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Zahir's Loving Caress

Disease of the third circle
Virulence: yes, incubation: 1 month, diagnosis 4, difficulty to treat (mundane/magical): No/4, morbidity 10, treated morbidity 1

There is a thing in the world, a thing that in its imperfections and its details carries the very name of a primordial, not the name that can be understood by men, but the heart-name of infinite complexity that defines the being known as Szoreny. The thing, the object, takes that name and expresses it through every atom of its nature, shows that name to anyone who sees it; they become struck with its loving caress.

At first, they notice the object that has struck them so, but aside from being fascinated with it, nothing comes of it; it is in their dreams, sometimes, but it does not consume them. As time goes on, they see that thing before them, they become obsessed with learning about it, and it takes up their time and the soul. Ever more engrossed, the victim's mind is taken up with the object that is the name; when they come to fully understand it, the disease ends with a snap, and they either die or are made wise.

Each month past the first, the victim rolls their conviction. Each success grants them a cumulative internal penalty of -1 to all pools. This penalty can explicitly reduce the victim's pools below essence. Once the penalty passes their conviction, their motivation is changed to "Understand the object". They become blind once the penalty passes their willpower as the sight of the object clouds their eyes at all times. When their penalty passes essence + willpower + highest virtue, they die. If, however, the disease is cured at the moment they succumb, by magical intervention, they may instantly buy up their essence, even if it would not normally be allowed due to age or hard caps like 3 for godbloods and ghostbloods. It cannot, however, push essence past 10. If you survive, you gain a background equivalent to whispers rated at 5, however it is based around understanding the nature and name of a yozi rather than the touch of a neverborn.