Silk Rot

Silk-rot is an affliction that befalls most silk producing Arachne It is more prevalent within Arachne that are most heavily reliant on producing silk, contracting it can very much mean the difference between life and death for these species

Causes

The condition itself is caused by a parasitic organism, or more specifically a parasitic worm, that invades an Arachne's spinneret. The proteins in the Arachne are the target of these parasites, attacking the glands that produce said proteins integral for silk production from the spinnerets. At first, the presence of these parasites can be very nominal, and unnoticeable. However it is only when the worm begin to reproduce that the signs of Silk Rot truly begin to show. The parasites young begin to target more and more of the silk glands and in time irreversibly damage the glands so they can no longer produce the proteins. Leading to the cells to die and the glands to decay and rot. The worms will spread from gland to gland effectively stripping them all out one by one. At this stage the infestation is completely irreversible, and the parasites will either die off from lack of sustenance, or will leave in search of a new host. Leaving the Arachne's spinneret and ability to produce silk completely gone.

Symptoms

The early stages of the disease causes an Arachne to over produce increasingly poor quality silk. Which if left untreated, can leave the Arachne with an inability to produce at all. Once this occurs, the silk glands and spinnerets will begin to decay, this can lead to it becoming septic and further infection developing. Fevers and chronic pain are very typical at this stage, and if the Arachne is unable to treat or fight off the infection it can lead to blood poisoning and eventually death.

Treatment

Treatment for this affliction has only recently been discovered in the past few decades. Previously traditional Arachne remedies such as lotions and ointments had been applied that had very little affect other than to soothe the discomfort. It was only after the parasite had taken its course were they able to treat the subsequent infection, and though staving off death would still leave an Arachne unable to spin silk. The recent discovery of a rare and particularly potent mushroom cap from expeditions into the Sea of Spores, has seen the development of a particularly powerful tonic. While non-lethal to the Arachne ingesting the tonic, it changes the consistency of the proteins contained in the Arachne silk glands, making them highly toxic to the parasites, causing almost immediate death.

Though devastating to the Arachne population for many generations, this cure only came about, due to the drastic affect it was having upon the silk trade throughout the underworld. Private funding from Dral'azie merchants and influential traders saw the development of this cure, as a growing pandemic began blighting their silk producing Arachne.

Type

Parasitic

Origin

Natural

Rarity

Uncommon