The Plagued

2007 by CL

Greed is a disease consuming the souls of those who hold to its creed. Yet another result of being Fae-touched, these creatures resemble what most consider 'were-beasts'. The Fae influence is unnatural, though, a side effect of testing done by elves who hungered for a cure for their curse. Initially they sought to remove the blood of the Fae from their own kind by mixing in the blood of the Corrupt, hoping for a repelling effect. Instead, a much different effect was brought forth. The shapechanging abilities of the Fae and the chaos of the Corrupt drew forth a single bestial form. Which form varied by the subject, whether it was a wolf, bear, or even a bird or fox. The only similarity was that they change in size, shape, and were always the shape of an animal of some kind and usually larger than the original.

The form was not permanent, though, and was only brought forth in the evening during the time of the moons. The moons were discovered to have a direct effect on the control the subjects had, however. A single moon with most of its face hidden in shadow would only illicit physical change, whereas both moons with bright faces would force them into bestial frenzy, uncontrollable and deadly.

On Being Plagued

An undesired side-effect surfaced shortly after the creators were destroyed and testing ceased. With so few of the race living and capable of breeding, the pathogen created from combining negative and positive became almost a disease, easily spreading through a scratch or bite to an uninfected human or elf. So far the Fae and Corrupt themselves have not been infected, and it seems they are immune. Mortals, however, are extremely susceptible, and have begun driving what they refer to as the Plagued from their lands. Any of these cursed creatures found is usually destroyed, though many have begun forming small communities away from those of civilized people. Because of their desire for secret, none of these have been mapped, and those that stumble upon them are either killed or infected.

Not all plagued live in seclusion, however. The vast majority are unaware of such organized living and instead hide in plain sight among the humans. Fearing to be found, they often find sudden interest in farming, allowing them to move out of the main area of the town or city of their birth into the more suburban and rural areas, as well as being able to rise at dawn and go to bed early to circumvent suspicion. Others feign illness for a few weeks and then change their habits after, blaming their adjustment on whatever it was they faked. The only thing that causes real problems is their faster aging and shortened life spans - the disease ages humans at double the normal rate.

The Power That Is

Aside from the uncontrollable ability to shapeshift, only one ability was passed from their unwilling blood donors. The Plagued can survive easily in the Nether, though getting there can be a bit difficult since no one is around to teach them the art. Though they would have a hard time finding shelter in Elyssia, some live comfortably on the outer rim of the city, or even in the Wild. Some, but not all, inherit allergies to metal, though the severity and the type of metal vary from one to another. All other Sources are available for use by the Plagued.