Solar Plague

Similar to Eclipse Phase, in that nothing can prevent it.

The disease mice of the sun can inflict resembles the plague in terms of its symptoms and in-game behavior – use the bubonic plague value in the rule book to simulate the basic characteristics of the Solar Plague. Nevertheless, there are still some crucial differences between the two contagions. First of all, as mentioned above, innocence in the eye of the Unconquered Sun is a powerful protection against the Solar Plague. The righteous are immune to the fatal effects of the disease: at its worse, it will give them a bad cold for a week or so, and that is only for those who dwell on the borderline of righteousness.

Second, Solars exposed to the Solar Plague in a state of iniquity lacks the usual Exalt immunity to disease. The Unconquered Sun takes it personally when one of his chosen servants goes astray: Any Solar Exalt who catches the Solar Plague responds to the disease as if she were a mortal human. The character faces death, not discomfort.

Its effects are also unstoppable. The Contagion Curing Touch Charm will not work on the Solar Plague nor will anything else. Finally, Morbidity rolls only delay the inevitable, for this is a supernatural plague. If an individual has caught the disease as a result of his disobedience to the Unconquered Sun, then he will suffer from the contagion until he is dead. A successful Morbidity roll does not cure the victim of the Solar Plague, it simply allows the character to live for a number of days equal to the number of successes on their Morbidity roll. Once that grace period is up, the character’s player must roll again.

The Solar Plague would be inescapable plague to slay all who catch it, but the Unconquered Sun is not wholly without mercy: There are two ways for a guilty person to cure herself of the Solar Plague. The first is the most drastic: The infected individual must seek out the Unconquered Sun and prostrate herself before him. If her repentance is sincere, then the Unconquered Sun will offer her an appropriate penance, effectively geasing the character with some sort of quest of mission. The geas in question will almost always suit the crime for which the Solar Plague was levied in the first place. The successful completion of the geas will eradicate the plague from the offending character’s system. Her cure will be total.

The other option is easier to endure but more or less temporary in practice. An infected individual may seek out an advocate to plead his case before the Unconquered Sun – in the First Age, the advocate was usually a Zenith Caste in good standing. If the advocate agreed to intercede for the plague victim, then the progress of the Solar Plague is momentarily stopped in its tracks. The disease does not go away: The Victims is still infected. But he will not die so long as he works to amend his life. This is the advocate’s task: to help the victim correct the unrighteous behavior that caused the Solar Plague to target him in the first place. Of course, the victim needs to keep his intercessor happy: should the advocate ever revoke her protection the Solar Plague resumes its source towards death.

  • Solar Plague have not been levied since the Unconquered Sun turned his eyes from Creation and his Chosen
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