Corruptants

Overview
Those who wander the path of the dark ones are inevitably discriminated against. Hunted and persecuted like cattle they flee into the gloom of their own minds. While some look outwards with hate or indifference others instead look inwards. Reflective and self-loathing, these individuals become blind to the imperfections of others but painfully aware of their own. Such lost souls are inevitably pitied by the Lord of Change and bestowed the gift of change. However for many, this newfound ability is as much a curse as it is a blessing, for perfection is found in imperfection. And as the corruptants pursue their mad quest for purity their despair, and their forests, grow ever deeper and are filled with ever more self-spun horrors.

Origins
Most young darklings are spiteful creatures. Enraged by the injustice they have suffered at the hands of the other mortals, darklings are easy prey for the Shardgods. Mere teens and therefore controllable, their anger is freely manipulated and empowered. It is not long before such individuals are turned into fully fledged Overlords. However when Deidre, a young Wemic cub, came under the scrutiny of the Shardgods they found themselves unusually challenged.

Deidre had none of the anger the others had. Weak and fragile, she had arrived crying and curled into a fetal position. Such a specimen the Shardgods had never seen. The same seed of darkness bloomed in her as it did in the others but weaponizing it was seemingly impossible. Suffering from melancholy, the girl's hatred seemed to be directed inwards. An emotional state unsuited for war.

Time passed and Deidre drifted along. Gershon, Lord of Change pitied the girl and occasionally visited her dreams. Here he calmed her and talked to her like no other being had ever done before; as an equal. As they talked, Gershon had realized that he and the adolescent had much in common. They were both being driven by reflection rather than hate. Both beings wishing for a better world accommodating everyone. Determined to make an ally in the midst of his siblings' swirling madness, Gershon bestowed upon her the gift of change. With it, he told her, she could change herself to what she wanted to be. She would become free from the inequity of mortal minds. She would be one of their own as she always thought she had been. And the Lord of Change would ask little in exchange. They shared the vision for a world free from pain. And should he ever wish for her to fight for such a world she would do his bidding. Deidre happily agreed.

But Erisycthylon was not so easily fooled. The girl was his and he would decide her fate. Inspired by Gershon's foolish arrangement the Dark Seed allowed the cub to receive Gershon's blessings. But as Gershon mustered his power to send the young girl back to Caleleth Erisycthylon intervened and threw her into a realm like the other Overlords. She would retain everything but the one thing she needed the most. The memories of her kin.

Gershon, furious for his brother's intervention, gathered his power once more to undo the damage but found himself strangely incapable. Having given word of Gershon's betrayal of trust, Erisycthylon, spearheading the other seven, revealed himself as the catalyst. There would be no help forthcoming for young Deidre. Not now, not ever. And Deidre needed help. Aimless without her memories the cub started experimenting. First on herself. She increased the length of her claws. She twisted the musculature of her skull. She grew appendages from her back. It was always wrong. And she could never undo it. For she could never remember what she had previously looked like.

Gershon watched from the void as Deidre grew ever more self-aware. The decades passed, and in her despair she unwittingly shaped the realm around her. A forest manifested. Deep, dark and, as Deidre mastered Gershon's gift, increasingly filled with her failed horror experiments. It was time for the next step in Erisycthylon's plan.

The arrival of Ajal in Deidre's realm heralded a new era for Gershon's chosen. Finding her slumped in a forlorn state, the elder Senflu marveled at her form. She was the most beautiful Wemic he had ever seen. Her cries of joy could be heard across the entire realm that day. She danced with him, hugged him and thanked him. And realizing he was not from here and eager to return, pondered if he knew a way back to Caleleth. He assured her that he came directly from there and with but a snap of his fingers did he open a portal to her home.

It went as Erisycthylon had predicted. Deidre had become a monstrosity. There was no going back. Face to face with rejection once more Deidre was paralyzed as her kinsmen closed in for the kill. Only for them to be eviscerated as the full might of Deidre's spawned horrors was unleashed. Her friends and family slaughtered, her appearance deformed and with nowhere to go but back into her nightmarish realm, Deidre found her new purpose when a small furry familiar she had created long ago wiped her tear away with its arachnid leg. She had a new family. And she would protect it, expand it and love it. Just like they would love her. But as she stepped back through the portal it mysteriously remained open. And from the other side the forest growth sprouted. On Erisycthylon's orders Deidre would be the first of many.

Appearance
While male Corruptants do exist, Corruptants are largely female Darklings. Despite this, their appearances vary even more than those of other Overlords. With Gershon's gift allowing them to mutate any part of their immortal bodies into another biological form they are often twisted beyond imagination with no two ever being the same. Their underlings follow the same pattern and are often horribly misshapen with adaptations no natural environment could cause, the most horrid of which are sometimes covered up. Whether this is to forget a crude failures or to avoid judging them too harshly for their looks differs from realm to realm.

Powers
Like all Overlords the Corruptants make use of various powers as listed below.

Gershon's Gift
Gershon's Gift is the Corruptants' primary source of power and it is used for a large variety of offensive and defensive maneuvres in battle. While molding biological matter is effortless on willing targets, it is a lot more difficult on those whose wills resist it. Therefore it is not uncommon for the Corruptants to heavily rely on offensive self-modifications when situations call for it. Those Corruptants reluctant to alter their bodies instead focus their efforts on changing the very fabric of the air around them creating flesh-eating microbes or slow-acting poisons which inject into their victims bloodstreams. Some of these poisons may not act immediately and require manual activation from their creator. Due to the supernatural nature of these methods they are often perceived by the Corruptants' enemies as vile curses as used by the swamp hermits of Caleleth.

Realm Manipulation
Just like all Overlords the Corruptants are one with their realms and can manipulate them at will. For the Corruptants this power is often expressed through the animation of their unliving forests. Creating mocking imitations of Caleleth's Elementals, boiling the swamps or growing massive thickets to protect themselves the Corruptants' bleak groves are no less dangerous for intruders than that of their less nature-inclined Darkling kin.

Corrupting Aura
It is not unusual for Overlords to establish strongholds outside of their realms. Travelling between realms is a taxing process and it is often easier to have a residence built wherever prolonged activity may occur. The Corruptants on the other hand have no need for such strongholds for they are always at home. Their portals kept open through the blessings of the gods, the Corruptants need simply exist and their realms will uniquely grow through the portals themselves, presumably expanding until all connected realms are consumed by the Corruptant's. Whether this ability is a bi-product of Gershon's Gift or originates from the Corruptants' psyches themselves is yet to be discovered.

Realms
Corruptants' realms almost exclusively resemble vast, dismal wealds. Whether this stems from intentions to hide from prying eyes or another cause entirely is yet to be discovered. Some of these copses have notable landmarks such as swamps, ritualistic totems or huts while others may be completely uniform with seemingly no distinct features at all. Similarly, some Corruptant realms will be swarming with horrid creations while others may be devoid of life. Intruders would do well to heed such landscape hallmarks as they are invariably representative of the resident Corruptant's personality.

Motives
Corruptants are the only Overlords which oft exist without aggressive agendas. While some wish for revenge, most Corruptants are passive, rarely opening portals to other dimensions of their own accord. However, there can be no bystanders in the Shardgods' plans for mortal extermination. Should a Corruptant not open their own portal back to Caleleth the gods are no strangers to forcibly opening a portal themselves. Through this portal the corrupting aura of the Corruptant will conquer its way through Caleleth's ecological systems expanding the nightmarish wealds of the Overlord whether they wish to or not. Thus a Corruptant's pacifism always comes to an end. For when such decay is discovered by Caleleth's inhabitants they will invariably seek to put a torch to its source.          