at that time, far weaker connections than other notable, unaffected persons, had gained the infliction over the others.) But within the year 106 of the Elemental Era, nearly one hundred years after the first discovered case, the researchers came to a discovery that was incapable of being proven a coincidence, even with numerous testing from multiple parties.
The discovery revealed something unique with every single individual they could list a past to, a pattern present in absolutely every case they could document. Every individual afflicted with “Light’s Punishment” had not possessed a natural affinity to Light whatsoever. Instead, their bond was formed via experimental means, caused by various sanctuaries attempting to counter means of rising Darkness in the land. Light, since it was known, and still is known as, Darkness’ counter, was the chosen element in this regard.
Because of this new information gathered, further studies continued, this time in regards to body structures in particular, with comparisons between affected and unaffected individuals. These studies also came up with reveals that, once again, held no deviations. While the unaffected individuals showed more stabilities in their body’s cellular system, the affected individuals revealed more worrying results, involving broken down and mutated cells, and the impact it had on the bodies. As the condition worsened, the cells also mutated and broke down faster and more dramatically, to the point of being nearly unrecognizable in the stages leading up the the creation of “Blind Furies.”
It was with these discoveries that the Magisters and Doctors came to the conclusion, the curse that was proclaimed as “Light’s Punishment,” was in fact an illness and disorder caused by man’s attempt to create links to the Light Realm, and how the bodies of the people used as the vessels were not properly prepared to handle such immense power. As such, while “Light’s Punishment” was still used by numerous people less attuned to the newer name, or simply refused to let go of the belief imposed for nearly a hundred years, the more accepted name that came from the groups of investigators of this affliction, became known more as the official name; Light Poisoning. Other names were also considered acceptable terms, but Light Poisoning was known as the official terminology from magimedical branches.
While studying still continues to this day on the nature of Light Poisoning, mostly now focusing on ways to curing afflicted individuals completely, over simply giving temporary relief to symptoms and preventing the development into “Blind Furies,” to the modern age, it’s now known definitely as a treatable, chronic illness. Due to also learning the cause of said illness being the result of careless experimentation upon individuals, and how the bodies of the afflicted are unable to properly respond to the Light Magic that now incorporates their beings, magical experimentation in regards to human beings is heavily curfewed, if not outright banned, in multiple places.
Some locations, however, still allow the continuation of city-sanctioned human-magic experimentations, but Light bonds, if not all elemental bonds in particular, are often exception due to discovered information. Of course, some cities and villages are completely accepting of elemental bond experimentations, and will not issue punishment if discovered; even amongst the areas where the practice is banned, black market practices do exist for hefty prices. Because of this, while the amount of affected individuals is currently, as of writing, at an all-time low of less than 100 individuals, new cases of Light Poisoning do surface every year.
Light Poisoning, like with any chronic illness, consists of multiple symptoms that may prove more or less extensive or intense to others, but certain symptoms are almost always a certain towards affected individuals. The symptoms consists mostly in regards to physical and mental health, but current studies are set in motion on whether or not the transformation into “Blind Furies” is a pure physical symptom, or if it actually holds some spiritual boundings. So far, studies have proven inconclusive, as studying in this phenomenon is still yet too recent for the Researchers to come to a definite conclusion amongst one another.
For physical symptoms, the most common symptom amongst those afflicted are the formation of “Light Scars.” These bright yellow lesions on the skin are not caused by grievous harm to the body by typical, understandable means, but instead by how the cells break down and reform with the overabundance of Light within the body, forming the appearance of various “cracks” upon the body. The most common locations for Light Scars to appear is upon the face (especially the eyes region,) chest, back, arms and legs. They are typically painless, but do glow quite noticeably in the dark, and even possess a sheen while in more prominent light.
Another definitive physical symptom to Light Poisoning is the state and appearance of the blood. Of course, those afflicted contain extremely high amounts of the element “Light” within their system, but the blood also takes on different properties due to the affliction. Below the skin, the veins will appear yellow, much like how unaffected individual’s veins will appear blue, but once a cut or injury has been sustained to cause bleeding, the blood will appear as a vibrant, glowing white. The blood will also be rather hot to the touch, even moreso than usual. The blood, due to intense magical properties, is considered more of an ichor at this point for those affected with the ailment.
