Rift Sickness

My mother had it.

She didn’t know, at the time, not whilst she was having me. But after I was born - a month or two, I think… well, that’s what the old man told me - the symptoms started.

She died before I’d even reached half a year. My father not long after. Took out a quarter of the people living in the village.

And me?

I’ve been dying of it my whole life. The bloody thing just hasn’t decided to finish the job yet.

— Tribute to the Lost

A deadly disease, one that many are completely unaware they have until it is far too late. Rift Sickness is caused by coming into contact with the Rift. Its potency can vary, much to the continued annoyance and confusion of various scientists across the globe, and it takes a toll on both the afflicted and those caring for them.

Contracting Rift Sickness

As mentioned previously, the most common way of contracting Rift Sickness is by coming into contact with the Rift. Now, this doesn’t mean touching the Rift (no one has been brazen enough to try their luck yet). It means getting close enough to the Charged Negative magic emanating from it.

The confounding thing is that there seems to be no true way of measuring this proximity. Some people could stand within a mile of one of its Anchor Points and be completely unaffected, whilst others could simply travel to the continent of Perhl, situated directly beneath the Rift, and come away worse for wear.

The other way is to come into contact with someone already afflicted. This means prolonged exposure in extremely close proximity, for example occupying the same building as a Rift Sick individual for a month. Easy to avoid, so long as you know the person is afflicted.

Therein lies the problem. Symptoms take a long time to show, so by the time you realise someone is Rift Sick, it is already too late.

Symptoms

Mentions of blood

The severity of the symptoms and when they start to show depend on the individual. Usually, it takes between 6 and 18 months to develop symptoms. However, there have been a number of cases where symptoms have taken longer to develop.

This length appears to be tied to two things: the individual and their proximity to / time spent near the Rift (or a Rift Sick individual).

Spoiler Warning Additional Information - Factors related to symptom development

Whilst Materians and Dyrus have been unable to pinpoint the exact underlying factors, there are a handful of individuals who have identified them - though they are keeping this information to themselves.

Where the ‘individual’ is concerned, those that have a soul that is already more Negatively Aligned will be affected quicker than those with a soul more Positively Aligned. This is the prevailing factor when developing Rift Sickness. Individuals with positively aligned souls are also unable to contract Rift Sickness from someone who already has it.

Where proximity / duration is concerned, it gets a little trickier. For proximity, there is a safe zone, followed by a hazard zone, and then an at risk zone. The safe zone is furthest away from the Rift, the at risk zone closest to the Rift (or an Anchor Point), and the hazard zone lies between these two points. This is why an individual can come within a mile of an Anchor Point and be fine, whilst others aren’t so lucky. As for duration, spending longer in either the hazard or at risk zones will increase your odds of contracting Rift Sickness.

Photo by Matheus Vinicius

When symptoms do show, they start as a cough. Innocuous. Easy enough to mistake for something else.

Then the cough worsens, becoming a burning sensation not just in the lungs, but all over the chest cavity. The burning sensation may come and go in bouts, often lulling people into a false sense of security.

Over time the individual will begin to feel more lethargic, struggling to perform any high energy tasks.

Eventually, the individual will begin to spit up blood when coughing.

At first, the blood will look a normal colour. As their condition deteriorates, the blood will begin to show in blue and gold specks, before coagulating in thicker clumps. These blue and gold specks will also begin to show up on the individual’s skin, particularly around the eyes, nose, mouth, and extremities such as fingers and toes.

There is no known cure for Rift Sickness. It will always end in death.

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Origin

Magical, specifically due to the Charged Negative magic from the Rift.

Affected Species

Dyrus
Materian

Most species of fauna, flora and fungi are susceptible to Rift Sickness. There are a few that appear to be immune to the disease, but researchers have yet to understand what makes them immune.

Unusual Circumstances

It is possible for a Rift Sick individual to give birth to a child. However, this is extremely rare - most die either before or during birth.

Those born in such a manner are referred to as Rift Walkers. Their symptoms are milder (only coughing blood and the burning sensation within the chest cavity, no outward appearance changes) but even then their condition is still a death sentence. Many do not live to see past the 18 year mark.

Conversely to Rift Sick individuals, you cannot contract the affliction from Rift Walkers.