Blighted

No one's entirely sure how the Blight first manifests in an area, but its spread is much better understood. Common transmission vectors include being bitten/injured by one of the Blighted, exposure to the blood of the Blighted or any food/water contaminated by the Blight, or lingering in an area heavily tainted by the Blight.

The Blight is most commonly contracted in places where the power of the Ygdril has weakened significantly.

Common symptoms of the Blight include physical weakness, dizziness, a deathly palor, a black mark on their body around the point of initial infection, and the appearance of fungal-like growths in later stages, eventually culminating in the death of the infected. Additionally, those infected by the Blight have claimed to experience strange dreams, which increase in frequency and severity as the disease progresses. Following the final stage of the infection, the infected will begin developing various physical mutations, and show extreme aggression towards the uninfected.

The Blight can only be treated in the earliest stage of infection through purification, and even then the likelyhood of success is slim. Beyond its first stage, becoming Blighted is considered untreatable.

Stage One: The infected begins showing initial symptoms 2 days after contracting the Blight, including weakness, dizzy spells, and a loss of colour in their body.

Stage Two: Around 4 days after infection, the previous symptoms will worsen (often leaving the infected bedridden), and dark growths resembling fungi will begin appearing across the subjects body. Additionally, the infected claim they experience strange dreams during this stage, which only become more frequent and severe (supposedly intruding into the subjects waking moments) as this stage draws to its conclusion.

Stage Three: Occuring about a week after initial infection, it's at this point that the infected typically expires. Around a day or two following this, the deceased infected will reanimate as one of the Blighted, the fungal growths having grown to cover much of their body. It's also at this point that their body will begin undergoing various physical mutations, such as increased muscle mass, claws, bone spikes, a carapace, etc.

The Blight affects all life within Altera, both sapient species and animals alike.

The Blight can be spread beyond its initial point of origin by the Blighted.

The best way to prevent the Blight from taking hold in a region is to ensure that the health of the Ygdril and its roots doesn't deteriorate too far in the region. When dealing with the Blighted, the best defence againstbecoming infected is the useage of healing/purifying-aspected magic, either through magic or items crafted using the appropriatte Amber.

It's commonly said that it just takes one Blighted managing to infiltrate an unaffected area to cause an outbreak.

It's commonly believed that, like most of the major threats plaguing Altera, the Blight first appeared in the wake of the Fracturing. While details on early cases of this strange disease are scarce, there are some scattered record dating back to the time immediately following the Fracturing detailing outbreaks of a strange illness in areas where the influence of the Ygdril had significantly weakened. Naturally, the lack of any knowledge on this hitherto unknown disease resulted in great chaos, taking the combined efforts of several of of the newly established Rootwardens to contain these early outbreaks.

The Blight is widely feared and reviled by all of Alteras inhabitants, and is held as one of the three Great Calamities alongside the Rooteaters and the Fracturing.