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Murin's Power — Corruption and Entropism

AX.GAN.08.01 - Murin's Power,

Corruption & Entropy

GM Note: This Is Not a Player Tradition

Murin's power does not function as an Odd Talent. It cannot be purchased, trained, or accessed through a Profession. It does not have Expressions in the tradition-file sense. It is not part of the Echo's mortal-accessible framework.

What Murin's power does is convert. It operates on existing living beings and existing power traditions, replacing them. The mechanical content in this file is therefore structured differently from the other AX.GAN.09 tradition files: it defines the infection mechanic, the corruption stage template (applicable to any lineage), and the ShadeKin corruption template (Kin-specific, replacing elemental traditions). GMs use this material to run Blackened encounters, long-term corruption arcs, and the conversion of NPCs and potentially player characters.

Full stat blocks for all Blackened threat types (mindless undead, ghouls, wights, vampires, liches, ShadeKin) are in AX.GAN.14.

The Infection Mechanic

Murin's corruption transmits through sustained contact with a sentient Blackened agent. Mindless undead (skeletons and zombies) cannot transmit; they are animated by too faint a spark. The sentient Blackened that carry and transmit Murin's corruption are: ghouls, wights, vampires, and liches. ShadeKin may also transmit, subject to GM discretion based on the specific ShadeKin's degree of corruption.

Triggering Infection

When a character is struck in combat by a sentient Blackened's natural attack (claw, bite, touch, not a weapon), they are exposed to potential infection. At the end of that combat, exposed characters make a Body Save (Threshold 3). On failure, they become Touched (Stage 1 of Murin's Corruption).

  • A single exposure is not automatic infection. The Save represents the body's vital principle resisting the corrupting contact.
  • Multiple exposures in the same combat do not stack into multiple Saves, one Save is made per combat regardless of how many Blackened struck the character.
  • A character who is already Touched or Stained does not make a Save on subsequent exposures, the corruption is already present and progresses on its own schedule.

Murin's Corruption, The Three Stages

Corruption progresses through three stages. Progression is not immediate, Murin's approach is patient, and a corruption that advances too quickly destroys the host before the host can be useful. The stages are:

Stage 1. Touched

The corruption is established but dormant. The character's vital principle is present and active; Murin's entropy is present as a seed, testing the connection without yet severing it.

Symptoms: Subtle and easy to misattribute. Food loses some flavor. Slight sensitivity to cold. Occasional intrusive thoughts about darkness, stillness, consumption, not overwhelming, just present. Mild pallor. Sleep becomes lighter, less restorative.

Detection: A Scar Reading True Form roll at Threshold 3 identifies something wrong at the foundational level. Draconic Essence True Form at Threshold 3 similarly. Standard medical examination does not detect infection.

Mechanical Effect: Once per scene, when the Touched character uses a power tradition (any Odd Talent), the corruption tests the connection. Roll Body Save, Threshold 2. On failure: −1D to all Odd Talent rolls for the rest of that scene. This effect does not stack with itself; subsequent failed Saves in the same scene have no additional effect.

Progression: At each Long Rest, the character makes a Body Save, Threshold 3. - On success: no progression. Stage 1 is held. - On failure: progression to Stage 2 (Stained). This can happen immediately or over multiple Long Rests, the corruption is not urgent at Stage 1.

Recovery: Stage 1 can be cleared without specialized intervention, though not easily. The character must: 1. Be receiving sustained treatment from someone who knows what they are treating (requires either a Kyne Daas Reach Reader, a Durakai Earth-tradition practitioner, or equivalent knowledge, standard medicine is insufficient) 2. Make two consecutive successful Body Saves at Threshold 3 on Long Rests while under treatment

On two consecutive successes: the infection is cleared. The character is no longer Touched.

If treatment is interrupted before the two consecutive successes are achieved, the count resets. The corruption does not progress retroactively, Stage 1 holds until it either advances or clears.

Stage 2. Stained

The corruption is active. Murin's entropy is no longer testing the connection; it is actively working against it. The character's vital principle is still present, but the corruption is visibly competing with it.

Symptoms: Significant and difficult to hide. Noticeable pallor shading toward grey. Eyes that catch low light differently, a faint luminescence, visible in dim conditions. Dramatic reduction in body heat; other creatures notice the character is cold to the touch. Sleep becomes near-impossible; the character enters a resting state that is not truly restorative. The intrusive thoughts from Stage 1 are louder and more specific.

Detection: Scar Reading or Draconic Essence True Form at Threshold 2 identifies the Stained condition and its approximate advancement. Characters who interact closely with the Stained character may notice the cold skin and the eye effect without any special ability; these are visible symptoms.

Mechanical Effect: - Lineage perk suppression: One Inherited Perk is suppressed (GM chooses the perk most connected to the character's vital or lineage-specific qualities, the corruption specifically attacks what makes the character distinctly themselves). The perk is not lost; it is blocked. Recovery restores it. - Power access degradation: At the start of each scene, the Stained character makes a Body Save, Threshold 2. On failure: they cannot use any power tradition (no Odd Talent rolls) for the remainder of that scene. The connection is actively failing. - The −1D effect from Stage 1 is replaced by the above; these do not stack.

Progression: At each Long Rest, the character makes a Body Save, Threshold 4. - On success: no progression. Stage 2 is held. - On failure: progression to Stage 3 (Turned). This is the critical juncture. Once Stage 2 fails, the character's conversion is imminent.

Recovery: Stage 2 recovery requires specialized intervention. Standard medicine cannot address it. The character must: 1. Receive treatment from a practitioner with specific tradition knowledge: Scar Reading Fragment Expression (Blank application, Threshold 3), Draconic Essence Alter Expression (Restore, Threshold 3), or equivalent GM-approved tradition work 2. While under that treatment, make two consecutive successful Body Saves at Threshold 4 on Long Rests

On two consecutive successes under appropriate treatment: the character reverts to Stage 1 (Touched), not to clear. They must then complete Stage 1 recovery as well.

Stage 2 recovery requires access to specific practitioners who understand what they are treating. This may itself be a significant logistical challenge in the Third Era, when knowledge of Murin's corruption is rare.

Stage 3. Turned

The character is no longer a living person in Andrus's terms. Oren's passage has been refused and Murin's entropy has filled the space that passage should have occupied. The vital principle is gone. The corruption is complete.

This is character death for PCs. The character becomes an NPC under the GM's control, operating as a Blackened agent appropriate to their former nature: - Former casters who wielded healing traditions → likely Vampires - Former Kin practitioners → ShadeKin (see below) - Others → likely Ghouls (if sufficient intelligence is preserved) or Wights (if the conversion was violent or rushed)

There is no recovery from Stage 3 through standard means. The character's vital principle is gone. What remains is Murin's entropy wearing their form and using their memories. GM discretion governs whether extraordinary setting-level interventions (True Dragon involvement, significant Syone-tradition working not yet defined, or similar) might constitute exceptional cases.

The General Corruption Template

When any NPC (or the rare PC who reaches Stage 3) is fully Turned, their lineage-specific stats are replaced by the following template. Apply this on top of their original stat block, replacing lineage Inherited Perks.

Corruption Template | Applied to any lineage at Stage 3

REPLACES: All Inherited Perks
REPLACES: Cultural Talent → Predatory Sense 1D
  (detect living creatures within Near range by vital-sign resonance)
ADDS:
  Dark Resilience
    Immune to fear effects
    Immune to Staggered and Immobilized from non-mystical sources
    Takes double damage from Radiant/Light-based effects
  Life Drain (form varies by Blackened type, see AX.GAN.14)
    Standard: Primary Action, Touch, Threshold 2
    Drains 3 Health from target; Blackened recovers 3 Health
    Target: Body Save Threshold 2 to resist drain (not damage)
  Sunlight Sensitivity
    In direct sunlight: all rolls at Disadvantage
    Corruption/darkness/entropic powers: cannot be used in direct sunlight
  Undying Nature
    Does not require food, water, or sleep
    Does not recover Health through rest
    Recovers Health only through Life Drain or type-specific consumption
RETAINS:
  Base Attribute and Talent scores (unchanged)
  Skills and knowledge from life (memories intact)
  Maximum Wit stat cap (if lineage-specific, retained)

ShadeKin Corruption Template

ShadeKin are Kin who have been fully Turned by Murin's corruption. They require the General Corruption Template above plus the following Kin-specific modifications.

ShadeKin Template | Applied to Ashari, Durakai, Mirelen, or Zeph'Ari

ADDITIONAL REPLACEMENT:
  Elemental tradition severed, the Odd Talent is gone; cannot be
  relearned or recovered while Turned
  All remaining elemental Lineage perks suppressed (covered by
  General Template's perk replacement)

GAINS: Entropic Expression
  Specific to original elemental lineage (see below)
  Governing Attribute: same as original elemental tradition
  Functions as a single Odd Talent pool (not split into Expressions)
  Maximum rating: equal to former elemental tradition rating at
  time of conversion (does not improve through normal Advancement)

SUNLIGHT ADDITIONAL: Any Entropic Expression use in direct sunlight
  automatically produces Minor Backlash in addition to Disadvantage
  penalty. The corrupted elemental channel is maximally opposed to
  Syone's principle.

Ashari ShadeKin, Ashen Flame

The fire-kin's connection to Eren's transformative principle is inverted. Ashen Flame moves through the same biological channels as elemental fire but draws inward rather than projecting outward: it consumes vital energy rather than producing heat and force.

Ashen Flame Applications:

Ash Touch | Primary Action | Touch | Entropic cost applies
  Drain 4 Health from target; ShadeKin recovers 4 Health.
  Target: Body Save Threshold 2 to resist drain effect.
  On Critical Failure while Entropically taxed: target gains Staggered.

Ashen Aura | Free Action (sustained) | Close range | Passive while active
  Living creatures within Close range treat all Body rolls as one
  Threshold higher (Threshold 2 becomes Threshold 3, etc.).
  Turning Ashen Aura off is a Free Action. Costs Entropic tax when
  sustained beyond first scene of use.

Consume | Extended Action (1 minute) | Touch | Unconscious target only
  Full life-drain from incapacitated or willing target.
  Used for harvesting, not combat. Products returned to Ghoul Lord's
  drainage network through the Blasted Reach fissures.

Durakai ShadeKin, Grave Weight

The earth-kin's Form-tradition connection to material pattern becomes an expression of stasis. Grave Weight does not shape or strengthen; it stops. Living targets affected by it feel the full weight of cessation pressing against their movement and will.

Grave Weight Applications:

Dead Pull | Primary Action | Near | Threshold 2
  Target: Body Save Threshold 2 or gain Hindered for the scene.
  On 4+ successes: Immobilized instead of Hindered; Body Save
  Threshold 3 each Turn to end.

Grave Anchor | Primary Action | Touch | Threshold 3
  Object or structure is fixed in place, cannot be moved, opened,
  or dislodged by physical means until ShadeKin releases or is destroyed.
  Duration: until released.

Corpse Call | Free Action | Far | Passive
  Any corpse within Far range is drawn slowly toward the ShadeKin
  (movement: 1 band per round). This is not animation, the corpse
  arrives inert. ShadeKin with this ability are used as collection
  agents, gathering the dead for the Ghoul Lord's mindless undead production.

Mirelen ShadeKin, Black Current

The water-kin's Resonance tradition, once oriented toward flow, healing, and the restoration of vital balance, becomes a sustained drain. Black Current moves through living targets the way Flow once moved through wounded tissue: with the precision of something that understands biological systems. It extracts rather than restores.

Black Current Applications:

Wasting Touch | Primary Action | Touch | Threshold 2
  Target: Body Save Threshold 2 or gain Staggered for the scene.
  Additionally: drain 2 Health; ShadeKin recovers 2 Health.
  Wasting Touch is the most efficient Health-drain in the Blackened
  taxonomy per action, Mirelen ShadeKin are preferred harvesters.

Drain Current | Primary Action | Near | Threshold 2
  Target: Body Save Threshold 3 or lose 1D from one Attribute pool
  (ShadeKin's choice) for the scene. Cannot reduce below 1D.
  On 4+ successes: ShadeKin also recovers 3 Health.

Wasting Flow | Extended Action (10 minutes) | Touch | Unconscious target
  Sustained drain. Used for harvesting. Removes Health at a rate
  of 5 per minute until target reaches 0 or ShadeKin stops.
  Recovered Health is not retained by the ShadeKin; it passes
  through to the drainage network.

Zeph'Ari ShadeKin, Shroud

The air-kin's Resonance tradition, once oriented toward transmission, sound, and atmospheric perception, becomes the principle of void. Shroud removes rather than transmits: removing sound, removing air, removing the atmospheric presence that living things require. The Zeph'Ari ShadeKin is the most useful intelligence asset in the Blackened hierarchy.

Shroud Applications:

Void Whisper | Free Action | Far | Passive
  The ShadeKin can communicate silently with any other Blackened
  within Far range. The communication is inaudible to living beings
  even with enhanced perception; it moves through the absence of
  sound rather than through sound itself.

Silence | Primary Action | Near area | Threshold 2 | Scene duration
  No sound can be produced within a Near-range area centered on a
  point the ShadeKin designates. Duration: scene, or until ShadeKin
  moves more than Far range from the area. Living creatures within
  the silenced area cannot communicate verbally; spells or abilities
  requiring vocalization cannot be used.

Suffocate | Primary Action | Close area | Threshold 3 | Sustained
  Air is removed from a Close-range area around the ShadeKin.
  Each Turn a living creature remains in the area: Body Save Threshold 2
  or gain Hindered. A creature already Hindered in this way becomes
  Staggered if they fail again. Unconscious creatures in the area
  begin dying immediately (GM adjudication).
  The ShadeKin does not need to breathe and is unaffected.

The Entropic Cost Mechanic

ShadeKin Entropic Expressions use a simplified version of the Elemental Strain framework. Unlike the original tradition's two-state mechanic (Clear → Strained), ShadeKin do not have a cost-free first use. Murin's power is always operating at a cost to the host.

Entropic Tax | ShadeKin only

Every Entropic Expression use applies Entropic Tax. Tax accumulates:
  First use: no mechanical penalty
  Second use: −1D on all Attribute rolls until next Short Rest
  Third use and beyond: −2D on all Attribute rolls until next Short Rest

Tax clears on any of:
  Short Rest (if ShadeKin has recently consumed, i.e., recovered
    Health through Life Drain within the past scene)
  Long Rest (unconditionally)

Critical Failure on an Entropic Expression roll:
  Minor: working fails; Tax advances one step
  Moderate: working misfires; Tax advances two steps; ShadeKin
    takes 3 damage from internal entropic pressure
  Severe: Tax maximizes; ShadeKin takes 5 damage; working affects
    ShadeKin rather than intended target

GM Guidance: Running the Corruption Arc

Corruption as long-term threat: The value of the infection mechanic is not in the immediate combat effect of the stages, Stage 1's −1D is a nuisance, not a crisis. The value is in the slow pressure it places on the party's resources, time, and social relationships. A Touched character who is trying to keep their condition secret while managing Long Rest Saves, seeking a practitioner who can help, and watching for Stage 2 symptoms is engaged with the Murin threat at a sustained level that no combat can produce alone.

Information as the primary resource: Most of what makes Stage 2 recovery difficult is not the mechanics but the information gap. The characters may not know what is happening to them, who can help, or that the practitioner they need exists. Running Kyne Daas Reach Readers as the primary NPCs with relevant knowledge, and making access to them an adventure element rather than an assumption, makes the threat meaningful.

Shepherd ghouls as the arc driver: The most effective Blackened encounter in an early Third Era campaign is a shepherd ghoul who has been in the community for months before the players arrive. The players investigate the missing travelers, the communities with wrong behavior, the hearths that have gone quiet, and gradually discover that the problem has a face they have already seen. The ghoul has been helping them. The ghoul is their contact for the next leg of the journey. The ghoul has been very friendly.

The Ghoul Lord as the endgame: The Ghoul Lord does not need to appear until the players have understood what is happening, located the Sepulcher Throne, and assembled the resources and relationships needed to contest it. Running the Sepulcher Throne as an act-three threat, reached through investigation, NPC relationship-building, and the increasingly visible Blackened activity that the Stage 1 and 2 arc generates, allows the Ghoul Lord's appearance to land with appropriate weight.

ShadeKin as personal horror: A player-character who reaches Stage 3 should ideally have had multiple encounters with ShadeKin as NPCs first. When they understand what ShadeKin are, not just mechanically but in terms of what is lost and what replaces it, the possibility of that outcome for their own character carries genuine weight.