“And so I curse your child. All he touches shall be numb to his skin. His body becomes a wall. He will never be able to feel the outside world as others can, nor shall others feel him.”
That was before he was born.
Prologue: Regarding Curses…
Curses, a symbol of misfortune.
A curse, simply put, is a condition meant to bring harm onto whoever is targeted and can easily bring calamity on even the environment around them. How curses began is roughly left to rumors. There is no point in discussing them here as the majority of the rumors vary from person to person.
However, there is one common thing that every rumor seems to tie back to. It is a mysterious name who almost always seems to pop up when referring to the origins of curses. He is known as the God Who Gave Birth To The Cursed. Whether this is true or whether this person was in fact the first victim of curses is unknown. What happened in this man’s life and what happened to him upon his death is also unknown. It is also currently unclear if this man ever even existed as records of him don’t seem to exist anywhere. Similarly, if this man did exist, then it is possible that he is still alive, hiding away somewhere despite the centuries that have passed. All that we have is speculation. The one thing we do have is a single name…
Grim.
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While curses are considered to be evil, they have various advantages to being used, such as special enhancement, concealment, or obedience. However, curses also come with the side effect of taking something from those inflicted.
There are various ways to tell if somebody is cursed, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or behaviorally. Due to the restrictions placed by curses, the inflicted, also known simply as the Cursed, tend to display rejection towards those that the curse could hurt, whether by hiding things or by keeping one’s distance. Other cases appear as a marking or crest on the body, one which can vanish at the will of the caster. Of course, this is not necessarily the case for some people. However, there is always one distinct feature that the Cursed all have: their eye color is distorted and changed into ruby, emerald, or sapphire until the curse is removed or until the target is killed.
There are, of course, other curses with different eye colors. I won’t discuss them here, but in comparison to the Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphire Curses mentioned above, these kinds of curses are significantly stronger and can even last generations. In fact, it is not uncommon that various races have been born thanks to the birth of curses. Vampires, certain forms of Werebeasts, and Gargoyles, for example, have been born. They are, however, hidden from the world, and so, information regarding them has been scarce over the centuries.
Regarding the classification of curses as well as specific types of curses, please refer to the Encyclopedia of Curses written by Barnabas Hemphrey. For information regarding Cursed Races, refer to The Count’s Studies on the Monsters of the World by Count Rosemary Claruda.
“I have seen many curses in my day. They are both splendid and terrifying to behold. In one such case, I saw a man who was granted the ability to reattach his limbs that were severed from his body. However, with every amalgamation, the more grotesque his body became. Ultimately, he became a monster devoid of reason. Whosoever reads this book, take heed. Meddling in curses guarantees misfortune upon your enemies, but it also guarantees misfortune on those around them. For the reader, beware. If one dabbles with curses too much, then they too will one day find themself cursed. Don’t be foolish like this old man…”
-Johannes Famut XXVI, Former King of the Fallen Kingdom of Famut