The final most common physical symptom, though not necessarily true for every individual, is the appearance of the eyes. In a significant amount of cases, the eyes of affected individuals have been shown to have changed from their initial colors, to various different shades of yellow over time. The most common shades of yellow tend to be “amber,” “gold” and the aptly named “sunglow.” The individuals who have seen their eyes change to the yellow tone also have their eyes take on a glowing appearance when in the dark, and as such, have heightened vision in the darkness. Oddly enough, individuals who naturally possessed yellow eyes before never seem to gain the glowing eyes, nor the heightened vision.
Various other physical symptoms exist, those these tend to fluctuate between individuals in if they possess them, and if they do, to what degrees. One such symptom is sudden weakness to the joints, currently speculated to be a cause from the cell degeneration process, which can prove to be a dangerous symptom towards those afflicted who partake in the battle scene of Lore to any degree.
Another symptom, once again speculated to be caused by the degradation of cells, is a constant, dull pain throughout the body, that can intensify into sharp, sudden pains at random intervals. These pains, again, are typically located in the joints, or within the chest region, simulating a heart issue; this symptom is one such reason that many Light Poisoned individuals seek out heart health as often as possible, as doctors want to ensure it indeed is a harmless symptom caused by Light Poisoning, or isn’t a sign of something worse happening and being dismissed as the lesser symptom.
The final common symptom with Light Poisoned individuals is random bouts of nausea, which can range from anywhere between mild stomach upsets, to actual vomiting episodes. This symptom has been documented as a case of the body of the afflicted producing too much Light magic, either rather gradually and at a slow enough pace to go down over time, or suddenly to the point of expulsion. If an afflicted vomits, and the vomit is translucent with a faint, yellow tint and glow, it is most definitely a case of Light Poisoning-induced sickness.
Light Poisoning is no stranger to mental symptoms, either. In fact, one such mental symptom is the reason of one of the alternate names given towards Light Poisoning, the aptly named “Light Addiction.” This symptom of addiction is prominent in every affected individual with Light Poisoning, though to what degree is usually left to how soon they were treated, their treatment and medication, and their own layer of self-control. The addiction is towards Light Magic, and focuses on the intense need to feed upon either those who possess ample amounts of Light within their blood, or on siphoning Light Magic from blessed objects or buildings.
Despite what one would think is needed to treat addiction, the fact that Light Poisoning is chronic, with no way known to completely cure it, the idea of completely abstaining from the addiction is a dangerous one to possess. While the bodies of Light Poisoned individuals are capable of producing amazing amounts of Light Magic, and in some cases to very damaging degrees to where medication is needed for regulation, it isn’t uncommon for the bodies to have lows that will produce aggravation of the mental symptoms. Typically, the first signs that the body is low on Light Magic, and for some reason isn’t producing some at that moment, is the feeling of sudden, intense irritation and/or anger.
In order to ensure the body always has a healthy amount of Light Magic within, people afflicted are encouraged to feed into the addiction whenever the body begins to show signs of Light Withdrawal. These feedings including drinking the blood of particularly Light-inclined individuals, either from willing participants or from medically-prescribed vials (this practice is where some Light Poisoned individuals gain the name “Day Walkers” from, which is a common term used most often upon Vampires who are able to be out in sunlight,) or by using magic siphons on Light-blessed weapons and buildings to withdraw magic, and then inject in the bloodstream like a shot.
While some Light Poisoned individuals are inclined to abuse the addiction, and thus make themselves dramatically ill, if not trigger a possible “Blind Fury” transformation, strict treatment regimens are in place to monitor the prescribed dosage of Blood Feeding or Mana Siphons, as well as to test cells to ensure no massive degradation show signs of “Blind Fury” progression. The addiction must be fed in these rare bouts of weakness, but otherwise must be resisted in all other occurrences.
While addiction is, by far, the most known mental symptom, there are a variety of other mental symptoms in regards to Light Poisoning. One such symptom are extreme emotional responses, that can shift within a moment’s notice. These emotional tendencies most likely appear as extreme irritation or anger, as stated above, or can also appear as severe cases of depression or mania. Speculated to be a case of both cell degradation affecting the brain, but also a case of the Light magic’s unnatural presence in the body, which is unable to adjust to this foreign force, these bouts of extreme emotions can cause the afflicted to act out immediately and without much thought, though once calmed, affected individuals tend to express much remorse over their actions.
