Curse of Strife

Curse of Strife

The insidious voice of the Strife Emperor, both damnable and damning, invades the minds of countless people across Tal'Dorei who have been afflicted by the Curse of Strife. The curse is especially prevalent in Rifenmist, where the Strife Emperor's faithful Clerics bestow it upon their soldiery, transforming them into perfect weapons of war. The curse acts in unpredictable ways, turning some into chaotic berserkers, others into obedient legionnaires, and others still into selfish, isolationist thieves. Cultists of the Strife Emperor also use their power to covertly spread the curse throughout hospitable and kind communities across Exandria, aiming to destroy them from within and make them more susceptible to conquest.
Origin of Strife. Such transformations are the result of the Strife Emperor's torment, which whispers constantly in the victims' minds. The free goblinkin of Tal'Dorei regard those who spread the curse with special contempt—and those who suffer from it with immense pity.
For centuries, small-minded people in Tal'Dorei have feared goblins because they are the children of the Strife Emperor. But while the first goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears were created in the Calamity as soldiers for this fell god, the curse does not linger in their blood—it spreads via those who pledge their souls to the Strife Emperor. Clerics of the Strife Emperor can use the bestow curse spell to inflict the Curse of Strife.
Curing the Curse. Creatures who experience kindness or suffer near-death experiences can have epiphanies that allow their true self to tear through the bloody shroud of the Strife Emperor's lies. A curse-afflicted creature who spends one week being treated with love and compassion instead of hatred and fear can make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw, breaking the curse on a success. The remove curse spell also immediately ends the curse—and many reformed clerics of the Strife Emperor have united with Clerics of other faiths to loosen the bloody god's grip on their families.