Soul Breaching
Soul Breaching is a condition afflicting damaged Warforged . It can occur at any time in their indeterminate lifespan due to physical damage sustained by their Soul Cloister or, in exceedingly rare cases, extreme mental stress. Defined by common symptoms such as lethargy, memory loss, and immobility and uncommon ones such as magical shockwaves, the condition worsens in a cascading nature. It is ultimately terminal and has no known cure, but can be treated under appropriate circumstances. Warforged with this condition are considered 'dead men walking' as they gradually succumb to the symptoms. On average, a Warforged affected will have six months to a year before their permanent death.
Hospices to assist in the comfortable passing of Soul Breaching patients are set up in every Consulate city by the Office of Warforged Affairs in accordance with The Seventh Guarantee of the Consulate Constitution; some Consulate Embassies in the southern Duchies of Finality offer similar services for Warforged travelers should they develop the condition abroad. Every hospice maintains a copy of the Forge Ledger to record passings of Warforged and their serial numbers to align with Consulate census code and Didacy record-keeping.
Symptoms
The primary symptoms of the condition are confusion, lethargy, and memory loss which cascade into complete disorientation, immobility, and personality drift. Eventually the condition results in full catatonia and death. Rare cases exhibit symptoms such as magical instability and shockwaves emitted from the Soul Cloister.
Another known sign of Soul Breaching is the blackening of the Soul Blood as the Soul Cloister is no longer capable of sustaining the soul within. The Soul Blood Compound appears to develop impurities and becomes similar to sticky black tar. It is believed that this is a major reason for the immobility symptoms.
Treatment
While no known cure exists, the main treatment is regular transfusion of the Warforged blood compound known as Soul Blood. Production of the compound is prohibited by the Treaty of the Starfall, but all healthy Warforged are capable of generating more over time within their own bodies. Donations are highly regulated by the Office of Warforged Affairs and The Didacy. Regular transfusions allows the Cloister to regulate itself more readily and reduce the sped of degradation; however, this is only a temporary delay as the effectiveness becomes reduced with each transfusion. Some cases have been observed of any gap in a transfusion schedule resulting in rapid cascading onsets of major symptoms and death.
The most common treatment, however, is hospice care. Warforged hospices typically provide the maximum comfort possible for the Warforged in their care. Many are equipped with transfusion services, as well as spaces dedicated to recreation and relaxation. Often times, hospices are currently decorated in accordance with the style of the early 71st-75th centuries, complete with recreated literature and staff briefed in events of the time to discuss with patients. This time period was chosen as "middle point" for the cascading memory loss between the oldest and newest memories, as such they will be the final memories a patient will remember and will be the strongest anchor point for their comfort. End of life services include expense-covered visits from other Warforged friends, oral history transcription, group song sessions for Warforged work songs, and options for assisted death should the Warforged desire it.
Upon death at a hospice, their lives and oral histories are recorded with the Office of Warforged Affairs and their names recorded in the Forge Ledger as having been "Killed in the Line of Duty."
Prognosis
The condition typically takes place in three stages after the initial damage to the Cloister. The final stage is always ended with the permanent death of the Warforged as there are no known methods of Cloister repair. On average a Warforged has between six months to a year to live after the onset, but there have been recorded Soul Breaching cases lasting as long as a century.
Stage 1: Initial Onset is defined by the Warforged becoming highly lethargic. These begin immediately upon onset. Memory fog is also common and gradually expands to confusion and eventually memory loss. Unlike normal Warforged memory limits, the memory loss begins at the most recent events and progresses backwards. After the discovery of the 5000 year memory limit, Warforged experiencing Soul Breaching have described their life experiences slipping away "at both ends," causing severe personality drift as formative life experiences are erased. Additionally, instability in Warforged combat abilities become apparent such as random deployment of weapons from their body sheathes and even random casting of spells for mages. In some rare cases, some Warforged begin to sing ambling and melody-free songs. Often times orange tendrils of light can be seen eminating from the surface of the Cloister.
Stage 2: Late Stage is defined by little to no mobility from the Warforged's body and usually begins three months to three years after the onset. This usually begins in the extremeties furthest away from the Cloister Setting (usually in the cranium) and moves inward. At this point, the confusion and memory loss have progressed to the point of total disorientation. In fits of confusion, rare cases have been documented of Warforged releasing forceful shockwaves originating from their soul cloisters. These usually damage their chassis and anything in a 10ft radius. This is believed to be the Soul attempting to free itself from the Cloister. By the end of this stage, many Warforged find themselves
Stage 3: Catatonia and Death are the universal final symptoms. On average, this stage begins one year to a decade after onset of initial symptoms. The Warforged will typically fall into a sleep while still remaining functioning, a condition many Warforged find disturbing as their species is not capable of sleep under normal circumstances. This state lasts for one to five days before all signs of life cease and the Cloister breaks. At this point, very little of the soul, magic, or energy remains in the Cloister, resulting in the Cloister quietly shattering with very little else of note. In more extreme cases where a Soul Breach is induced by another or by the Warforged themself to avoid the prolonged death, it is punctuated by a high-pitched scream as the energy releases, followed by a small but forceful shockwave.
Prevention
Official Didacy guidelines for Soul Cloister maintenance recommend no more than 23 Fedrons of force (roughly five pounds) be exerted on the surface of a Soul Cloister to prevent potential the start of a Soul Breaching event. Any further damage sustained could result in the Cloister shattering and the soul being lost. Blunt force typically results in a Cloister fully breaking, whereas concentrated or piercing impacts will result in cracks and the start of a Soul Breach.
Most recommendations from the Office of Warforged Affairs provide guidance on avoiding more than three consecutive centuries of prolonged stress to prevent Soul Breaching. Most instances of mental-onset Soul Breaching have occurred during times of societal strife, war, or natural disaster.
Epidemiology
The condition is purely isolated to the individual and is dependent upon the physical state of their soul cloister or their prolonged mental health. Physical-damage onset Soul Breaching is entirely dependent on avoiding physical damage to the Cloister.
Records and quantification of a mental-onset case of Soul Breaching are more difficult to ascertain as it is entirely dependent on the individual. Prolonged periods of individual or collective anguish, despair, stress, and depression have been known to lead to stress fractures in the surface of the Soul Cloister.
Cultural Reception
In the Didacian Consulate, individuals afflicted by Soul Breaching are given every courtesy available to ease their discomfort. As Warforged are considered by many to be manifestations of their ancestor as well as societal elders, the loss of even a single Warforged can shake a community, and witnessing a prolonged death is profoundly upsetting. As such, any Warforged suffering from Soul Breaching is given total priority.
Type
Physiological
Origin
Magical
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Common
Affected Species
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