Curse of Ruin
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.
Treatment
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.
History
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.
Type
Divine
Origin
Divine
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