Corruptio Bellifera

Corruptio Bellifera spreads not through direct contagion but through sustained interaction with environments warped by the Orcish Rift and subsequent First Wars. The primary vectors are contaminated soil, groundwater, and the flora and fauna that have adapted to the corrupted mana fields permeating the region. Individuals who camp, labour, or march for long periods within these zones gradually absorb unstable arcane particulates through the skin and lungs, a process accelerated by exertion or injury.

Ingestion remains the most dangerous route. Plants grown in tainted soil and animals grazed or hunted within these lands accumulate corrupted mana in their tissues; consuming such foodstuffs significantly hastens the onset of illness. Water sources, particularly old battle-site springs and seepage pools within goblin-warren territories, are likewise prone to arcane saturation.

The condition is not infectious between individuals. A sickened person poses no danger to others unless they carry tainted supplies. Exposure risk is tied solely to the corrupted environment itself, leading Imperial legionary protocols to treat terrain, provisions, and water sources as the true vectors rather than the afflicted.

The root of Corruptio Bellifera lies in the catastrophic arcane upheaval released during Rift III (–1000 BR), when the Orcish host was translocated into Exilum Novum. The sheer magnitude of the Rift’s emergence—its violent mana displacement, atmospheric shock, and sudden ecological inversion—imprinted an unstable arcane resonance upon the western lands. This resonance, unable to harmonise with the world’s native mana lattice, settled into the soil and water as a persistent, low-grade corruption.

Centuries of warfare intensified the effect. The First Wars drenched the frontier in bloodshed, mana-burn, and ritual slaughter, each further warping the land’s arcane equilibrium. Later, the arrival of the goblins in Rift V (–600 BR) and the sprawling networks of warrens they carved beneath the region redistributed these corrupted energies, drawing them into deeper caverns and waterways and spreading the contamination far beyond the original Rift-site.

In essence, the condition arises when living bodies absorb arcane particulates derived from this warped resonance, which disrupt internal mana flow and overwhelm the organs responsible for filtration and balance. Prolonged exposure from air, soil, or food compounds the disruption until the host’s innate arcane stability collapses, giving rise to the progressive sickness now recognised as Corruptio Bellifera.

The progression of Corruptio Bellifera is gradual yet relentless, its earliest signs easily mistaken for fatigue or the ordinary hardships of frontier travel. Initial symptoms include persistent tiredness, dull headaches, and a subtle pallor marked by a faint greyish cast to the skin. Mana-sensitive individuals often report a sense of internal imbalance, as though their arcane flow drags or stutters within the body.

As exposure continues, more pronounced signs emerge:

• Fever and chills, fluctuating unpredictably as the body struggles to stabilise corrupted mana
• Nausea and abdominal pain, particularly after eating tainted food
• Muscle weakness and tremors, worsening with exertion
• Shortness of breath, the lungs reacting to absorbed particulates
• Arcane dissonance, experienced as ringing in the ears, flashes of light, or momentary disorientation

In advanced stages, the corruption overwhelms the host. Symptoms escalate to:

• Severe dehydration despite adequate water intake
• Organ strain, most commonly liver and kidneys
• Delirium, featuring fever-dreams or fragmented memories
• Internal mana collapse, which presents as violent full-body convulsions

Without treatment, the condition becomes fatal. Late-stage victims often lapse into a deep, unrousable fever-sleep before succumbing to multi-organ failure. The Imperium notes that death tends to occur more swiftly when the individual has ingested tainted foodstuffs, suggesting ingestion remains the most dangerous route of exposure.

Management of Corruptio Bellifera relies on two principles: removal from the corrupted environment and purging of unstable arcane particulates from the body before they accumulate beyond recovery.

The first step is immediate evacuation from tainted terrain, followed by enforced rest in an area of stable mana resonance. Early-stage cases frequently reverse with simple supportive care: clean water, bland rations, and regulated mana breathing exercises supervised by a trained physician or legionary adept.

