Your Drow ancestors sought power in the mycelium forests of the Underdark. Through generations of ritual and symbiosis, they learned to draw upon the magical properties of the immense mycelial networks threading beneath Faerun. Cultivating these spores within their bodies, they unlocked forms of magic unattainable by other peoples.
The gift, however, came at a cost. The fungus that granted them such extraordinary magical potential hungered to consume its host, spreading relentlessly through the body until only a mindless vessel remained. Centuries of adaptation eventually granted these Drow a remarkable resistance to the infection, allowing them to survive where others would perish.
From this setback arose Cordyceps Erosion, an ancient abjuration passed from one generation to the next. The spell forces the fugus into magical dormancy, allowing the body to attack and dispose of the intrusion. Every child born into Drow society is taught the rite as soon as they are capable of casting magic.
For the duration, the cordyceps within you is rendered inert. While this spell is active:
- You cannot suffer the effects of internal cordyceps infection.
- You cannot accidentally transmit fungal spores through bites, blood, or other biological contact.
- Any ongoing progression of your internal infection is suspended for the spell's duration.
When the spell is in effect, you must make one DC13 saving throw every hour
- Failure: You take 1d6 necrotic damage as fungal mycelium spreads through your organs and nervous system.
- Success: Record one successful saving throw, 3 will render the fungus dormant.
Upon achieving three successful saving throws, your body completely overcomes the fungal outbreak, eradicating the infection. The parasitic colony dies, ending all effects of the disease and preventing further saving throws.
If the infection reduces you to 0 hit points before you achieve three successful saving throws, the fungus completely consumes your body. You become fully infected, and your body is transformed into a fungal vessel under the DM's control. Only powerful magic can restore you once this transformation is complete.
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