Jul 06 2026, 12:03 PM
A strange consciousness exists in Origin Cave, not fully understood but ever-present. Existing in veins of epidote stretching through caves and tunnels and existing in infected Lessers, its haunting whispers and urges echo through the walls, leaving imprints of three core ideas, the motivations of its being: Flesh is pain. Don't leave me alone. I need to be stronger.
Infection
A gembound that has consumed or otherwise been infected by a shard of epidote may not be fully aware for a while that they are infected. Depending on the method of infection, the epidote may take a full cycle or up to a couple weeks to fully take a hold of the gembound and advance the infection, depending on the proximity to the stone the infection began and how much the victim resists. During this time as the epidote moves through their system towards their gem, the gembound will slowly begin to feel loneliness, an itching on their skin or in their claws, and feelings of fatigue or drowsiness. Eventually, the epidote will attach itself to the gemstone, and the gembound will become Gemscarred.
Gemscar
The epidote has attached itself to the victim’s gem and causes it to sprout tendrils, digging into the skin and barraging the creature with temptations to follow one or more of the core motivations. Lesser gembounds are most susceptible to this, but it may also spread to golems or greater gembounds. As the infection advances, tendrils will continue to grow around the area of its gemstone and it will begin to have lapses in memory and consciousness, and it will feel weaker and more fatigued. Gemscars may also feel increasingly violent towards both themselves and others.
This phase of the infection is curable, but the methods have yet to be fully discovered.
OOC note: Gemscar phase typically lasts 1-2 cycles, but due to the nature of Gemthralls as characters, this stage may be prolonged for up to 6 cycles before they advance and can be explained by the victim constantly resisting or otherwise managing the infection without removing it completely. If it is not cured within that time, the gembound will eventually succumb to the epidote.
Gemthrall
A gemscarred who was unable to remove the impurity before its tendrils disabled its vital organs or a golem who gets infected becomes a Gemthrall. Flesh begins to deteriorate but the tendrils begin to animate on their own. Gemthrall appear to be spiky zombies at first, with bits of crystal poking out from the flesh and assisting with movement. Eventually after all the flesh has deteriorated all that is left is the support structure, making the end result like a golem in a shape that resembles what the creature was in life. As the host is now dead only the three core motivations are left.
The level of danger either of these pose is proportional to the number of thrall gathered together or the proximity to the entity’s epidote vein. A lone thrall may simply stalk a gembound or make half-hearted grabs for its gem while an army of them may present a real threat to life in the cave.
Gemthrall can spread the epidote infection by piercing the flesh of another with its epidote spikes/tendrils (and successfully breaking a piece off to stay behind/infect), or if another consumes a piece of the epidote. The epidote itself is not viable for Give Life, but the host's original stone is - it remains cradled in the grasp of epidote, unable or unwilling to save the host's body due to the severity of the infection and the interference of the epidote.
(The following text is paraphrased from Thrallseeker)
The alias of the central force of the epidote, once a gembound sent to the caves by Tamulus to explore the deepest areas of the nest. It falls into a pit while exploring the Oilstone spire and its body shatters. Trapped in a state of half-death, unable to die due to the interference of the Spire, it suffered until its mind was lost and twisted by the corrupted radiation. Unable to form a proper chrysalis, it existed in a state of half-decay.
In an effort of sheer will to not die, the creature implanted its consciousness upon its epidote gemstone. All that remained of its consciousness were its final three thoughts - death is a lie, it was so alone, this would never have happened if it were stronger. The epidote harnessed its arcane abilities and created a sort of new entity, existing within the very stone that had once been its body, formed with these three ideas.
It hibernated with the rest of the caves and was awoken by the presence of the Skystone Spire during the Great Awakening. It began spreading its tendrils across the caves, ever following its three core motivations that are its entire self.