Blight

Blight is a general term that Zarthurians use to describe any number of effects that may render land uninhabitable. While specific the causes and effects may vary from site to site, blighted lands tend to have a few key traits in common. Firstly, and perhaps most significantly, they tend to appear in areas where the natural flow of Aether has either been distorted or disrupted, which in turn prevents vegetation from growing and turns waters black and acidic. Secondly, they tend to also become wellspring magic zones, or otherwise interface with the casting of certain magics. And thirdly, they tend to be rich in rare minerals and ore such as Aether Crystal or mithril.

As vegetation dies out, animal and human populations are displaced and driven to new areas in search of new habitats. This, inevitably, drives tension and competition between factions while monsters that may have once been distant threats are drawn nearer and nearer each year. It is easy for entire Provinces to become devastated when farmlands fail and towns are left abandoned, as the case has been in the Mystic Mire, or when battles break out over control of the ever-diminishing supply of arable land. While the The Vasimar have been gradually fighting back against the Blight for generations, there are many in power who feel that their progress has been too slow to save their nation and have embraced the solutions presented by the The Celestine with open arms.