Effects of the Foefire

The year was 1090 AE. Humanity had been steadily pushed back in Ascalon, forced to take refuge in Ascalon City. Then the sieges began. The Flame Legion had surrounded the city and for days besieged it, breaking the soldier’s morale. When finally the charr breached the gates of the city, the humans panicked and tried to flee.

Their king, Adelbern, would not have that. In his refusal to admit defeat he shattered his sword by thrusting it into the ground and releasing a powerful spell: the Foefire. A blast engulfed much of Ascalon, killing the charr in the immediate vicinity and turning all humans within miles to everlasting ghosts of pure fury towards all living things, forced to relive the last day of their life endlessly by Adelbern’s curse.

That is the story we have been told. But more than humans and charr were affected by this.

Humans, as said, were turned into vengeful ghosts holding immense rage towards the charr – as Rytlock claims, this rage is Adelbern’s. These ghosts cannot be “killed” (for lack of a better word) like any other ghost, as they reform minutes to weeks later (depending on how hard their fall was), and similarly they are forced to relive the last day of their life until they meet a living being which, regardless of its origins, they will see as a charr and in turn as a threat. Even living humans are seen as charr.

However, not all humans are affected this way. It seems that there is a ranking system within the “foefire ghosts” which dictate a ghost’s mental state. For starters, Adelbern appears to hold his own personality and sentience, but in a natural insane state. The two documented encounters with Adelbern’s ghost are nearly matching at the beginning – he asks about his son, Rurik, and shows concern for his well being. Adelbern, though full of rage to the charr, is seemingly not affected by the Foefire despite having been killed by it (at least, not affected by normal means).

Besides this, other ghosts – most presentably being Kasha Blackblood, Ralena, Vassar, and Nente – are shown as leaders. These individuals lead armies of ghosts forcing them out of their “daily reruns” and into battle with the charr (and not just simply “anyone alive”). What’s also interesting to note is that they acknowledge those who they encounter, though still seeing them as enemies (presumably under a case of “the ally of my enemy is my enemy too” for non-charr). In the case of those I named, this may be due to them having died before the Foefire (all four are near tombs with Ralena and Vassar specifically having coffins, though no bodies have yet been recovered from them). However, other individuals have shown in similar, though less interactive, situations – Duke Barradin and Warmaster Labofski among them.

Beyond the humans, however, more creatures were turned into ghosts, and what’s most interesting is that these goes seem to be able to make more ghastly things. I say things because not all are “living.” Among these are necrominions, summoned by necromancer ghosts. Though whether these are necrominions-turned-ghosts or just spectral necrominions is uncertain, as at least one necromancer, a centaur by the name of Draithor, is able to summon ghastly necrominions that hold the same appearance as your standard necrominion. And to avoid confusion: these ghastly necrominions summoned by the foefire ghosts have the appearance of Bone Minions, and not the already-ghastly necrominion, Shadow Fiends.

Alongside the necrominions, there are ghostly catapults, cannons, and even weapons. An odd thing, truly, for inanimate objects to have ghosts or for such to have been formed. Sadly, the origins of these things are fully unknown, and we have no indication if this is something that all ghosts can do, or if these appearances are unique unto the “foefire ghosts.” In a similar light, no pun intended, there appears to be a unique flame limited to these foefire ghosts – an unearthly lightblue flame of the same color as their ethereal selves. “Ghostfire” I believe it was once called.

Something of… humor perhaps, to note about the Foefire’s effects are that on its wildlife. As some scrappers will, perhaps hesitantly, attest to, the Foefire had turned more than simple humans into ghosts. No, there are ghost cows too. Yes, cows. But these cows do not eat grass all day, mooing at passers by. Nor do they seem to attack anything believe them to be charr. They are far different from both living cows as they are to the human ghosts. Instead, they seem oddly attached to certain ruins, only becoming hostile (to our knowledge, at least) when such ruins are disturbed. A true unfortunate case for the scrappers since they make a living by scavenging those ruins.

Cats too have been affected by the Foefire – and perhaps more animals. However, just as the cows are different, the cats affected by the Foefire are even more distantly different. I encountered one on my travels through the ruins of Ashford Abbey and the old entrance to the Catacombs beneath the land when I stumbled upon one such ghastly cat. I thought for sure it would strike at me, though a mere housecat it may be, just as the surrounding human ghosts. But it was completely docile – unlike anything of a foefire ghost and, most odd perhaps, was that nothing done nearby upset it.

Whatever the origins of the Foefire’s magic, it is an odd thing to say the least. Humans become unreasonably hostile, except a select few leader figures, charr are killed, cows become territorial and cats… become unreasonably docile. Perhaps based on its diverse effects, these said effects were highly influenced by Adelbern, leaving those “leader figures” to be individuals who held similar hatred for charr. Though why cats don’t hold such hatred towards charr is odd – perhaps it’s due to both being felines?