Corruption

Corruption is the influence of the will of humanity's collective unconscious made manifest. To Humans Corruption is considered the malign spiritual force creating curses, natural disasters, demons, monsters and evil gods. To the Feikind, Corruption is the source of their magic, which humans and other species unwillginly draw also from.

A raw metaphysical force of change and power, and is both physically and spiritually corrupting, sustained by the darker emotions and deepest psychological drives of various species. While in theory even

"good" emotions such a strong love, loyality or dedication to a cause, could conjur up more positive influences on the world, the fact is that often darker emotions and drives are repressed and often felt much stronger and longer (such as misogyny, discrimination, warlust, etc..), this is the cause of many of the much more prevalent negative aspects of Corrupition. Many daimons embody human "sins" because of it, as it is easier for many to project their negative flaws on to external sources, rather than be truthful to themselves.

While a indiviudal, especially when strongly feeling emotions or having deep-seated subconscious wants, can effect the Natural World, the effect is extremely limited. A nation with a especially superstitious might have a higher occurrence of strange phenomena, than a nations which populace believe in a more "orderly & mundane world". These effects can last for generations beyond the death of said nation for example (evident by the apparent cursed of fei ruins and artifacts). The more people believe in a certain thing, the stronger and more "visible" its effects are. It seems magic is attracted to repeating patterns.

Heavy magic use (even miracle-work associated with Igniteism) causes gradual malformations like growing of extra body parts or elognation of limbs, older magic users are barely human or heavily twisted in appearance, for example a long-term practice of pyromancy causing smoke blowing out of the face or skin bursting open seemingly as if the mage has been cooking from the insideout. The twisted and beastlike outside of the Wildmen is blamed on corrupition and genetic damaged caused by magic-use by their ancestors.

As **Charma** (spells) and "miracles" ulitematly draw their power from the forces that are considered Corruption, their strength depends on the collective believe of humanity in them, (Protection charms can actually protect someone from harm, while cauls will help avoid seafarers from drowing, etc...). While in truth these powers are limitless and not bound by any rules, humanity has in fact imposed a structure upon them, so that spells and magical abilities must be learned, and can not simply be manifested by want. Many mages use implants sown into their bodies to enhance their magic abilities. These implants are shaped into various patterns to amplify the type of magic that is needed to be enhanced. Traditionalists prefer rune to that of implants, such as the Runes used for Protection by the Ignite Kyriarchtry.

Too frequent magic use can be fatal as a sulphuric substance similar in appearance to gallstones can build up in your veins and kill you, the "stones" or **Phleboliths** harvested from the bodies of mages are considered valuable and are refined into jewlery and frequently worn as protection charms. To ward off Strigamas, many newborn wear charms made out of Phleboliths or Cauls. Experienced Magic users have numerous ways to deal with Phleboliths, such as blood-letting or various herbal concoctions.

Magical abillites are realtivly rare. In languages where the majority follows Igniteism there is no word for the people who are magic-users and non-mages.

As Corruption is influenced by preconceived human notions, many daimons take up appearances inspired by human folklore, such as the much more insectoid and monsterous looking False Fei. Tne name **Daimons**  are usually given to spirits without a clear or changeable stances towards non-corrupted beings, while the **Pneuma** or "unclean spirtis" exclusivly refer to malicious entities.

While acording to Kyriarchtry cannon, the only "metaphysical" force is the **Holy Spirit** (an abstract energy or force), who is in turn oppossed by the "**Longing to Evil**" and his Cold Children (Daimons/Pneumas/Heretics/Pagans), it is only the Holy Spirit, the source of all goodness, that can empowers (**Divine Grace**) his followers with spiritual gifts such as the Pyromancy, Charma and Miracles, the usuage/receiving of such spiritual gifts is not seen as "magical" but merely the Grace of the Holy Spirit and his divine intervention. Magic is seen by the Ignites as evil and a drawn from the powers of the Longing to Evil.

Older deities and non-hostile daimons derived from older pagan beliefs are still worshipped by the peasantry, a farmer might makes offering in elderberry groves to honor Holldra who was a Godess of the Weather, or honor the Blind God "Leafed King" by blood sacrifice to guarantee a bountiful harvest or honor Fornatus by baking bread/pastries as Fornatus allegedly formed humanity out of flour and the processes of baking is equated with creating your own homunculus.

## Types of Magic

**Ebullic Magic** *(Pyroic Magic, Pyromancy, Fire Magic or Igniteism)*:

**Kryosic Magic** *(Also known as Ice Magic or simply "Magic" in Igniteism)*: Ice Magic is only allowed to be used only by women, in their local legends a prophecy states that a male with great magical abilities is born every hundred years and thus is destined to be the leader of all Ice mages. This prophecy is the reason why male infants who show magical abilities are purged by the Ice Mages Covens. Ice Magic is only practiced by the people of Mossovy, Yem, Schudja and in Normannia. Kryosic Magic is a refined and "younger" descendant of Hydatic Magic.

