Lucience

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The Crystal Biome is a breathtaking sight. Filled with beauty and dangers alike, the biome is almost a living breathing organism. So much so, it has wants and needs. The most notable want is to make those within as beautiful as itself. When a person settles inside The Crystal Biome, or lingers for too long, the forest will begin to settle within them. These people are known as The Lucient. The Crystal Biome slowly crystallizes a person, making them one with their surroundings. However, not all who are affected survive the metamorphosis process...

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Physical Changes

The Lucient had one very distinct physical attribute; Gem-like structures protruding from the Lucient’s skin. Each person affected with the trait would gain the physical appearance of one particular gem such as rubies, sapphires, or jades to name a few.

Once someone has started the process of becoming Lucient, the symptoms would be almost unnoticeable at first, however, after a sept, their skin would become noticeably itchy in the spots where gems would form. Overnight, the Lucient would have to undergo a painful process where the gems would break through their skin and form into full clusters.

These changes weren't all bad, however. The skin of a Lucient was thicker than normal, making them more resistant to slashing and piercing attacks. This was due to the gem’s symbiotic trait of trying to metamorphose the Lucient to be one with the biome and their lifespan doubled.

Gems had a rare chance to be grown in places that would hinder one of the five senses. Gems grew from their eyes, ears, or mouth causing their senses to be impaired or lost entirely.

Though often confused with a disease, Lucience was far more than that, it was a mutation that transformed the subject into something new entirely, offering more than what meets the eye, an indication of this, is the blood of a Lucient, which would have a noticeable pearlescent sheen once a Lucient had been fully assimilated. Something perhaps more noticeable was a change in eye color to that of the singular gem type they were bonded to. Depending on their skin tone or race the other color changes would also occur. Fur changing color, Scales assimilating to match the gem or even fey wings gaining a more crystal like appearance.

Mental Changes

There were little mental changes when becoming a Lucient. The most notable were the sense of protection and familial bond one would feel for not only the forest, but others who shared the mutation.

Effects

Those becoming Lucient were essentially being assimilated into the Crystal Biome. It’s not meant to harm the person, the goal is to condition them to be warriors who would protect the biome and others carrying the mutation. Because the Lucient were effectively being crystallized, their body became preserved, allowing them to live longer than they normally would. Once a part of the biome, Lucient affected creatures would tend to be passive towards one another unless provoked.

Origin of Trait

The Crystal Biome itself was said to be a relatively recent addition to Aversus. Before, it was a forest like any other, however, through a flimsy ritual between planar mages, a rift to a crystalline dimension was opened, and from it came a single bird with wings sharp as glass and as reflective as such. That bird would nest, mate, and die within the forest, and through this process, the crystal mutation spread rapidly. Over the course of a mense the entirety of the forest had been overtaken by gem structures, creatures, and even flora. Those living within the forest at the time of this change had a transformation of their own.

Some called it a disease, others called it a curse, but in truth, the forest had been mutated, becoming a collective of its own. What the forest wanted was soldiers, protectors, people who would defend it when others would fight the mutation and perhaps spread this mutation to other parts of the continent. Whatever the case, those undergoing the transformation into a Lucient became something greater than they once were, they became part of the collective.

Acquisition

There were a few ways for the mutation to take hold of a person. The first is prolonged activity within the Crystal Biome. After spending multiple septs inside of the biome, it was likely one would start to feel the itch of gems growing from their skin. Another, quicker acting way to have had the mutation spread was through the venomous bite of a Slithershard. Lastly, those already with the Lucience mutation could perform a small ritual on a person not yet carrying the mutation. The ritual differed from person to person, but the overarching similarity was the inclusion of blood contact.

Mechanics

• After being completely assimilated, Lucient would grow gems in patches generally on their shoulders, legs, and/or head. Each person had a unique gem to them such as common or more uncommon ones like sapphires, rubies or jades etc. Everyone only had one type.
• Things such as eye color and skin color changed to match the gem. This didn’t always occur and the skin color was only a very slight change compared to the brightness of the eye color. On most humanoid races hair did not change.
  • Dryads, Satyrs and Centaurs could have their fur change color to match the gem.
  • Syrien could have their scales change color to match their gems.
  • Fey wings could change color and also become more fragile looking like they were made out of crystal lining.
• Lucience was not a disease, it doesn’t simply infect a person, it’s a mutation, completely transforming a person into something new, giving them the ability to better protect themselves and those within the crystal collective.
  • The Lifespan of a Lucient was double what it would be for their respective race.
  • The eyes of a Lucient became accustomed to bright lights, making them immune to being blinded by such.
  • Weapons that do slashing or piercing damage; (Daggers, Arrows, etc.) would do minus two tiers of strength damage. Blunt weapons would do plus two what they normally would.
  • When struck with a moderate/deep wound, over the course of two turns, gems would form over the wound to stop the bleeding, These gems weren’t directly attached to the Lucient and would break away after three turns, after which, the wound would need proper medical attention.
  • Once per day, a Lucient could transform one of their limbs into a melee weapon made of the same gem that adorned their flesh. This weapon was a part of the Lucient and could not be larger than their own arm. If damaged, the pain and injury would transfer over. The strength of the weapon was comparable to steel.
• Gem veins on a Lucient were about the structural strength of solid glass, meaning that, like their skin, they were weak against blunt attacks. These gems were sensitive. Breaking a gem caused as much pain as breaking a bone.
  • As part of the collective, all native creatures, Thunderbird, Crylem, Slithershards, etc, would be passive to a Lucient.
  • Those without a physical body to mutate such as Aedynian, Golems, Ethereals, etc were immune to the Lucient mutation.

• Races that could contract Lucience:
  • Humans
  • Elves
  • Halfbreeds
  • Danakov
  • Dwarves
  • Dryad
  • Satyr
  • Halflings
  • Centaurs
  • Fey
  • Syrien
• This trait would NOT combine with any curses.

The Lost Realms • The Fallen Forces