Struthian Radiation
When the comet hit Visctheria, everything changed.
The Impact of the Strutheo Star was a massive event, destroying most of the life on Visctheria in mere moments. The few survivors that happened to be far enough away from the initial impact and subsequent blast of energy were forced to deal with something new in the aftermath: Radiation.
Properties
Before the Impact, Magic was something to be used. Absorbed and processed by every living Visctherian via their Ley Gland, it was a part of life, and few creatures on Visctheria had adverse reactions to the energy. But after the Strutheo Star struck the world, that Magic twisted into something darker, a force that would destroy at the cellular level.
Barely visible to the naked eye, Struthian Radiation has a slight reddish tint with faint crackling sparks of gold. If you know how to spot it, patches of higher concentration can be easy to avoid. However, even avoiding clusters of the Radiation can put you at risk, as it is more than just airborne. It can permeate anything it comes into contact with, moving along the very atoms of an item, place, or being. It also spreads this way, and only Magic barriers can keep it at bay.
Obviously, using Magic to create those barriers is a high risk post-Impact, as the very use of Magic can generate the Radiation. The Magic that once came from the Strutheo Star is now dangerous and volatile, forcing Magic users to come up with alternative, safer methods to employ what they used to depend on for even the basics of modern life.
Effects
Don't get close to him! He's been Starstruck. Leave him to his fate.
Magic became unprocessable by the Ley Gland, and would invade and infect the body of the exposed Visctherian at a microlevel, forcing their bodies to deconstruct slowly - or quickly, depending on the amount of Radiation they were exposed to. Once infected, the timer is fast and unpredictable, leading to the highest death rate of any condition ever seen before on Visctheria.
Exposed individuals will first start to feel nauseous as their Gland fails to process the energy, and will quickly progress into full radioactive meltdown. Being 'Starstruck', as it came to be known, would result in first glowing eyes as the Magic sought to vent from the body, and then further decomposition of cellular structure while the individual was still alive.
Being near Starstruck individuals can lead to exposure to the Radiation and additional infection, and large groupings of the Starstruck can accelerate the process. In the early days after the Impact, those who had been infected would often form pods or groups to attempt to speed up the process and leave the painful misery behind.
Life into Death
While Magic was once a life-giving force on Visctheria, the Impact forced Visctherians into a state of survival of the fittest. The world became a lottery, as no one knew who would be most affected. Some who had greater exposure and interaction with Magic throughout their lives survived with no issue, while some that had been using Magic almost since birth were cut down with no warning. It seemed entirely dependent on the body's ability to process large amounts of Magic, and if you had trouble casting larger workings at any point, you were almost certainly doomed.
Post-Impact Living
The name 'Strutheo' became a curse word in the wake of the destruction, often resulting in phrases like "Strutheo take him," or "by Strutheo." Few individuals who survived on Visctheria in the aftermath gave thought to the fact that without Strutheo himself, this Impact would have been entirely unknown, and more than likely far more destructive than it had been.
Comments