Tio is the Immortal of curses, and as such is capable of bestowing blessings and curses upon mortals. However as he is a newly created Immortal he is weak, and must work to unlock his powers both for himself and for his marked. Details of his mark, and the list of the abilities currently unlocked, are below.
The Blessing of Sylvein
For as long as there have been beings capable of wielding extraordinary powers, so too have there been curses. A curse is defined as any sort of harmful, misfortunate or otherwise malicious effect placed upon something by the use of supernatural power; usually by spirits or Immortals. They are an expression of that beings wish to make the target suffer, usually for a perceived wrongdoing. Due to their sinister nature it is no surprise that most people consider curses to be scary and evil, and many go to extreme lengths to avoid, chase away or sometimes even kill those who have been cursed.
However there are a few people in the world, usually those who were once, or still are, cursed themselves, who come to recognise a strange phenomenon: that through the suffering they create curses can actually be a tool for great good. The hardships they create can force those afflicted by them to grow as people, to learn important lessons and appreciate the things they have lost. The classic example of this is how those cursed to take hideous or monstrous forms often come to recognise how outer appearances can be deceiving, and that inner beauty is what really counts. In this sense curses can be considered a tool for teaching harsh lessons just as much as an instrument of revenge. It is people like them, those who recognise that it is only through hardship that character is grown, who Tio seeks out to bear his blessing.
Those who wield Sylvein become the arbiters of curses, able to place them upon people, objects and places, as well as take some level of control over the curses that afflict them. In doing so they are trusted to use its power responsibly: as a tool of fair punishment, and not for personal satisfaction or gain. Those who abuse this power will quickly find it taken away from them, and will likely be cursed themselves for their hubris. They may grow their powers by assisting and advising those who are cursed; helping them to either break their curses by their own merit or accept the burden as a part of who they are. They may also be rewarded for bestowing fair and fittingly ironic curses upon sinners. However they are forbidden from ever breaking somebody's curse for them. It is worth noting that Tio does not have a champion in the usual sense of the word. Instead of awarding the position of champion to his most trusted blessed, Tio's "champion" is a person afflicted by the fourth, most powerful tier of curse he can give at the absolute zenith of his power: the ultimate curse that turns every moment into a living hell for the victim.
The blessing of Sylvein takes the form of a silver circle upon the marked's back with a ring around it filed with an intricate pattern unique to each blessed, forming the start of an intricate mandala. Each time the marked advances to a new level they gain a new ring filled with another new pattern, growing the mandala until it reaches right across their shoulder blades.
(Note: Neither the abilities granted by magical sparks nor their mutations are considered curses. As they come from inside one's soul rather than an external force the mark of Sylvein can do nothing to control them. Any other supernatural negative effect placed by an external force; for example Immortals, spirits, cursed items and more, can be considered curses. This does not apply any effect in which the positive benefits outweigh the negative.)
Favoured
| Ability Name | Ability Description |
| The Evil Eye | With this power the marked gains the ability to see curses. The moment they lay eyes upon a person or item that is cursed they will instinctively know that a curse is upon it, and by further examining it information about what the details of the curse is and what can be done to lift it will simply pop into the marked's head. The marked may also experience brief visions of the past showing the moment the curse was first given, though this is uncommon and uncontrollable.
When looking at someone cursed by an Immortal, the marked can see that the individual is cursed but cannot understand it unless their level in Sylvein is equal or higher to the level of the curse (favoured for hated, adored for despised, and exalted for condemned.) They can understand a curse from any other source, but the time it takes to understand it should be suitable to the strength and complexity of the curse being examined. Some marked may experience a slight, temporary physical change when using this power, most commonly a change in eye colour.
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| Sole Respite | There are many curses that affect their target by influencing the people around them, subtly influencing their minds to inspire things such as apathy, jealousy or forgetfulness. With this power however the marked becomes immune to the influence of the curse of another person, often making them the only person the cursed can interact with normally. This puts them in the perfect position to either help the cursed or manipulate them.
When resisting the effect of the curse of another Immortal placed upon another person, the marked's level in Sylvein must be equal or higher to the level of the curse (favoured for hated, adored for despised, and exalted for condemned.) This ability does not work against cursed objects or places, only against curses inflicted upon other living things besides the marked. Nor does it offer any protection against curses that only affect the cursed.
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As you might expect from the Immortal of curses, the curse of Sylvein is particularly special. Unlike other Immortals each curse Tio and his followers bestow is entirely unique in effect, capable of doing almost anything so long as it causes hardship to the user. However while its near infinite variety makes it incredibly versatile there are three drawbacks that drastically limit it.
The first is that this curse can only be given to someone shortly after they have committed a dramatic action that demonstrates something rotten about their nature; something the one bestowing the curse considers to be immoral or criminal (this depends on the individual morality of the curse-giver, rather than any set laws.) As long as they are not "caught in the act" so to speak the Sylvein curse cannot be given. For example while a murderer could be cursed right after they kill someone, they could not be cursed for the same incident several trials later. Curses must be given in the heat of the moment. The only exception to this is when an existing curse is transferred from one person to another by use of mark powers or other means.
The second is that the effects of the curse must be thematically linked to the details of the action the curse is being made over, usually bestowing an ironic sense of justice proportional to the crime. For example a host who breaks the rules of hospitality might be made unable to leave their house ever again, or a hunter who kills an animal for sport may be forced to assume the form of that same animal. Effects that are not at least loosely related to the crime, or are not designed to be a punishment to the victim, cannot be granted. When granting this curse, the marked must clearly speak aloud what the action they are bestowing the curse over is and what its effects are. These words will be written across the back of the cursed in the ancient language, serving as the curse mark itself and a warning of its effects to anyone who can translate it.
And the third is that every single Sylvein curse, without exception, always has a way to be "lifted": a way to break the curse without the aid of Immortals or other powerful beings. The one who is cursed must perform an action that is both equal and opposite to the action that caused them to be cursed in the first place and thematically linked to it, proving that they have corrected whatever part of their rotten nature the one who cursed them considered evil. To use the earlier examples the host might have to be the perfect host for a traveller in need of aid, or the hunter might have to protect and care for the child of the animal they killed.
Due to its flexible nature curses are ranked as hated, despised, condemned or champion based upon the severity of the negative effect they create.
Hated
A hated curse is irritating enough to make the victim's life miserable, generally causing them lasting discomfort or ridicule but not powerful enough to cause lasting harm. Those afflicted might be partially transformed to bear certain ugly or bestial features; suffer constant but minor strokes of bad luck; become slightly weakened or ill; or find themselves unable to perform certain non-essential activities.
