[Fern]

WHAT IS THIS?
  
This is an information page on lore regarding Dusks (sometimes known as 'Grief Parasites') made for the convenience of player accessibility. All information in this thread can be ICly learned in any way you deem reasonable (I.E, found out through NPC gossip, simply experimented with them yourself or have done some kind of research.)
  
WHAT ARE DUSKS?
  
They are small, black bugs that are given birth by a large insect-like monstrosity known as Mother. Normally they appear in big packs that make them seem more like black clouds of darkness, making a noise very similar to distorted static because of the strange magical properties they have. They can reproduce with each other and create more parasites, a process which normally takes about two and a half weeks to complete.
 
WHAT DO THEY DO?
 
They sense out hosts through heat and begin amplifying all of their victims' negative emotions once they successfully infiltrate their bodies. They generate focus from the grief exposed by the host, hence the nickname of Grief Parasites, and the process is much more stronger with victims that are very emotionally distressed. Generally the more negativity they attain, the more focus power they end up making. While they can also make energy from the negativity surrounding them, it usually works fastest with a host they've infected.
 
WHAT MAGICAL PROPERTIES DO THEY HAVE?
 
They're inherently creatures of darkness, and as such tend to have nasty effects on people they infect. As far as physical side-effects go, they can turn their victim's blood black and gradually destroy their host's body if left alone for too long, eventually leading into their death. They are however vulnerable to light magic because of their dark nature, and their small bodies are (usually) incredibly vulnerable to flames, which causes them to burn away very quickly.
   
CAN THEY BE MUTATED?
 
With the right magical knowledge, one is able to create different variations of Dusks with other kinds of effects and elemental resistances in addition to weaknesses. You can for example perform a ritual experiment that makes them able to enhance their host's fire elemental power while becoming more resistant to flames themselves, but end up more susceptible to ice magic as a result. Another existing GM approved example are the Dusk Scouters, which have a brown color (instead of black) and provide visual information to their host through magic (though since they need to use focus to do this, they're easier to sense out by those capable of it.)
 
HOW DO THEY ENTER YOUR BODY?
 
They either go through orifices or begin trying to bite through your skin if they can't find the former.
   
HOW CAN YOU TREAT THEM?
  
You can purify the affected with light magic if you know how to do that or have them drink Holy Water, since Dusks don't take very well to either of these options. The amount you need depends on the severity of the infection, smaller infections generally don't take very long to treat while bigger ones are somewhat more problematic. You can also use a Parasite Removal Kit for small infections, but it isn't as efficient for the worse cases.
  
WHAT RACES CAN GET INFECTED?
 
Any race with natural skin, which means Liches and Dullahans can't be affected at all. Mechanations are harder for them to infect compared to most other races, and don't experience the side-effects of having your blood turned black (since they tend to not have "real blood") or your body gradually being destroyed. However, they can make their way to the Llarian Scar in the worst case scenario if they do manage to get in, and may eventually kill the Mechanation within a few hours if they stay there for too long. This is because the Llarian Scar is very delicate and it's akin to constantly exposing your brain to toxic waste.

  

ARE THERE DUSK MARKETS?

  

Dusks and their mutations are known to be sometimes sold in black markets, but they're considered highly illegal by the Sigrogana Empire, so watch out with that...

 

CAN YOU CONTROL DUSKS?

    

With the right know-how, yes.

 

WHAT DO I DO IF I WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH DUSKS?

    

Here's what I said in another thread!

 

DO YOU HAVE SOME PICTURE REFERENCES FOR WHAT THEY CAN LOOK LIKE?

   

Example 1

Example 2

    

I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT DUSK LORE THAT'S NOT IN HERE, WHAT DO I DO?

  

Post in this thread with your question(s). While I might not be able to answer every question ever, I'll do my best to respond as soon as possible.