The Taint of Arlecchino
The most optimistic assumption is that Arlecchino is simply the antithesis of the anthropic principle. Though, unfortunately, I may be wrong.
The Taint of Arlecchino was traditionally regarded as a representation of cosmic vastness: a distorted reflection and a manifestation of whatever still hides from human sight in the depths of starry space. Arlecchino himself was treated as an avatar of chaos, a being opposed to everything we know, or to everything we understand. It is fair to call it the brightest star in the black pantheon of anomalies.
Symptoms
Onset of the Disease
Those infected with the Taint of Arlecchino begin to feel the unsettling presence of a jester, and each new visitation deepens the sense of being constantly watched and persecuted. In time, Savants touched by this taint may experience strange visions of the jester, or delusions, as if he were trying to pass them a mysterious message.
The most common fear among the infected is spectrophobia – the fear of mirrors and of one’s own reflection.
As the Taint develops, Savants may also notice physical changes in their bodies, above all a corpse-pale shade of skin.
Taints
