<FILE> {

"file": "corruption_and_threats.json",
"version": "1.0",
"status": "locked_canon",
"scope": "authoritative",
"description": "Defines sources of corruption, modes of threat, and escalation dynamics within the Dreamwood. Distinguishes intentional destruction from opportunistic decay and establishes non-apocalyptic failure trajectories.",

"corruption_framework": {
  "definition": "Corruption is misalignment between ecological intelligence and imposed will, expressed through degradation, coercion, or acceleration.",
  "non_monolithic": true,
  "not_inherently_malevolent": false
},

"primary_corruption_vectors": {
  "blight": {
    "origin": "Intentional weaponization of the Dreamwood’s fear-response.",
    "alignment": "Grace-aligned",
    "characteristics": [
      "violent overgrowth",
      "accelerated decay",
      "fungal and plant aggression",
      "territorial hostility"
    ],
    "expressions": [
      "blightborne entities",
      "rapid corpse overgrowth",
      "localized ecological collapse"
    ],
    "intent": "Remake the forest into a system incapable of rejection."
  },
  "root_rot": {
    "origin": "Opportunistic psycho-ecological infection.",
    "alignment": "Ambient, non-sentient",
    "characteristics": [
      "fungal infiltration",
      "chemical influence on behavior",
      "suggestibility and disorientation"
    ],
    "expressions": [
      "body chemistry alteration",
      "puppeting behaviors",
      "social paranoia"
    ],
    "intent": "None; spreads through exposure and neglect."
  }
},

"blightborne": {
  "definition": "Entities created or altered through blight exposure.",
  "forms": [
    "animal hybrids",
    "plant-flesh amalgams",
    "reanimated corpses"
  ],
  "traits": [
    "unnatural resilience",
    "territorial aggression",
    "ecological hostility"
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "context-dependent strength",
    "susceptibility to sanctified spaces",
    "instability over time"
  ]
},

"threat_classification": {
  "active_antagonist": {
    "grace": {
      "role": "Primary destabilizing force",
      "motivation": "Rejection transformed into domination",
      "constraints": [
        "cannot enter sacred sanctuary",
        "cannot achieve legitimate stewardship"
      ]
    }
  },
  "ambient_threats": [
    "root rot spread",
    "boundary erosion",
    "ecological hardening"
  ],
  "human_contributors": [
    "environmental exploitation",
    "unregulated access",
    "ritual ignorance"
  ]
},

"escalation_model": {
  "pattern": "Slow, compounding pressure rather than sudden catastrophe.",
  "stages": [
    "localized incidents",
    "loss of safe passage",
    "increased hostility",
    "moral compromise"
  ],
  "non_terminal": true
},

"containment_and_mitigation": {
  "effective_measures": [
    "sanctuary reinforcement",
    "ritual acknowledgment",
    "limited reintegration"
  ],
  "ineffective_measures": [
    "forceful suppression",
    "total eradication attempts",
    "denial of harm"
  ]
},

"failure_modes": {
  "ecological": [
    "forest hardening",
    "loss of hospitality",
    "selective predation"
  ],
  "social": [
    "paranoia",
    "ostracization",
    "collapse of trust"
  ],
  "personal": [
    "alienation",
    "loss of identity",
    "ethical erosion"
  ]
},

"canon_rules": {
  "corruption_is_alignment_failure": true,
  "not_all_threats_have_intent": true,
  "escalation_is_gradual": true,
  "no_apocalyptic_endpoint": true
}

}

</FILE>