[Report] Curse Affliction

[Kas Valentine]

To Command,

A few nights ago I was called to the barracks to address a decidedly frightful situation; Arcanist Corporal Ilyana Drachen was said to be screaming and attempting to end her own life. Upon my arrival I found this was indeed the case, 'Yana was severely worked up and repeatedly casting offensive spells upon herself. The best way to describe what I saw is to picture someone at war with their own body. My initial attempts to engage her in conversation were largely pointless, she appeared to be speaking in tongues and I could establish very little about who, where, why or what was wrong. Two other guardsmen were on hand to assist the Corporal with her bizarre condition - Regular Scout Sergio Jarrett and Guardsman Recruit Syvirosy Jaquen.

The more I tried to communicate with Drachen the worse her condition seemed to get. After much discussion we came to the conclusion that her madness was somehow related to the young Arcanist we had pulled out of Covetous just the other week. I asked how she had been remedied and was swiftly informed that she had been put to death. I found this very alarming and immediately began to question Sergio about what he remembered of the incident. He recalled that the Covetous girl had been furnished with some kind of 'seal', so with fear in our hearts we began to search Ilyana's body for similar markings.

Below is a sketch of what we eventually found on her chest.

I have tried to replicate the symbol as best as I can with my basic brush skills, but in case you cannot make it out, the top half of a pentagram had somehow been seared into her skin. It didn't take us long to ascertain that Ilyana's insanity was connected to this scar in one way or another. The recruit piped in at this point with the suggestion of anointing the area with holy water from the chapel, to which I agreed. He was there and back in no time and we were soon bathing her chest in the blessed liquid.

Nothing happened.

I crushed a bulb of garlic under my foot and began massaging it into the half pentagram.

Something happened - she got worse.

It was at the point when I was beginning to lose my own mind that Jarrett realised she was talking backwards. With great difficulty we learned she objected to both the garlic and the holy water, or so we thought. As the minutes rushed by we discovered there were actually two voices; a cursed voice and the voice of Ilyana herself. We zeroed in on the voice of our beloved Arcanist and listened closely. With great trepidation we realised she was hoarsely insisting upon the completion of the pentagram. At once the three of us descended into argument, discussing the possible risks and merits of such an operation.

In the end I could bear it no longer. Syvirosy was hushed into silence, Sergio was instructed to hold Drachen down and to the horror of a recently arrived Aleri Briggs, I cut the finishing touches into Ilyana's skin.

It was a gruesome and haunting act, and one which I do not wish to repeat, but thankfully the change in Ilyana was immediately apparent. Her breathing began to steady and instead of resisting and flailing her arms, she choked out a few words of what sounded like thanks then succumbed to a deep sleep. Sergio and I made her as comfortable as we could in the Baronship cells, arranging an hourly watch to ensure her condition did not worsen or suffer relapse.

I have no knowledge of what this affliction does, where it originated or the specifics of the mental and physical torture that victims seem to go through. However, the completion of the pentagram definitely achieved something, whether or not it is victory over this supposed "curse" I do not yet know. Either way, I think it is important that we keep a close eye on Ilyana until such time as she can share her own knowledge on the situation.

I trust that Sergio, Syvirosy and I will not receive censure for what we saw as a life-saving act.

Signed with mucky fingerprints dotting the bottom of the parchment,
Senior Arcanist Kas Valentine.

[Linaeus]

Senior Arcanist Valentine,

Arcanist Marianne's fate is regrettable, and the Corporal's current condition is indeed grave. In order to determine what might have caused these twin tragedies, you are to look into what the Corporal and Marianne were each researching prior to their going mad. You may bring Abigail, Aylmer, Mercy, or any other Arcanist you deem trustworthy with you, or coordinate them to speed the investigation along as needed.

Report the results of your findings directly to me, keep a watch posted in the cells to ensure the Corporal's safety and comfort, and DO NOT allow the Church to catch wind of this.

*Signed*
Commander Keres

[Leanne Martin]

*a ripped out page of Ilyana's notice book*

17th July, Covian barracks
After hearing of the demise of a patrouille in Covetous, I went with my men to Avarice mountains and looked for the missing souls. We found nothing but corpses, except for Regular Marianne. She... was very injured in the little chapel, breathing very low. Sergio and myself took her to the cells, as she kept screaming to put her there. She kept saying Valefar, whatever that ment. Completely lost of sanity, she kept wheeping in her corner, saying that she killed her camerades. There was an incomplete pentagram seal, usually to protect someone from evil magic. However, Marianne did not allow us to aid here, not in any way. I decided to end her suffer quickly and slit her throath. Sergio assisted me as he stabbed her in the neck, which caused an immediate dead. A dark flash ran through the rooms as she took her last breath... A black day... I hope I can forget it soon...


23th July, Melior Manor
I feel a bit dizzy lately. It's like there are new voices running through my head, but more clearer than the ones from blackrock. People around me keep asking me, of what and why I keep saying nonsence. However, they're just pranking me it seems. I never heard myself talking to anything. I'd wish they wouldn't try too fool me... If they find out that my confidence is just theather, I'll never be able again to lead any of them...


26th July, The Lycaeum
The voice is getting even more clearer. It tells me to hurt my friends and soldiers! Like if! I promised to only use my powers to protect and never again to cause needless chaos. I feel like I'm strong enough to keep the voice under control, but to be sure, I visited the Lycaeum today, to find any informations about how to make that voice go silent. Seriously, blackrock's already enough trouble in my head!


