The Corruption

Don't go too far out from shore, kid... Otherwise, the corruption will get ya, and your whole family will be gone in a month

The corruption is the mysterious character in the myth, a Drink of Ichor. An exact description of the character is not a solid concept, and every time the story is told, it is described differently. Common aspects generally refer to the character being Ravager like with the black sclera. Added attributes involve the character wearing robes made from sea weed the colour of tar, and generally looking wet, as if they had pulled themselves up from the ocean onto the sailors' ship. Other factors, like the gender of The Corruption, are all up to the person telling the story.

What is always the same about the character is that they are a tricky creature, seeming to immediately pull on what the sailors wanted most in order to cause the Devastation to spread. They never threaten anyone, at least not directly, though they seem to prefer the silence of the sea rather than the noisy people that have decided to intrude on their domain. That is, in the original forms of the story. In versions where the storyteller tries to spin the sailors as refusing the Drink of Ichor when it is offered, The Corruption immediately becomes hostile. But considering how long after the actual Devastation pandemic this version of the retelling first occurred, it isn't truly considered part of the lore.

Still, the creature is considered to be incredibly dangerous, especially since it does do exactly what it says it will. Perhaps it cannot lie, or perhaps it does not care to, knowing that how it presents the truth is enough to have those come head over heels into the darkness.

For those that lived during the height and the aftermath of the Devastation pandemic though, a figure with dark scleras and magic that consumes the surrounding light coming towards you offering exactly what you've always dreamed of, was a very real reality. The truth behind the figure that is The Corruption is further away from most children's bedrooms now, but the Ravagers are always out there. Especially for those that don't have walls covered in soldiers or Force Fields to keep them away.

Type

Mythical Character

Story

Drink of Ichor

Fabled Domain

Oceans