Darkening

It grows day by day. Its veins creep across the land, blighting all it touches. [...] It is power, pure, raw.

skekSo

The Darkening, also known as the Blight, was a noxious energy which emanated from the Crystal whenever it was abused. It manifested itself in the form of a purple light or black vapour, and caused plant life to wither and animals affected by it are poisoned to the point of aggression. It also caused irregular weather patterns, creating storms and evaporating seas. In the Gelfling, the Darkening did not cause insanity, but caused the manifestation of Shadow fingers, which were usually fatal.

History

Age of Division

SkekSo summoning the Darkening

The Darkening first manifested itself after the Shard of the Division was chipped from The Crystal, though it was held at bay by the Great Trees. However, after a thousand trine of the Skeksis leeching energy from the Crystal, the Darkening grew in strength and gradually overcame the Trees. The process only accelerated after the Skeksis began draining Gelfling of their essence, thus preventing them from returning their balancing life force to Thra once they died. Emperor skekSo, who had secretly been experimenting with the Darknening, decreed that it didn't exist, ignoring the reports of his Gelfling subjects of crop failures and animal attacks. The Skeksis' denial of the Darkening's existence was one of the factors leading to the collapse of the Alliance of the Crystal and the formation of the Gelfling resistance. After the death of Vliste-Staba, the Sanctuary Tree's power was transferred to the Grottan Deet, who gained the ability to absorb and redirect the Darkening.

Age of Power

Thurma confronting a darkened Landstrider

Although the Darkening was largely purged after Jen healed the Crystal, trace elements of it remained on Skeksis artifacts, some of which were used as torture devices by the crime lord Trunk. During Jen and Kira's slumber, the accumulation of material tributes to the Crystal prevented it from emanating its light to the world of Mithra creating an imbalance that affected both the surface and below. It caused a Darkening outbreak which resulted in the sickening of Kensho and his family, as well as the infection of an entire forest.