**Hydatic Magic** (Skölds & Bogmasters of Mossovy, Ascomanni):

**Chymotic Magic** *(Also called Humoral Magic -due to heavy use of Bodily Fluids-, Primal Magic, Magus Sanguini, Erotical Magic, Blood Magic, Dark Magic or Nature Magic)*: This type of Magic is the oldest in existence, it is often used by less-technological developed society. It makes heavy usage of the immediate surroundings of the mage such as bodily fluids or Nature.

**Umbral Magic** *(Also called Dark Arts, Black Magic, Shadow Magic, "Sanction of Darkness" in Igniteism)*:

### Marriage

Marriage is a religious ritual using Black or Blood magic, it is the complete merger of two or more entities into a horrific chimera. The most "known" product of a Marriage is the God-Goddess Belua who was a merger of the Fallen Man and Women. Belua is to be said to been birthed by Karkisa who was in fact already born pregnant. The concept of Marriage is stricitly restricted to this religious ritual, two mortals might join be Binded in a Handfasting ceremony, to symbolize their bond and produce recognized legitimate offspring.

## Forgotten Gods

In the Old Faith, some say that a Tetrarchy guides and fights over the flow of history. These powerful, self-aware entities comprised solely of psychic energy are said to control the physical dimension,
they are alledlgy responsible for corruption and its magical influence on the world. These four gods, once worshipped in antiquity, are Viridi the God of Nature and War, Karkisa the Goddess of Fate and Change, Fazuza the God of Pestilience and Death and Belua the God-Goddess of Love and Creation.

Many Forgotten Gods became localized into myths, like Viridi who is known as **Zuantovit** in Pogania, **Fornatus** in Laresia, **Swantewich** or **W(G)oden** in Sudveg and **Russa Bozh** (divine dawn) in Mossovy.

## True Corruption or Mutation

Mutation is commonly what most people's minds wander to when they think of corruption, it is the process by which a creature acquires unnatural changes to their physical, mental, or spiritual attributes. The threat of physical contamination is ever-present, and all mortals keep a watchful eye for the telltale signs of corruption.

### Natal Corruption & Wildmen

each year, more and more children are born tainted, twisted, and corrupted by the terrifying power of the Dark Gods. And these are not minor defects, no, these are the abominations, those creatures born inhuman, more beast than Human, evil made manifest in the flesh.

Among the lost children, strange maladies appear in their tender and seemingly innocent flesh. A baby might be born with the legs of a rooster or sporting a third eye in the centre of its brow. Tentacles, fur, gross size, bestial, conjoined twins tied together with the bonds of perverted flesh, and worse.

Misguided parents take their children to lonely places in the woods, or leave them in bowers of reeds that will take them who knows where. In cities, parents guiltily place their spawn in the sewers or set them loose in the streets of the poorest quarters. The most foolish actually attempt to hide their offspring, pretending, in their despair, that nothing is wrong with their treasured offspring.

Sometimes, a child may appear normal for the first few years of its life. But, eventually, some physical change takes place. Changes of eye colour, lengthening of the face, or even the growth of horns are the most common first signs that something has gone terribly wrong.

Invariably, these lost souls find their way into a herd of Wildmen, and, all too often, the children return to their villages to feast upon the parents who spared them.

### Corruption of Nature & False Fei

Tainted places. vellers tell of places of warped and twisted landscapes, where the trees leak foul, ochre fluid, and the very earth moans from its corruption. Bizarre creatures abound, such as those that have been spotted in the Wasteland, or even the occasional anomaly captured by hunters — stories abound of three-eyed deer, horned rabbits, turtles that speak, and the amphisbaena.

### Genetics

Magical abilities (or "affinity to the divine" to Igniteism) are believed to be heritable and passed down by genetics. There several important families known for their alleged proneness to magic. Since the strict oversight and assimilation into the Kyriarchtry required by the Ignites, the unions of highly prone magic users is several looked down upon. The offspring of aforementioned unions are send away cloisered away from their families and siblings tend to be scattered among distant Kathismas. The ruling families of the Morrowlands and the Saltanah of Sharila keep records of the genealogies of families which were known to produce a magi or **Rasul**, descent from Melekh Qarmat al-Nasdira sons is a surefire way to highest echelons of Morrowlander society. The **Rashidun** (the blood lineage of the Rasul Qarmat al-Nasdira) control all major nations of Pachora and the Morrowlands.

### Nefarian Tide

A Nefarian Tide is a seemingly random event where a large combination of pneumas gather together in large armies seemingly only committed to the ruination of the mortal world. The Pneumas seem to get stronger and take on much more elaborate appearances during a Tide. Like waves of evil the pneumas crash on the Halpless human settlements. Due to the seemingly random and unknown nature of a Tide, there are various interpreations by various cultures, it is however seen by most cultures in a similar vein to a drought or plague than an invading army.

However it is believed that the strenght of a Tide is increased by the fear of sentient beings and the general sense of instability and chaos, it is alleged by unorthodox sources that agent of a tide will cause actions that ensure increased chaos, since a Nefarian Tide is more akin to a rat-plague than an "army of darkness", this amount of supposedly coherent planning is dismissed by most.