Avishraa Reloaded

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====== Doomtouched ======
Though the magic of the [[chosen:|Chosen]] is perhaps the best-known of the types of supernatural ability to be found upon [[universe:mikurmiya:Avishraa]] - not counting [[concept:enchantment|enchanting]], which is though of more as a branch of learning - it is not by far the only one. The Chosen have a dark mirror of themselves in those that are called the **Doomtouched**, and it might be wondered whether the latter may have contributed to the poor reputation of the former.
 
Unlike the Chosen, whose powers are of many kinds and uses, the Doomtouched have only one power: to destroy and annihilate, gifted to them by a terrible patron.

===== Cause =====
Bound in its eternal chains in the dark realms beyond our own, [[extrinsic:Hunger]] rages, driven mad by its terrible need to consume all else, and its enforced inability to do so.
 
But the nature of the [[extrinsic:|Extrinsics]] is such that they are a part of every [[universe:froth|mortal universe]] in some fashion. Restrained though Hunger is, its influence is nonetheless felt in the relentless onslaught of entropy through which all things fall, in the end, to oblivion.
 
It loathes all that exists independent of it. But it is capable of recognizing, in a dim way, those mortal minds that share something of its loathing. Perhaps it is wrong to say that Hunger appreciates them; but it sees their utility in speeding up, however infinitesimally, the end of their universe. And to those that seem especially promising, it may offer a tiny fragment of its power as a gift - or a welcome curse - so that they can more effectively act on their loathing.

Aside from the requirement of personality and worldview, those that become Doomtouched have little in common; the only requirements appear to be that they be sentient enough to feel the appropriate hate or loathing for the world, and sapient enough to understand where to direct their power of destruction. [[Takma:]] and [[xtauh:]] alike have become Doomtouched; presumably the [[orghysh:]] might do the same.

===== Mechanism =====
One so chosen receives a communication from Hunger. There are no words; there is no voice. There is, however, a sort of communion: a sudden knowledge of a presence that shares one's feelings for the world, and of a power that might also be shared. If, in that moment of realization, the one chosen is eager for the chance, then they become Doomtouched.
 
If they recoil, the power offered is turned upon them, and they are torn bodily from existence in a soundless eruption of black mist, borne away upon a spectral wind.

Unlike the gifts of the Chosen, which are heritable, to become Doomtouched is entirely within the gift of Hunger.

===== Characteristics =====
At least to begin with, a Doomtouched exhibits few outward signs of their condition; they are not like the Chosen, who are visibly smaller than other takmar. While Doomtouched tend, by their very nature, to be anti-social, they can in theory blend in with others of their species without issue.
 
Their nature only becomes apparent when they use their powers. Visually, the exercise of these powers resembles a wavering black vapor. Projected from the forepaw, or some other of the Doomtouched's body parts, it will spread to an object it touches, in a manner not dissimilar to fire, and begin consuming it, breaking down the entire physical structure of the affected object. When applied to a living victim, the process is perceived as deathly cold and excruciatingly painful even if not fatal; however, the target does not need to be alive or even solid to be affected.

===== Development =====
A Doomtouched begins with relatively feeble abilities, able only to destroy small quantities of matter. But each use of their power deepens their capability to use it; the more often and more strenuously their destructive power is deployed, the more often they can use it and longer they can cause it to consume things before it fades away.
 
As a Doomtouched becomes increasingly powerful, their appearance and behavior will change. There will be a gradual loss of appetite, and usually also of weight. The visual effects of light upon their body will be weakened, and those of shadows and darkness strengthened. Their emotional range will give way to a cold contempt for all other things, until they cease to care about allies even for utilitarian reasons.
 
Eventually, those Doomtouched that fail to be killed by some other means will lose any desire to work within the world, and will instead destroy themselves and all around them in one last great exercise of power, ending in a crater gouged away by their magic.

===== Treatment and prevention =====
Aside from being raised and living such that the proper mindset never develops, there is nothing that can prevent one with such a mindset from receiving the offer of the Doomtouched other than Hunger's own judgment or whim.

It is generally not possible to reverse the state of being Doomtouched while remaining alive. While a Doomtouched may change their perspective on existence sufficiently to lose the favor of Hunger, and have their gift withdrawn, Hunger considers this a rejection, and the result is exactly, and exactly as fatal, as if they had rejected it in the first place. While it is conceivable that the intervention of another Extrinsic might be able to save a Doomtouched from this fate, there are no known instances of this occurring.
 
As with the Chosen - with whom the Doomtouched are often conflated - charms, totems, or prayers may be used to protect oneself or one's children from being cursed, but with no efficacy except in the minds of their users.

===== Associated conditions =====
Aside from the more direct consequences of their gift, there is one that is less visible: to be Doomtouched is to be sterile, and no Doomtouched will produce children. Their patron, seeking to end life and existence, will not suffer its pawns to bring new life into being.

===== History =====
While some history of the Chosen can be reconstructed with reasonable certainty, no such thing can be done for the Doomtouched, who are rarer than the Chosen and far less likely to cooperate with each other or with non-Doomtouched. Unlike the Chosen, there is no reason to think that the Doomtouched began to appear at any particular time or place, and they may well have existed since the dawn of sapience.
 
What history there is of the Doomtouched can be traced mainly through the atrocities of their more prominent or persistent representatives. Among the greatest of these was [[person:Lidraf the Empty]], the Tyrant of the [[geography:ocean:Dawn Sea]], whose [[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thanatocracy|thanatocratic]] rule virtually depopulated the far southeast of [[geography:sekhaa:start|the continent]].

===== Cultural reception =====
Doomtouched are quite rare - more so than Chosen - and awareness of their unique nature is not widespread. Among the takmar, they are typically conflated with the Chosen, and may indeed be partly (but only partly) responsible for the poor reputation of the latter. This usually suits the Doomtouched perfectly well, since the anger of the populace is thereby deflected toward more visible targets. (It is, of course, entirely possible for Chosen to also become Doomtouched, and indeed an unexpectedly high proportion of Doomtouched are Chosen.)
 
The only groups that the Doomtouched may freely and openly associate with are the covens of the [[mythology:imperial_religion:seekers_of_the_depths|Seekers of the Depths]]. As devotees of [[mythology:imperial_religion:lamnar:uvuun]], the [[mythology:imperial_religion:|Imperial]] deity corresponding to Hunger, they hold intense reverence for one gifted with power by their god. This is the only support network that many Doomtouched have, though it may come at the price of having to participate in their rituals.
 
Among the xtauh, who have no Chosen and usually no devotees of Hunger, Doomtouched are often more conspicuous. While few enough that they are rarely connected together as a group, individual Doomtouched, once identified - either by deduction or once their appearance has begun to be affected - must generally become hermits if they wish not to face mob justice.