29th July, Covian barracks
I'm feeling weaker and weaker everyday... Has this something to do with the murder of Marianne? I can't really say, but... the voice keeps screaming Valefar from time to time... Sergio said he has some informations about him for me, but, I wasn't able to catch him one on one yet. However.. the name sounds familiar... Maybe as mother used to say "If you don't to as you're told, Valefar the executioner will come and get you!"... Or was it Valfaris? I can't remember... It's so long ago... I miss mum... and dad...


31th July, The Lycaeum
I finally found way to make the voice go silent. Or at least give me sometime to research more. According to an ancient tome, I need to ignite my own skin with blackrock. Common fire doesn't seem to help it seems, nor scarring will fully protect me. However... the burnings with blackrock are so painful... I won't be able to make a full pentagramm at once. I'm surprised Marianne was able to use blackrock. Or did she just burn herself with common fire? I hope there's enough time left...


1st August, Melior Manor
Pentagramm is half complete... but the pain... is killing me... I feel horrible... Fainted several times... Thrown up as well... Briggs is leading a training soon... I shall go with him and continue my protection ritual afterwards...

[Linaeus]

*A sealed envelope containing the following report arrives on the desks of the Commander, Baron, and Kas Valentine. The envelope also contains a copy of the page listed above.*

Corporal Drachen was released yesterday evening after giving assurances that she was fully in control of her actions once more, and voluntarily placed herself on sick-leave. She cooperated fully with this investigation, allowing me to access portions of the 6th Arcane Company's archives for which I normally would not have clearance. What follows is a summary of the research being undertaken by Arcanists Marianne and Ilyana prior to their displaying symptoms of what has generally been concluded to be a curse of unknown origin.

Regular Arcanist Marianne: Confirmed to have been working on research involving Demonology and Necromancy, though whether she was acting on her own initiative or on a larger project cannot be determined. Her personal archives included a map of several known Undead hotspots in the North, including the dungeon Covetous, as well as a faded scroll which I was unable to translate, but which bore a diagram of the seal that both she and Ilyana carved into their own flesh after beginning to display symptoms.

Also located was a guide to undead, with the words 'Property of Rilian Reinhardt' inscribed on the interior of the front cover. Reinhardt was an Arcanist specializing in Undead that visited the Baronship some months ago to aid in a training seminar regarding how best to combat them. Whether Marianne stole this book or it was purposefully allowed to fall into her hands is unknown.

An entire chapter had been torn out of the book, though the contents list it was having been related to incorporeal variants of undead - wraiths, spectres, shades, and the like. What connection this has is unknown.

Corporal Ilyana Drachen: Corporal Drachen's research, while considered questionable by some, falls well within the boundaries of the Arcane Company's charter, and has little bearing on this case. Judging by her use of the same seal as Marianne, it is likely that she had access to that document and studied it extensively. Her only verifiable connection to Regular Marianne before the incident, however, is that Corporal Drachen was the commanding officer of the rescue party that found her.

It is worthy of note that Corporal Drachen was present when Arcanist Marianne died, and that guilt over the incident may have contributed to her mental collapse. Also worthy of note is that she mentioned a "possessor" during my conversation with her, though did not elaborate much.

Conclusions: Marianne's death and the total loss of her patrol was the direct result of misguided curiosity and utter disregard for military regulations. She pursued research into a dangerous topic without direct consent, and likely came into contact with an object tainted by dark magics, resulting in either a temporary lapse into total madness, or outright possession by a foreign consciousness. She proceeded, as per her testimony, to personally slay the entire accompanying patrol before coming to her senses.

Corporal Drachen is believed to have somehow contracted the curse during Arcanist Marianne's execution, though the mechanism of this is a mystery. She displayed no symptops for several days, before withdrawing from public duties for a brief period and emerging in a hysterical state, the events leading up to which are detailed in the attached copy of her own journal.

*Signed in thin, neat script,*
Abigail C. Keres, Junior Arcanist
      6th Arcane Company

[Leanne Martin]

*A sealed report with copies to the hands of the Arcane Company, Captain Grayner and Commander Keres, as well as to the hands of Baron von Richter*

Last night, I called out for people to help me in my quest for more knowledge and we set off towards Terort Skitas in Ilshenar. Accompanied by Covian soldiers Cal'ain Cuig'nir, Sergio Jarrett, as well as the mercenaries Brenna Night and Mizuho Kazami, we slayed our way through the many fiends lying in the dungeon below.

Once we arrived at the library, Sergio and myself went to look for valuable informations, as we were the only ones aware for what to look. We eventually found something about Possesion, learning that it can be seen as a curse and bless at the same time. Indeed, I noted I've seen more things clearly, increasing my knowledge about magic. However, we found out that a possesed person can be released with a certain ritual, beside the fact that a possesor leaves the possesed when he or she dies. According to the documents, it can even be transfered into a once alive object. However, my cold made me accidently blow up the document and I set in on fire. All that was left was a piece of ash, and so the informations of that ritual.

Sergio got another document, less about how to get rid of a possesor, but more of what exactly a possesor is.

My seal, now complete, gives me greater protection of the other part of me, however, it's not an ever lasting protecton.


Ilyana Drachen,
Arcanist Corporal
6th Arcane Company

[Leanne Martin]

*a note sent to Commander Torrak Keres and Captain Hoagie Grayner*

My dear friends,

I must inform the two of you, that I will continue on myself to get redeemed to this curse inside me. I feel that each day, each minute and each second I become a greater threath to my comrades, my friends and Cove. This burden is something I need to get rid of, or else I might destroy what I love most. I will travel along Sosaria, and find a way to free myself from Valefar once and for all. I shall return once I'm cured again, until then, I leave my cousine Leanne as my succesor. Until I'm back in Cove... May our paths cross again!

Ilyana Drachen,
Arcanist Corporal
6th Arcane Company