Beast Ire

Fear the Blood of Beasts

A well intentioned gift from a god turned into a living nightmare.

During the First Age, Kerndall, the king of beasts, sought to give the people of Zol the strength and instincts of beasts. He spilled his own blood into the lakes and rivers of Zol. Those who drank of the waters were granted whispers of power, and strange dreams.

Some did not notice, or even undergo the effects. Those who did felt a strong urge to follow their new bestial instincts, and abandon their societal bonds. It manifested as pulling sensation to the wilderness. Those who gave in abandoned their old lives to seek the source of this yearning.

They lived like primal people: hunting, scavenging, and howling under moonlight. The more they gave in, the more they grew in their strength. Bestial blood began to fill their veins. It increased their physical abilities, senses, and furthered the odd dreams.

Kerndall meant for these people to be a legion of strong beings, true to his ways. By his ideals, they could defend themselves with no need for society and laws. Directly experiencing the wonder of nature day in, and day out.

For a time it was a sort of paradise for these people. The towns and cities they abandoned were left in shock and fear for their vanished loved ones, but it only created mass panic, rather than full blown pandemonium. Though it was not long before the habits of mortals began to reemerge in these bestial peoples.

Some of the changed individuals sought more than the life of a simple beast, they hunted larger and larger prey. Eventually they began hunting each other, consuming them, and gaining much more of Kerndall’s essence through biomagnification. Their greed began to drive the transformation down a dark path. Their forms became monstrous, and their minds mad. People in the cities watched in horror as half-man-half-beast creatures lurked around their city’s outskirts.

Eventually the hunts began. People from the cities took up arms against these creatures. They began to search for them at night by lanternlight. Those who did so gained the name Bloodhunters, and the hunted were called Beastmen. The affliction itself was dubbed Beast Ire, a Curiosity.

The Beastmen were extremely powerful, and their minds had devolved to madness. It took warriors of equal strength and great determination to slay them. Many warriors began consuming small doses of blood from slain Beastmen to increase their physical and magical abilities for a short time. Over-usage of the blood caused a slow, but unstoppable development of Beast Ire.

The affliction was furthered by thralls of powerful Beastmen. Their power had grown so great, they could overpower the wills of weak mortals, and turn them into beast-like monstrosities that were loyal to them. The thrall’s affliction was a strangely contagious thing and it spread quickly as viscous plague.

The exact method of transference was never determined, but over-exposure to beings that bore the affliction would occasionally cause individuals to succumb to the sickness. Bites and scratches from Beastmen seemed to accelerate this, however merely being in proximity to them for too long could cause it. The weaker one’s will was, the more likely they would fall victim to the disease. Eventually the condition mutated enough to affect regular beasts as well. Bloodhunters that fought well seemed largely resistant to the transformation, however they were plagued by maddening thoughts. Academics debated about it being some bloodborne or airborne pathogen. Other’s believed the method of transference was magical in nature.

Bloodhunters who were interviewed by academics spoke of eldritch, nigh incomprehensible knowledge being revealed to them in dreams and visions. However they couldn’t put the concepts to words efficiently. This sparked small academic branches, and churches who were obsessed with prospects of beast blood.

Kerndall sought to stop the affliction, but it had taken on a life of its own. Zol was tainted by the plague, and the conflict between mortals and Beastmen had turned The Prime into a nightmarish world since Beast Ire had become contagious. As the crisis progressed, the people of Zol went into hiding. As the Curiosity spread into the cities. The only solace that the mortal world had, was sunlight. Beastmen feared the light of day, and only stalked during the night.

The symptoms of Beast Ire:

• The earliest symptoms are typically nightmares and a feeling of power
• Increased strength, constitution and speed
• Heightened senses
• Extreme hunger
• Aversion of water and sunlight
• Obsession with lanternlight
• Madness
• In its most advanced state, the afflicted will develop any number of beast like traits
  • Fur, scales, amphibian traits, insectoid traits, or feathers
  • Glowing eyes
  • Sharp teeth
  • Horns or antlers
  • Claws or hooves
  • Elongated limbs
  • Quadrupedal mobility
  • Extra limbs
  • Increase size
    • Some rare cases an afflicted will be over 15 meters in length
  • In its most powerful state, beings will take on a nightmarish appearance. Long strange hair, many eyes, dark tendrils, exposed bone and viscera, an aura of madness, and unique magical abilities are just some examples of what powerful Beastmen manifest.

• The people of Zol had to hide in their homes save for hours around midday when the sun was at its most intense.
• Proximity to the afflicted caused nightmares which haunted the population, and supposedly turned them to thralls on occasion.
• Many brave individuals had to become Bloodhunters to defend the cities and cull the numbers of Beastmen
• Some Beastmen became so powerful they gained worshippers
• Some cities fell completely and were left to ruin. Others only fell for a time like Little Triumph, Zessgorn or Reach Run
• Races of beings who already bore beast-like traits faces great discrimination during these times. They segregated, exiled, and even executed for their beast-like heritage. These races were:
  • Harengon
  • Tabaxi
  • Aarakocra
  • Owlin
  • Kenku
  • Grung
  • Triton

Bloodhunters were able to kill off all of the known powerful Beastmen after years of vigorous labor. However the affliction was still present as thralls roamed Zol. It was thought that Zol would never be rid of Beast Ire. But one day the spread seemed to halt. Druids later discovered that Kerndall had struck a deal with The Wasp Eater. The Wasp Eater had seemingly played a hand in the plagues contagious nature, and had bested Kerndall. Their deal would have the remaining affliction transferred into Kerndall’s body, and the spread would cease. Kerndall would then become the servant of The Wasp Eater.

Kerndall was maddened by the affliction, and was dubbed Kerndall, the Feral King. His son Ralatas, Prince of Beasts took his throne. Slowly, Zol began to return to normalcy.

Some of the original peoples who abandoned society to live in the forest never gave into the greed and prospects of beast blood. They instead hid in remote locations, maintaining Kerndall’s original ideals. After the resolution of Beast Ire, they were granted new forms by Ralatas, Prince of Beasts. A cast of peoples now known as the Beastfolk.

It is thought that Beast Ire is a dark thing of the past, however some believe that powerful Beastmen are still out there.