The Consequences of FFire

---

As you know if you read the Background (and if you haven't you had better do so), False Fire is not a true Realm but a way of thinking. Note here that turning to FFire is a voluntary act - very easy to do, but nearly impossible to undo. Despite common thought, it is NOT a disease - the analogy is used because it is often thought of as that by the unchanged Karelians.
The changing to FFire is a several step process. First, the being's talents, self image, magic, everything about its life seems to improve. It finds itself stronger, more confident, and with more stamina than ever before.

After a month or so of this, the creature is high on their own power and so addicted to FFire that they cannot escape. Thus they don't notice and don't really care when they start to deteriorate.

Their body changes - as described below -, but it is the individual's personality that is changed the most. The longer that a creature is with FFire, the further its mind leaves it behind. Eventually, it becomes a drone, a mindless and unquestioning servant to whatever unknown force drives FFire, enraged by anything else.

Despite the wasting away of the creature's body and talents, it is bestowed with supernatural strength at the same time that the body can no longer move very quickly.

Throughout the entire conversion, a crackling sound, like a fire, becomes louder and louder. Barely noticeable in the first stages, it is an unfailing warning of a FFire creature's approach in the later ones.

---

Following are the effects that False Fire has on its minions.

FIRE AND EARTH ELVES AND HUMANS
Their irises change so that a fire seems to be burning where the original pigment was. And though they lose their former strength, their muscles don't shrink. Rather, their body becomes burnt looking and occasionally tissue falls away to reveal charred black bone, the unshrunken flesh does not appear healthy, in some places it is sunken and in others it seems as if puffed up with air (no, if you poke one with a needle, it doesn't pop!). The creatures become more brittle and diseased until they physically cannot continue and fall to burnt pieces.

DEMONS
Demons physically remain fairly normal except that their eyes turn either fiery or black. These creatures handle it the best, already being an obvious race of Fire. They are not immune though and will eventually collapse. Often, the dry skin will crumble a little or flake away slightly and occasionally the limbs will break from extreme brittleness.

FAIES/PIXIES/SPRITES
Same occurences as elves but their wings slowly get a charred look on their edges. The longer they are with FFire, the further in the burn moves until their wings are shrunken to the few stiff membranes that give the wings shape or are non-existent.

MERFOLK/SELKIES
Sea Biol creature tissue just falls away, slightly burnt appearing, but mainly slightly decayed and ill looking.

DRAGONS
The same concepts as with the Sky Biol. Eventually their talents fade away.

PHOENIXES
Phoenixes are different. There is little physical change until the moment that they die, which is completely unpredictable. At that time, they simply explode, sending flame in every direction.

SERPENTS
Same concepts as the Sea Biol creatures.

UNICORNS
Equine muscle shrinks away for the most part, leaving charred bones covered with ragged and holey skin/hair. Sea unicorns deteriorate as the rest of the Sea Biol does and Fire unicorns are just like the other two Biols except that their mane and tail flame in some cases shrinks away and smokes slightly and in others, grow to outlandish size and the creature is no longer immune to the burning of it.

Back to the Guide

Home