Purification is a cleansing ritual in which a Priestess removes the Blight from another's body, thereby allowing them to die and their soul to pass on. The process of purifying the Blight is agonizing. It is considered painful and causes the priestesses to undergo agonizing mutations. As a countermeasure, they carried an amulet to ease the suffering they endure as they perform their purification rituals, however, its power weakens with time and requires a spell written in a stone tablet to restore it.

Process

As the tainted soul is pulled out of the body, the Blight relinquishes its hold as the soul fades away, existing only as a phantom - a vague and defiled imprint of the soul that is inherently incapable of independent thought, and is bound to the priestess who performed the ritual. They are capable of brief Actions in combat and can absorb more blight to grow stronger.

Witnessing of memories

Another aspect to the purification process that occurs intermittently throughout the game is the witnessing of memories. Sometimes, when Lily uses her power to draw out the Blight, she is able to catch a fleeting glimpse of the person's memories, which appears to be their most vivid recent memory just before their soul passes away. For Siegrid, it was the final moment she had with the First Lily. For Gerrod, it was being visited by Fretia and one of the Lilies. For Eleine, it was the most powerful spell she had ever cast: a warding ritual for the entire coven. For Silva, it was the shock and grief of discovering that her greatest fear, failing the ones she loved, had come true. For Hoenir, it was accepting his oath to Fretia to guard the Abyss. For Julius, it was making eye contact with his father for the first time. For Ulv, it was his final conversation with Fretia. For Faden, it was the moment he decided to continue Miriel's work to save the White Priestess no matter the cost. For Eldred's Guardian, it was the forging and passing of the Deathless Pact to Ferin. For Fretia, it was the moment she decided to oppose her last chance at purification and ruin the ritual in order to save her clones, whom she viewed as her children.

After the ritual, once the soul has finally passed away and all traces of Blight have been removed, the body left behind immediately withers and crumbles to dust. This indicates how erosive the Blight's growth is on organic matter.^[1]

Trivia

• There is one notable instance in which purification works differently. In the Hinterlands, Fretia projects her spirit to lead Lily to the fount, where she is able to cleanse her of the Blight through the physical connection she has with the lily flowers, which Lily experiences as a manifestation from the priestess. It works perfectly, with Lily none the worst for wear.
  • Presumably because Lily is also a Priestess, the Blight was being neatly stored in her cells rather than taking control of them and because the priestesses' minds and souls are also unaffected, the process was akin to a basic transfer from one vessel to another.^[1]

References