Witherblight

Witherblight is a plant-affecting disease originating from Shydar, a god of death and decay currently imprisoned on the celestial object Vunetania. Witherblight spreads throughout territories that Shydar and the daemons control, causing the collapse of ecosystems and helping further Sydar's goals of the utter end of all life. Mortals are terrified of witherblight and go to great lengths to combat it, but unfortunately their options to do so are limited.

Causes

Witherblight begins to take hold of an area's plant life in the presence of Shydar's Daemons. Once they have inhabited an area for long enough, death follows. Thus, the main way to prevent the spread of witherblight is to defend against the daemons to keep current borders or push them back.

Symptoms

As its name implies, witherblight causes plants to wither and die, even when they have plenty of nutrients, turning black and crumbling to dust. This leaves Shydar's territories as barren wastelands inhabited only by daemons and willfully starving cultists.

Treatment

If the daemon presence is eradicated quickly enough after the witherblight begins to take hold, plants may be able to recover. Otherwise, growth has to begin anew if an area is fully ruined.

Prevention

Areas of plant life which house guardian spirits such as green men can often survive while their surroundings are blighted, but if the guardian is killed, the area will quickly fall.

History

Shydar has made use of witherblight to bring death as long as he has lived, and it was because of the witherblight that Vunetania's ecosystem was destroyed, creating the barren planetoid that it now is.

Cultural Reception

While most are horrified by the witherblight, some mortals are awed at its deadliness and seek to weaponize it by directing daemon invasions at their enemies. Those who hate the world and wish for its end find the witherblight's existence comforting, and many become cultists worshiping Shydar.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Divine

Cycle

Short-term