For moderate cases, Imperial healers prescribe infusions of boiled riverwort, ground sanctis-root, and diluted lunar salt, a traditional mixture known to bind arcane particulates and encourage excretion. Clerics of the recognised healing cults employ ritual stabilisation rites, aligning the patient’s disrupted mana with sanctioned divine channels; this technique significantly reduces fever and halts progression when performed early.

Severe or late-stage cases require arcane purgation, a dangerous procedure conducted only in major garrisons or temples. Patients are administered a draught of bitter purgatives before being subjected to controlled mana-drawing, a technique that extracts corrupted essence from the organs but risks permanent damage if mishandled. Success rates are high when performed by certified healers, though the process is painful and occasionally fatal.

In all cases, patients must abstain from consuming any frontier-derived foodstuffs for several weeks. Without this precaution, relapse is common.

The prognosis for Corruptio Bellifera depends largely on the duration of exposure and the speed with which treatment is administered. Early-stage cases, identified before organ strain or mana collapse has begun, typically recover fully within several days to a fortnight, provided the patient remains away from corrupted terrain and adheres to prescribed dietary restrictions.

Mid-stage cases show a more variable course. While most respond well to herbal infusions and stabilisation rites, residual fatigue and intermittent mana imbalance may linger for weeks. Such patients are generally considered unfit for frontier duty until a physician certifies complete recovery.

Late-stage cases, marked by convulsions, delirium, or severe dehydration, carry a significantly higher mortality risk. Even when arcane purgation is successful, survivors often endure prolonged convalescence, and some report lasting sensitivity to mana fluctuations or reduced physical endurance. Without intervention, late-stage Corruptio Bellifera is universally fatal, with death typically occurring within days of symptom escalation.

Importantly, those who recover from the condition do not retain immunity; subsequent exposure can trigger relapse, often more rapidly than the initial illness.

Although most survivors of Corruptio Bellifera regain full health, the condition can leave behind several lingering complications, particularly in those who experienced mid- or late-stage symptoms. The most common after-effects include prolonged fatigue, a residual weakness attributed to the body’s slow clearance of remaining arcane particulates. Many patients report heightened sensitivity to mana fluctuations, especially near ley-crossings or during ritual workings, a consequence of temporary scarring within the body’s mana channels.

Some individuals develop digestive irregularities, struggling to tolerate rich or heavily seasoned foods for several weeks after recovery. A smaller number experience episodic headaches or disorientation when exposed to sudden changes in altitude or temperature, symptoms believed to stem from incomplete stabilisation of internal resonance.

Survivors of severe cases occasionally exhibit long-term vulnerability to frontier sickness, relapsing more quickly upon re-exposure to tainted environments. Though rare, cases have been recorded in which the kidneys or liver remain permanently weakened, necessitating ongoing medical supervision.

Crucially, none of these sequelae are contagious, nor do they indicate continuing corruption; they are simply the lingering bruises of a body forced to wrestle with a hostile and unstable mana field.

Corruptio Bellifera affects nearly all mortal species native to Exilum Novum, though the severity varies by physiology and mana tolerance. Humans, despite their robust constitutions, are notably susceptible, particularly soldiers, settlers, hunters, and surveyors who spend extended periods along the frontier. Elves show a slightly delayed onset—likely due to their innate mana affinity—but once symptoms manifest, the disease progresses with equal severity. Dwarrow, whose bodies filter minerals and impurities with exceptional efficiency, resist the earliest stages but deteriorate rapidly if exposure continues unchecked.

Among the Riftborn, responses are inconsistent. Orcs exhibit complete immunity, suggesting their biology either harmonises with the corrupted resonance or contributed to its original formation. Goblins, however, display partial resistance at best: many develop a milder variant of the illness, especially those living outside deep warrens or foraging above ground. Halflings, Centaurs, and Jotun are all vulnerable, though Jotun physiology tends to delay progression due to their size.

Across all species, children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened mana channels succumb more quickly, particularly when exposed through ingestion. Those whose professions require frequent frontier travel—the legions, frontier wardens, pathfinders, herbalists, and certain sanctioned traders—remain the most at risk.

