Futhewia Curse

It’s one of the Dark Curses. It lets a victim stay forever young, at a price.

As mentioned in Dark Device of the Great Chasm, I thought a little background might be in order concerning a nasty little affliction. One mentioned in that story that is actually pretty important, but lingers in the background of the story. Especially important for one character in the story.

So here, we get into this nasty little thing. If you’ve read Dark Device of the Great Chasm, you know just which character I’m talking about! With that, lets get into the Futhewia Curse!

Futhewia Curse

It’s one of the Dark Curses. It lets a victim stay forever young, at a price. Their spirit, ‘heart’, or ‘true self’ is extracted and placed into something else. It suffers wounds, even death, while the victim only goes slowly mad.

— Sentinel Ruathan Bravalo of the Slate Watch Order

Curses. They come in many forms, fashions, and types. They are nasty bits of magic that are sometimes fatal, and always born out of anger, wrath, greed, or desperation. The Futhewia Curse is perhaps the oldest of them all.

This is one of the Dark Curses. A necromantic spell and product of the Dire Arts . As such, it’s also one of the few that are outlawed across most of Awldor. Not because of how the spell affects the victim, but the trail of death, murder, and destruction the victim leaves behind them to feed the magic of the curse. In some ways, over time, the victim becomes as monstrous as the curse itself.

Effect

For anyone that dares use the Futhewia Curse, the reason is personal. A desperate desire to extend their lives to preserve their voice to sing, continue their magical research, perhaps even to preserve a kingdom they rule. That is what the dire magic of the curse is looking for: desperation.

The effects of the curse give them just what they want. An eternal life, protected from the ravages of time and death, leaving them free to pursue their passion. To cause this, the dire magic of the curse splits the person in two. One part exists in the physical realm, in perfect health. Another part is the victim’s spirit or true self. The undead magics keep it preserved like a bug in amber, often in a pocket-sized gemstone or a painting in a small locket.

From that moment on, they are considered a ‘lich’. Any wounds or harm to the victim of the curse are magically transferred to their trapped self in the gem or painting. Both experience the pain, but only the victim’s trapped self suffers the harm. Neither die, but the victim’s ‘second self’? Suffers an eternity of torment that the victim hears in their dreams, or nightmares.

A Price To Pay

It’s a seductive lure. Eternal life with a few nightmares from time to time. But really, that’s just the bait. The curse is tied to the realm of the undead, and anything from the Demiplane of Death always comes with a price.

— Sentinel Ruathan Bravalo of the Slate Watch Order

At first, the cost is subtle. A nightmare or a recurring ache might plague the victim. Recasting the curse, or chasing the ache away with a rich meal, will seem to work. But this is only the beginning.

Over time, the curse whispers in the back of the victim’s mind, suggesting ways to feed it. Fuel it. A victim’s darker emotions fuel the spell leading from enjoying an extravagant meal to bouts of cruelty, even murder. The victim’s anger, fear, and a need to control life around them takes over. Meanwhile, each prick of pain or near death, along with the screams of their ‘second self’ in their nightmares of the years or centuries, brings madness.

The victim can choose to ignore the curse and not pay the price. They do so at their own risk. The Demiplane of Death is unforgiving. If a person tries to avoid paying this ‘blood price’, the magic of the curse causes both halves of the person to feel all the pain and suffering they have caused. But they will never die, just feel the searing agony until they pay the magic’s price.

A Way Out

Someone caught in the jaws of the Futhewia Curse isn’t lost forever. There are ways to escape. The simplest, and most direct, is to destroy the object that contains the person’s ‘second self’. That isn’t a simple task, as the curse drives the person to protect their ‘second self’ at all costs.

But with enough willpower, or help, the vessel can be destroyed with the use of magic spells, or weapons forged with obsidian and steel hardened in the lava from a volcano. At the moment the vessel is cracked, the magic is shattered, and the person experiences every wound they have suffered or caused in life all at once. More often than not, the person dies.

There are always alternatives...

— Sentinel Ruathan Bravalo of the Slate Watch Order

Partial records that date from before the Great Collapse suggest there is another way. It’s less direct and puts the victim in direct conflict with the Demiplane of Death and its magical demands. According to scholars from the Ancient Order , the curse can be undone through a combination of methods.

First, the victim must refuse to feed the spell. The magic of the curse needs to be ‘starved’, which weakens it. After that, each week, the victim must relive the nightmares they have caused, real or imaginary. Every attempt will transfer a wound from the victim’s ‘second self’ back to their actual person. Often a healer must be nearby to keep the victim alive while they go through this. Once the person relives and survives the last nightmare, the curse is broken.

But, the person isn’t ever entirely free. Once the shackles of the curse have been removed, the person will have a faint craving for death magic that will haunt them for the rest of their natural life.

Lorekeeper Notes

This is... horrible. So, Tela and Kiyosi encountered someone under this curse? - Lorekeeper Gwelunis

Yes. Tela told me about it at length. The curse really does leave destruction in its wake. It'll be a long time before she can put that behind her. - Lorekeeper Ihodis Jenro

Why would anyone use this curse? Especially on themselves? - Lorekeeper Gwelunis

Baked goods. - Lorekeeper Rudigar Brockhouse

What? - Lorekeeper Gwelunis

Gwel... are you sure you want to know? - Lorekeeper Ihodis

I... I can't help it. - Lorekeeper Gwelunis

The answer is simple. It's baked goods. I know if I miss out on a fresh baked muffin with that kiss of icing... I'm a perfect monster. I'd be downright desperate. - Lorekeeper Rudigar

Or jelly filled pastries? - Lorekeeper Ihodis

Especially jelly filled pastries! - Lorekeeper Rudigar

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-Kummer Wolfe