Hallucinations are also another common staple in Light Poisoning, as the presence of Light magic within the brain can cause the eyes to see things, and the ears to hear responses that are not natural or there. The most common visual hallucinations involve seeing horrific visions, such as skeletons, mutations, or decaying bodies, while audio hallucinations often involve growls, whispers, and pained moaning. A speculation is that the brain perceives these from the Light magic noticing the balanced Darkness within everything far more clearly than usual, which causes horrifying visions and sounds of what something could have been, if Darkness was the predominant element.
Various other mental issues, again, can form within individuals, but to various degrees of severity, if at all. One such symptom goes hand-in-hand with the emotional extremes, as anxiety may be present amongst individuals as well as either a constant, or as one of the extreme emotions possible to feel with those bouts, if not both. The anxiety, according to study, forms from the brain and its awareness of the dangerous level of Light magic within the body, and as such causes chemical imbalances due to lack of focus. Anxiety is not always a case with the afflicted, however.
Insomnia is also a possible symptom of Light Poisoning, for various reasons outside of chemical imbalances, as well. Some affected individuals of insomnia, especially new sufferers of Light Poisoning, tend to remark a constant Light being present in their vision, even if their eyes are closed, making it exceptionally hard to sleep at night. Sometimes though, insomnia in Light Poisoned individuals isn’t necessarily caused from the ailment, and could be a third-party issue on its own.
The final symptoms that appears as a possible symptom of Light Poisoning are OCD tendencies. These can include various rituals to calm people down, especially in regards to thoughts on Darkness attempting to consume them, or simple motion quirks like tapping or rubbing that the individual may not even notice. Regardless, OCD and Light Poisoning seem to have some sort of connection, as quite a few documented cases have been listed of the two together.
Possibly the most worrying symptom when it comes to Light Poisoning, is the symptom that can happen due to severe neglect of care towards treatment to ease symptoms, as well as over-feeding the addiction aspect of Light Poisoning. While currently listed as a purely physical symptom, as it seems to mostly involve the absolute mutation of the cells within individuals, there is standing debate over if this symptom is possibly triggered by spiritual means as well, due to the nature of the symptom.
If treatment is severely lacking, a transformation occurs within affected individuals. This transformation is known as the aforementioned “Blind Furies,” so called due to their aggression towards virtually any life form, as if in a blind fury, but also due to the odd effect “Blind Furies” have upon their sought after victim, as if to “blind” them to the “fury.” The transformation is due to severe mutation in the cells, causing a flood of Light magic to unstable degrees. This instability affects not only the body, but mental processes as well, as all affected that have turned to “Blind Furies” have shown no real control over themselves, and if reverted from this state, hold no memories of what they have done.
The appearance of the “Blind Furies” have changed over the years, at first only appearing as being of bright light, with no real discernable features. Over the years though, the appearance of “Blind Furies” have changed, and even physical and mental symptoms have begun to show in afflicted just before transformation.
In terms of the “Blind Furies,” their appearance now seem to consist of vaguely humanesque forms of cloaked light, which appear to have six, feathered wings also cloaked in light. Magical eyes also appear on and around the body of the “Blind Furies,” varying in appearance, color, and shapes, but always described as always seeming to be pointed towards the people to invoke their ire, and twitching rapidly. “Blind Furies” are also known prominently for eerie, but oddly soothing chants and whispers, often sounding incomprehensible but often eliciting a feeling of peace within an individual. While mostly sounding vague, some common phrases stated to have been heard involve the word fear, such as “Do not fear,” “Fear not,” and “Fear is your enemy.” These chants and whispers are thought to be a form of predatory measures, to subdue victims and make them incapable of fighting back.
The symptoms or signs that a “Blind Fury” transformation is about to occur, however, tend to happen a few hours before, if it has occurred by neglect, to allow caregivers to rectify their mistakes; however, afflicted that were intended to care for themselves may face more worrying consequences due to the symptoms caused. These symptoms involve such actions as a complete lack of awareness towards surroundings in an intense bout of dissociation, complete lack of reactions to pain, and constant hummings with no real melody sounding out. Physical symptoms include the eyes turning white in color, with the pupils appearing as a shade of gray, the sporadic twitching of said eyes, and the “Light Scars” growing and spreading.