The corrupted frontier sustains a wide range of environmental hosts capable of accumulating and transmitting the arcane particulates responsible for Corruptio Bellifera. Foremost among these is the soil itself, which retains the fractured mana resonance left by Rift III and continually infuses local vegetation with trace corruption. Plants grown in this terrain—especially root vegetables, bitterleaf shrubs, and low-lying grasses—act as primary carriers; while they often appear outwardly healthy, their tissues harbour unstable arcane signatures that become dangerous when consumed.

Frontier fauna likewise absorb the corruption through grazing and groundwater. Deer, boar, and hornbeasts taken from tainted ranges routinely exhibit minor mutations or heightened aggression, reliable indicators that their flesh carries dangerous concentrations of corrupted mana. Scavengers and predators, particularly those feeding near ancient battlefields, accumulate even higher levels and pose significant risk when hunted for food. Domestic animals brought into frontier zones rarely become ill themselves but may carry taint-laden forage in their stomachs or on their coats.

Subterranean hosts present a more complex threat. The extensive goblin warrens carved after Rift V channel corrupted energies through deep stone and aquifers, creating pockets where fungi, blind cave-creatures, and certain mineral deposits become potent carriers despite never reaching the surface. Water from these networks is especially hazardous and has caused several recorded outbreaks among Imperial patrols.

Importantly, no living creature—aside from goblins in rare cases—develops Corruptio Bellifera as an active disease in the sense of transmitting it biologically. The sickness cannot pass from creature to creature. Instead, these hosts merely concentrate and convey the environmental corruption, making the land itself the true reservoir from which all cases arise.

Prevention of Corruptio Bellifera centres on limiting exposure to corrupted environments and avoiding the consumption of tainted provisions. Imperial frontier mandates require all travellers—military and civilian alike—to carry certified rations and sealed water when operating near Warborn territory, as local forage and game are the most common vectors of infection. The Legions enforce strict rules prohibiting the gathering of wild plants, hunting, or drinking from unverified streams within the corrupted range.

Protective measures also include the use of mana-stabilising amulets issued to officers and scouts. While these charms do not confer immunity, they mitigate early symptoms by dampening the absorption of unstable arcane particulates. Regular purification drills—deep breathing exercises combined with controlled mana cycling—are taught to all frontier cohorts, enabling them to expel minor contamination before it takes hold.

Temporary outposts rely on raised platforms, filtered cisterns, and imported soil for cooking fires to prevent inadvertent exposure. Priests accompanying military detachments perform warding rites at dusk, believed to harmonise the immediate area’s resonance; though their efficacy remains debated among scholars, empirical reports show a modest reduction in sickness when such rites are observed consistently.

Ultimately, the most reliable preventive measure remains simple: avoidance of tainted land wherever possible. The Imperium’s border markers and red-slate warning stones are placed not as symbolic deterrents but as practical boundaries beyond which the land itself grows treacherous to the unprotected.

The epidemiology of Corruptio Bellifera is defined not by person-to-person spread but by patterns of environmental exposure. Outbreaks occur almost exclusively along the western frontier, emerging in predictable cycles tied to military campaigns, seasonal migrations, and periods of increased contact with tainted terrain. Cases rise sharply during summer patrols, when heat and exertion accelerate the absorption of corrupted particulates, and again in late autumn, when foraging shortages tempt the unwary to consume local game.

Legionary cohorts operating near ancient battlefields or goblin-warren spill zones show the highest incidence rates. Notably, units that linger in fixed encampments for more than a fortnight see a marked uptick in early-stage symptoms, confirming that chronic exposure—rather than singular events—is the primary driver of infection. Civilian clusters occur most often among itinerant traders, herders, and illicit scavengers who cross Imperial boundary markers in search of rare resources.

Historical spikes correlate with major conflicts: during the Frontier Wars, cases surged as armies manoeuvred repeatedly across corrupted ground, overwhelming regional healers and prompting the establishment of dedicated “sanctuary camps” for detoxification. Smaller surges have been recorded following heavy rains, which leach corrupted residue into surface water, and after seismic disturbances linked to goblin tunnelling, which release deeper pockets of tainted air and mineral dust.

