Starrot

Vector: Ingestion of a Dreamcore that has been detached from its tree for over seven days.

Transmission: Not contagious; Starrot cannot be passed from one individual to another through contact, air, or blood. The condition is tied entirely to the act of consumption. The fruit begins to ferment after seven days, unlocking the latent arcane residue that disrupts neurological pathways.

Eating a Dreamcore that has been picked and left uneaten for more than seven days. The Dreamcore’s magic, which mirrors Infinite Grace’s dream-consciousness, becomes unstable and induces backlash in the unprepared mind.

Dissociative Fog: A creeping haze of thought where identity feels distant or unrecognizable

Memory Blackouts: Short-term memory collapses; individuals may lose hours or days with no recollection

Auditory Hallucinations: Often described as soft singing or whispers in an unknown language

Shimmering Vision: Many patients report seeing faint, iridescent "stars" flickering across their vision

Emotional Flattening: A diminishing of emotional range over time

Early Stage: Alchemical treatments made from Moonveil Root and Luminari Tea can suppress symptoms temporarily.

Advanced Stage: Treatment is inconsistent. Pathfinder of the Mind have had the most success guiding patients through inner mental terrains to safely tether them back to reality.

Access: Common folk often rely on folklore remedies, while the elite seek Pathfinders or dream-walkers.

Research: The Alchemical Grove of Serna continues to study stabilized Dreamcore extract as a potential counteragent.

Mild Cases: Often resolve into a permanent sensitivity to dream-magick.

Severe Cases: Risk of permanent identity fragmentation. Some lose speech or personal history entirely. A rare few become Wanderlights—individuals who drift, lost in lucid dreaming while fully awake.

Medical Prediction: Prognosis is more accurate when time-since-picking is known.

• Long-term Cognitive Drift
• Heightened Dream Sensitivity
• Disrupted Chronological Sense (patients misjudge time)
• Nightglass Syndrome (eyes become reflective and show faint starlight when closed)

The Dreamcore is the sole carrier.

Dreamcore are ritually burned after six days by most rural communities. Cold-sealing containers can delay fermentation, but only by 1–2 days. In Meshia, a folk rhyme teaches children the rule:

First Recorded Outbreak: 1742 AR, during the Festival of the First Fruit

Infamous Victim: High Priest Alorith of Torat, who recited divine prophecy backward for three days before vanishing

Old Term: “Starloss”, later renamed "Starrot" due to the fruit’s perceived corruption

Feared by healers and priests

Romanticized by mystics and mad poets

Support Groups: The Order of the Veiled Mind seeks to protect and rehabilitate victims

In some areas, Starrot is revered—seen as a mark of being touched by Infinite Grace, though most cultures treat it with caution or dread