However, these symptoms can occur within moments, and take only minutes to finish a transformation, if the alteration to body was triggered by the individual over caused by neglect. While currently unconfirmed and being tested via means outside of outright encouragement of the deed, to prevent the potential dangers of a “Blind Fury,” especially if said “Blind Fury” is incapable of being subdued, it appears that any person afflicted with Light Poisoning can force a transformation into “Blind Furies” simply by desiring it hard enough. Whether it be because of intense emotions, or because of seeing a genuine need to become a “Blind Fury,” it matters not. A transformation can and will occur if the afflicted so desires.
This discovery is the biggest change of reason as to why the “Blind Furies Transformation” is moreso speculated as a spiritual entity, if not a combination of physical and spiritual, and not just a physical symptom entirely. It is also why it’s greatly encouraged by those unafflicted to monitor any Light Poisoned individuals, for signs for forced transformation, as “Blind Furies” are exceedingly powerful with their light magic, and very dangerous in nature. However, such warnings has caused quite a significant rise of prejudices against Light Poisoned individuals, as it feeds the idea that all Light Poisoned people are a threat by nature.
Treatment of Light Poisoning symptoms are the basic means to prevent “Blind Fury” transformations; for as long as forced transformations are discouraged among the afflicted, doctors feel the few affected with Light Poisoning that currently exist pose no real threat with knowledge of the discovery. These treatments involve medications, either capsule or liquid potion form, injections, potions containing concentrated Darkness to help lower severe cases of Light Magic growth, and psychotherapy for not only assessment, but to create a sense of familiarity with the patient. Many Light Poisoned individuals possess a caretaker for their needs, but rarely, one may become their own caretaker if they show intensive care for their disorder, and a strong sense of responsibility.
Despite the nature of Light Poisoning, it is not a disease without its share of famous or influential individuals. While currently, only a little over one thousand individuals have been found to have been listed as either having Light Poisoning, or was “cursed” with “Light’s Punishment” in the first 100 years of discovery, numerous people with the affliction has found a name for themselves in history.
Outside of the obvious famous example of Lady Solstice, the first documented example of Light Poisoning, other such famous examples was a healer known as Barbos, a man who hailed from Falconreach who was known for healing the most violent of injuries and vicious of illnesses, Sylvia Rottenburg, a writer from the small mining town of Lymcrest best known for her book “Sneevil Devolution,” and Thomas Hurst, better known under his preferred name and title “Keros the Poisoned,” a currently living activist coming from the cursed Doomwoods who advocates for not only the continued treatment of Light Poisoned individuals, but also for their humanization in light to rising prejudices.
Such mentions of prejudices shouldn’t be left without a mention, as while it’s always been present before, it has certain amplified in recent years. Ever since the discovery of how afflicted individuals of Light Poisoning were found to seemingly be capable of going into the violent form known as “Blind Furies,” the rise of hatred and violence against those affected has grown significantly. The reveal of this info to the public, as well as how most places now sanction a monitoring law, making it legal for anyone to investigate afflicted individuals for signs of transformation, as well as stop them by whatever means necessary if they think there is any present signs of transformation, has caused significant harm towards innocent individuals. It has even killed three people since to discovery; two young men, named Jefferson Godet and Hamil Reed, and an older woman named Lillia Brenish.
While some individuals affected by Light Poisoning can gain a “Sanction of Passing Privilege” from lawmakers, if their doctor has given ample proof they pose no threat of unnecessary transformation, the laws are so open that even with the permit, people often can get away with violating the actions, and can even be given a pass for their unlawful violence. This law, in particular, is one law that Keros the Poisoned advocates heavily against and calls out for change, as he recounts numerous times he had to fend for his life against aggressive individuals, despite having his own “Sanction of Passing Privilege.”
While the life of those with Light Poisoning certainly hasn’t, and still isn’t, an easy one to lead—due to not only the health reasons listed, but the security they so desperately lack, even moreso in modern times—there’s no doubt that Light Poisoning is a part of our life here on Lore now; even if it exists in such small numbers when compared to other ailments, and the populi at large.
|
Printable Version
Icon Legend
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread
