HeartSick

HeartSick seeks out key people in the community, and becomes something they routinely encounter or are close to – a memento on their desk, an old tool at the back of their workbench, a saucepan hanging on the end of the rack they never use and aren’t sure why they still have. From this position of close familiarity, HeartSick begins to whisper into the target’s mind, just a low murmur at first, a sound at the back of perception that doesn’t seem to have a source. As the target becomes accustomed to it, and dismisses it, words begin to rise out of the murmur, words that cause worry, anxiety, self-doubt. Something seems to be missing or awry in their life, a gap that the target becomes increasingly aware of, and gnaws at their peace of mind. The voice only speaks to them when they are alone, and most often in the dead of night or other vulnerable moments. It gives no clues to what might actually be missing, but suggests that the target already knows and just doesn’t want to admit it to themselves. Over time, the target becomes less able to fulfill their purpose in the community, and with a linchpin failing, the community itself begins to drift and destabilize. Once the target’s mind and spirit have begun to erode, HeartSick will sometimes engage in brief conversation, but remains enigmatic, never identifying what it is or what form it has taken, and raising questions without ever providing answers. It goes silent at the most maddening of times, leaving the target with nothing to question but their own existence. If the target cannot shake loose of HeartSick’s influence, and receives no help from their family or community, their mind or spirit, or both, will erode away, and the community will lose someone important to its function, and HeartSick will move on.

In game terms: HeartSick attacks the Self:Mind and Self:Spirit Connections.