The Taint of the Six

The Taint of the Six is the name given to a magical curse that was created by the dragon supremarchs. Shortly after the end of the Mai-ben'Mach, six powerful dragon supremarchs hungered for vengeance as their entire species had been annihilated in the war. The supremarchs entered the realm of Olympus and sought to take their vengeance directly upon the gods themselves by poisoning the Fountain of Olympus. The Fountain was the source of power for nearly all Olympians, and so when it was corrupted, the Olympians were warped and twisted by evil. All except Hades and the Underworld. Hades draws his power from elsewhere and thus was not affected when the Fountain was corrupted.

The Taint was first discovered by the Knight Order of Arendelle. The Knights were the first ones to diagnose and make efforts to contain it. They accomplished this by killing those infected and destroying the Stargates in an effort to quarantine the Taint. Their efforts successfully contained the Taint for centuries and it would not become a problem for mankind again until sometime in 2014.

The Knights knew that they would be unable to battle the Olympians themselves, but they believed the famed friend-protector of mankind would be able to help them reclaim Mount Olympus from the taint. A journal entry reinforcing this belief reads, "...and the King sent his armies to scavenge through the forests in search of Yashima in hopes of putting an end to the foul plague. Though they called out to him by his name, he did not answer. For he could not hear them."

The incubation period before symptoms began manifesting could be as lengthy as a few months. It could take up to roughly one year or more before an individual fully progressed from stage 1 to stage 4.

Stages
The incubation period before symptoms began manifesting could be as lengthy as a few months. It could take up to roughly one year or more before an individual fully progressed from stage 1 to stage 4. Those afflicted with Vampirism or Lycanthrophy were somehow rendered immune to the Taint.

Stage 1

 * Aggression/irritability
 * Ambition
 * A thirst for blood and power

Stage 2

 * Paranoia
 * Anxiety

Stage 3

 * Feral impulses
 * Mental breakdown
 * Insanity

Stage 4

 * Dizziness
 * Fatigue
 * Fever
 * Loss of appetite
 * Hallucination
 * Death