Despite centuries of mapping, the corrupted range remains fluid. Pockets of contamination ebb and expand with subtle shifts in mana resonance, making precise epidemiological prediction difficult. However, Imperial studies consistently affirm a single truth: proximity to Warborn lands remains the sole determinant of risk, and no documented case has ever originated beyond these afflicted regions.

The earliest traces of Corruptio Bellifera appear in Elven and Dwarrow accounts dating to the centuries following Rift III (–1000 BR). Elven wardens recorded “the grey weakness” afflicting rangers who ventured too near the scorched clearings left by the first Orcish encampments. Dwarrow stone-chronicles describe miners collapsing after working veins exposed to lands churned by the early battles, attributing the malady to “the breath of a wounded world.” Though these records lack clinical detail, they mark the first recognition that the frontier itself had become perilous to the native-born.

As the First Wars stretched across generations, the sickness became an expected hazard. Elven war-leaders adjusted patrol routes to avoid corrupted groves, while Dwarrow blood-smiths developed crude filtration helms for tunnel fighting. Yet no lasting remedy emerged, and the afflicted were often withdrawn from service entirely. For centuries, understanding of the condition remained fragmented, attributed variously to curses, battlefield fumes, or the malice of Warborn gods.

With the arrival of the Imperium Novum in 0 NE, systemic study began. Early legionary patrols into the west reported clusters of unexplained deaths, prompting the Senate to commission formal investigations. Magister-Physicians quickly identified common factors: proximity to tainted soil, reliance on local provisions, and lingering exposure after exertion. It was during this era that the sickness received its formal name—Corruptio Bellifera, “the war-bearing corruption”—and entered the Imperial medical lexicon.

The Frontier Wars (30–203 NE) brought the condition to prominence. Entire cohorts were withdrawn after debilitating outbreaks, and several campaigns were delayed or abandoned due to escalating casualties from the sickness rather than battle. These experiences led to the establishment of sanctuary camps, the refinement of purification rites, and the introduction of strict rationing protocols still used today.

In the centuries since, scholars have refined their understanding of the condition’s arcane basis, though its origins remain contested. Some attribute it solely to the violent mana displacement of Rift III; others argue that the goblin warrens created after Rift V (–600 BR) dispersed and intensified the corruption. Regardless of interpretation, Corruptio Bellifera remains one of the longest documented and most stubborn afflictions in the history of Exilum Novum—an enduring testament to how profoundly a Rift can wound the land.

Across the cultures of Exilum Novum, Corruptio Bellifera occupies a space somewhere between scientific reality and inherited dread. Within the Imperium, the condition is viewed with stern pragmatism: a frontier hazard to be managed through discipline, ration control, and proper medical oversight. Legionaries speak of it in the same breath as poisoned wells or hostile terrain—dangerous, but neither mysterious nor honourable. Civilians, by contrast, often exaggerate its effects, treating the corrupted frontier as a place where “the land hungers for the living,” a superstition that discourages unsanctioned settlement and bolsters state authority over the border zones.

Among the Elves, memories of the First Wars colour their perception. Their songs describe the sickness as “the wound that would not close,” a reminder of forests burned and drained of mana harmony. Though modern elven scholars accept the Imperial classification, many still regard the frontier as spiritually fractured, advising that only ritual cleansing or patient rewilding might someday restore balance.

The Dwarrow, shaped by their long defensive struggle against the early Warborn, adopt a grimly respectful view. To them, the corruption is simply another treacherous feature of the western marches—akin to unstable stone or trapped air—as likely to kill the unwary as any foe. Their chronicles treat those who succumb not as cursed, but as victims of ancient catastrophe.

The Warborn themselves hold no unified interpretation. Orcs, being immune, dismiss the affliction entirely and often mock other peoples’ frailty. Goblins, some of whom suffer minor variants of the sickness, treat corrupted patches of land with wary pragmatism, though few speak openly of their susceptibility; in Warborn society, such weakness carries stigma.

Across all cultures, Corruptio Bellifera has become symbolic—the enduring reminder that a Rift does not merely deposit new peoples upon the world, but may leave behind wounds that shape the fates of generations.