# The Blight ## Category Living Corruption / Organic Colony / Existential Threat ## Known Facts - The Blight is a living colonial organism. - It has consumed [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Dharan|Dharan]]. - It has appeared near Mealla’s home in [[Ovristan]]. - It has appeared in or around [[Mire Watch Grove]]. - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] has sensed it in [[Solland]]. - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] has heard or communicated with The Blight. - The Blight wants to consume all and make everything one. - The Blight threatens Mealla’s bees and swarms. - The same Blight that consumed [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Dharan|Dharan]] appears to threaten Mealla’s homeland. - In [[Bastion]], Blight-related spores were found falling in the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. - These spores came from a cave-like opening near the base of the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] wall. - Twisted red-speckled vines were found creeping up the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] stonework. - Gardeners and Crownsguard who entered the cave did not return. - Fire worked briefly against the growth, but the rot returned. - A pristine white flower beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] wall caused nearby rot-vines to wither and die. - The Blight recoiled from the flower. - Ryla said this was the only known place in all afflicted areas where such a flower had appeared. ## Known Effects - Consumes or infects land. - Kills or corrupts organic life. - Can affect colonies such as bees, fungus, coral, and rot. - Produces spores in some locations. - Can spread through vines, roots, rot, or similar organic growth. - Appears to have a voice or presence that [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] can perceive. - Kills bees that touch infected vines. - Recoils from the white flower / [[White Flower - Blight Bloom|Blight Bloom]]. ## Known By - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] - [[Elena]], through Dharan’s fall - Ryla - [[Aemon]] - [[Taxon]] - [[Bram Bentley]] - Full party, increasingly - Elarisian diplomats, partially - [[Solland]] authorities, partially ## Connected To - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] - [[Elena]] - [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Dharan|Dharan]] - [[Ovristan]] - [[Mire Watch Grove]] - [[Menagerie Gardens]] - [[Crownshold]] - White flower / [[White Flower - Blight Bloom|Blight Bloom]] - Ryla - [[Bram Bentley]] - [[Elarisian Embassy]] - [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/07 - Characters/07b - Antagonists and Unknown Alignment/Boristov Sokah|Boristov Sokah]] - Bees and organic colonies - [[Dwell]], possibly but not confirmed - Ithis, possibly but not confirmed ## Open Questions - What created The Blight? - Is The Blight natural, divine, arcane, planar, engineered, or something else? - Can The Blight be stopped? - Can it be cured? - Can it be communicated with safely? - Why can [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] hear it? - Is The Blight one mind, many colonies, or something more complex? - Is the Blight in [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Dharan|Dharan]], [[Ovristan]], [[Mire Watch Grove]], and [[Solland]] all the same entity? - Why did the white flower appear beneath [[Crownshold]]? - Can the white flower be grown elsewhere? - Is [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Elaris]] trying to cure The Blight or control the cure? - Is The Blight connected to the [[Shadowfell]], Old Gods, [[The Order]], or none of them? ## Sessions 49-55 Updates - Mealla established clearer communion with the rot beneath the Crownhold. - The rot is not a mindless colony. It is deliberate, calculated and manipulative. - It framed itself as natural growth and reclamation, while attempting to entice Mealla into joining with it. - It confirmed that missing gardeners and guards had become part of it. - The rot believes something was stolen from it and regards surface peoples as usurpers. - Ryla reported similar sightings in other capital cities. - Dharan and Ravak have fallen; Stonehouse, Hope and Innistar were reported to show early signs. - The visible growth beneath the Menagerie was only part of its spread; Mealla sensed it beyond walls and beneath the city. - When the [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/09 - Items, Artifacts & Documents/Rose of Igoda]] disappeared, the rot surged rapidly. - Fire, magic and alchemy hurt it and delayed it, but did not stop it. ## Current Status The infestation remains active beneath [[Bastion]]. Mages and alchemists are attempting to contain it with fire while the party are underground.