Mark of the Star

The Mark of the Star is a rare and feared affliction that sometimes manifests among the Per'kasha , Aranath’s feline nomads, during the unpredictable appearance of The Star of Ill Omen . Though its origins remain unclear even to the wisest elders, the Mark is regarded by many within the Per'kasha as a curse, a cruel twist of fate, or a punishment from forgotten gods.   When the violet light of the Star flares in the sky, it brings with it a period of unease across the land, animals panic, dreams grow strange, and mortals report headaches and disquiet. But for a very small and unlucky few among the Per'kasha, something much worse occurs. Without warning, an afflicted individual begins to change. The transformation can take minutes or hours, but it is always permanent, violent, and irreversible.   Those marked are twisted into monstrous forms, towering feline abominations with sinewy muscle, unnaturally sharp claws, and glowing, inhuman eyes. Their voices become guttural snarls, and their minds fray like parchment in fire. Though traces of memory may linger, the afflicted rarely retain their identity. Some lash out at their loved ones in confusion; others flee into the wilderness, consumed by instinct and rage.   The Mark is not a disease, nor does it pass from one Per'kasha to another. It cannot be predicted, cured, or studied, for it is as irregular as the star itself. In some flares, no one is afflicted; in others, a single caravan may lose two or three of its own. Elders speak of lineages “touched by shadow,” suggesting that ancient bloodlines or ancestral actions may play a role. The Per'kasha have long memories, and the afflicted are mourned as though dead, even when their bodies still prowl the forests of Bariatok.   Among outsiders, the Mark is nearly unknown. Only a handful of Imperial scholars and a few arcanists of the Arcane Lyceum suspect its existence, and fewer still believe the stories. Per'kasha caravans are tight-lipped when asked directly, and often pass the Mark off as legend or metaphor. But among their own, the truth is passed down in whispers, warnings cloaked in parables, and firelit stories told with quiet dread.   No one knows why the Star chooses who it does. No one knows how to stop it.   But all Per'kasha know to look up when the violet light returns… and pray it does not look back.