I love the idea of the Ascended. It's great, and unique, which isn't something I see very often these days. But it's always refreshing to see something new! Anyways, I'm curious about the curse. Is there anything else that comes with it? What happens to those who do have it? Are they killed, do they slowly die, are they outcasted, or are they treated the same as other Ascended? Also, can the curse be cured?
The curse cannot be cured of any known means as of present time in their universe.
When a cub is born, there is no indicator that they have the curse or not. A cub may exhibit violent behavior and grow up to not be infected (though, needless to say, parents get nervous), though it’s mostly shown in behaviors as children. They may kill family pets or bully younger siblings, they may ruin gardens and steal and disobey. For the most part, the Curse is really explained in the history.
Dundi and Mannor were simple humans. They grew up together in their quiet village, free of any wars for their younger years. However, once they entered their early teens, their faction and another clashed and at fifteen they were pulled from their homes to join the war. They were able-bodied boys and served their army well, though they were the faction to lose.
They were taken prisoner, but, the other faction’s motto was Kill them with kindness. And so, they were treated kindly, despite not being able to leave. They earned the trust of the people, were let out, and stayed. They served in the new Jarl’s personal court, be it as a guard or an adviser. The current Jarl was morally correct in practically everything, pretty much he was the good guy if this was a video game. A kind, wise leader who knew when to slam the fist on the table if need be; a previous merchant boy who worked his way up.
Dundi and Mannor conspired against him, never quite forgiving this Jarl for the previous war that.. he had nothing to do with.
They killed him. Killed him, his family, and as many innocents in the city as they could. The guards stood no chance against their power - their army that they’d accumulated over the years.
The gods were outraged and placed a curse upon them - the only two to receive it. Their skin grew dark and the sunlight became harsh on them, they grew claws and could no longer pick locks, they grew eyes that helped them see in the dark but had trouble in bright light.
But despite knowing that the gods had cursed them, they said they were blessed by the very gods they’d turned their backs on years ago. Dundi and Mannor wanted to spread their blessings - they corrupted their followers, able to administer the curse as they were the only ones bestowed by it by the gods. No one knows how they did it, exactly; be it magic, a bite, or a blood transfer, the two ancients started the race through corrupt beings. They were violent and rash, though physically more healthy than humans (despite being a bit uncomfortable in the sun).
Dundi and Mannor were the worst off; they had to spend the rest of their lives in a cave, as when the sun rose it nearly burned off their skin. The rest of their followers, however, merely found discomfort in the light and lived in their lives in the uninhabited parts of the lands. As they bred, they found fewer and fewer cubs with such violent tendencies, and, as the line went down to present-day Ascendeds, it was more common for them to be “normal” than to have the Curse on them. They simply became a race of their own with the occasional rash figure.
Physically, the Cursed are more fit than regular Ascended. In all physical aspects, they may live longer, perhaps up to fifty years longer if it weren’t for the personalities they sported - personalities that nearly put them into constant danger. So no, they are not killed, though they hold more respect among the Ascended for they can contribute more to their community. Anyone who can contribute and can hold their own after becoming of age is to be respected; if they can do so before, even, they are even more respected.
In terms of what happens to those who have it, it’s actually rare that they survive childhood. Be it that they wander off and get themselves killed or simply take on a task that might get them killed (many children have died in the mines simply for wanting to help gather ores). However, those that do usually take on a military occupation or become adventurers; they do have more superior battle skills than normal Ascended. The current Jarl of the Indui-Clan is a Cursed Ascended, building up his army so much that he almost forgets to feed his subjects. They are very susceptible to power madness and can be swayed by the promise of power or wealth. Very power-hungry, battle-hungry, etc. You can guess that the Indui-Clan is not very popular among the more mundane Clans.
