Crimsonlust
The legacy of those who stalk the night.
Crimsonlust, also called Sadistic Vampire's Delight, is a rare mental condition caused by excessive consumption of the Pleaseme drug, an addictive stimulant popular in the brothels of the poorer districts of most large settlements, most notably Solaris. Early symptoms experienced by those who have either come forward or have been captured by authorities include sensory hallucinations that range from mild to severe (dependent on the individual's constitution, mental fortitude and amount of Pleaseme consumed), after which an intense thirst begins to manifest, one that can only be sated with another living person's blood. Bouts of increased energy and activity follow, usually manifesting themselves as an abrupt rise in extreme aggression against other individuals. Once symptoms have appeared, the people around the afflicted being are no longer safe, even if they are close relatives or lovers. The ill themselves, however, are in no immediate danger of perishing.
Also worth underlining is the fact that the condition can lapse, meaning that there will be times where a person ailed by it while experience moments of clarity with a clouded recollection of what they did while under its full effect before the process begins again.
To this day, not one individual afflicted by this conditions has turned into a real vampire, despite what the illness' other name might imply, nor has there been a verified case anywhere in the world for over five years.
Also worth underlining is the fact that the condition can lapse, meaning that there will be times where a person ailed by it while experience moments of clarity with a clouded recollection of what they did while under its full effect before the process begins again.
To this day, not one individual afflicted by this conditions has turned into a real vampire, despite what the illness' other name might imply, nor has there been a verified case anywhere in the world for over five years.
Transmission & Vectors
Crimsonlust is afflicted upon an individual that has consumed large amounts of Pleaseme, a performance-enhancing aphrodisiac and mild hallucinogenic considered illegal in most countries. Some physicians have speculated that the disease may be transmitted through bodily fluid exchange, yet have found no evidence to sustain this claim.
To date, there have been no reports of people being able to transmit the disease through any means, largely due to the fact that, should such cases exist, they have gone unnoticed or unreported.
To date, there have been no reports of people being able to transmit the disease through any means, largely due to the fact that, should such cases exist, they have gone unnoticed or unreported.
Causes
The Pleaseme drug is created using snowspore as its main component, a rare mushroom that can be found in cold climates around the world. On its own, snowspore can induce hallucinations and bouts of drowsiness, while also generating a great thirst in whoever consumes it. Once combined with deathbloom extract, powdered blackroot and mixed together with several alchemical by-products, however, it results in the drug's famed effects.
It is widely believed that the combination all these ingredients in unmeasured portions causes their effects to become more potent, such as the blackroot's anesthetic properties or the deathbloom's pleasure-enhancing ones. What hasn't been properly explained are the violent effects that crimsonlust has on a person's mind, though it is suspected by a select few that this results from magical infusions done during the drug's synthesis.
Insofar as this article is concerned, there are no environmental factors that affect the disease's symptoms or its progression. However, social and economic factors do play a role in a person's decision to begin consuming the drug to the degree necessary in order to be afflicted with the illness.
It is widely believed that the combination all these ingredients in unmeasured portions causes their effects to become more potent, such as the blackroot's anesthetic properties or the deathbloom's pleasure-enhancing ones. What hasn't been properly explained are the violent effects that crimsonlust has on a person's mind, though it is suspected by a select few that this results from magical infusions done during the drug's synthesis.
Insofar as this article is concerned, there are no environmental factors that affect the disease's symptoms or its progression. However, social and economic factors do play a role in a person's decision to begin consuming the drug to the degree necessary in order to be afflicted with the illness.
Symptoms
The time before symptoms begin to manifest, assuming an individual has had enough Pleaseme to trigger the disease, varies from person to person, yet consistently takes at least a week after the drug's threshold has been reached. Some cases begin immediately after the seven days have elapsed, while others can take up to a month.
As the crimsonlust takes hold of the afflicted's mind, symptoms such as generalized hallucinations begin manifesting themselves, followed by a literal thirst for blood, increased energy, aggression, physical strength and pain tolerance while also weakening the ill's bones, making them prone to contract other illnesses from the blood they drink, turning their skin pale and dramatically reducing the sick's body mass. It is also not unusual that the person acquires a fear for open spaces, or for them to derive fulfillment from the act of maiming and brutally murdering other individuals.
As the crimsonlust takes hold of the afflicted's mind, symptoms such as generalized hallucinations begin manifesting themselves, followed by a literal thirst for blood, increased energy, aggression, physical strength and pain tolerance while also weakening the ill's bones, making them prone to contract other illnesses from the blood they drink, turning their skin pale and dramatically reducing the sick's body mass. It is also not unusual that the person acquires a fear for open spaces, or for them to derive fulfillment from the act of maiming and brutally murdering other individuals.
Treatment
Crimsonlust can be treated in several ways, though the people that have been successfully cured are limited. Because of the drug's addictive properties and the illness' amnesia-inducing effects, few realize they are truly sick and even fewer find the willpower to turn away from it. Abstaining from consuming the drug after becoming ill causes a great amount of discomfort, sweating, shortness of breath and low body temperature, which oftentimes leads to the individual relapsing. It unknown if the illness can be treated through abstention alone.
The ailment can be combated using a series of spells, remedies and an assortment of rituals. However, most of these are costly or require powerful healers or rare medicinal herbs in order to fully cure a person, which is another factor that contributes to the cure's low success rate.
The spells used are largely restorative in nature and can almost exclusively be used by individuals that have received extensive formal training in the healing arts, oftentimes found in high positions within a faith's clergy. The patient must be submitted to these spells for long extended of time throughout the span of several days while in a trance-like state that prevents them from attacking everyone on sight.
Medicines are the hardest to come by, what with the necessary ingredients to make the concoctions being very rare and expensive and the conditions needed to synthesize it being incredibly specific and requiring the participation of a master alchemist in its making. There is only one known case of this method actually working, as reported by Yōken's Court Physician, around ten years prior to this article's writing. The patient's name has been redacted from the records, and their whereabouts and status are unknown.
The cure's ritualistic approach tends to be the most affordable out of them all, yet represents the greatest amount of danger for all involved, with the ritual only taking half a day to complete. The core part of the ritual involves submerging the sick individual in a pool of holy water that is being constantly heated by the sacred flames spell so that they might start sweating, slowly removing the drug from the person's system. After two hours of this, the patient is shackled with silver chains, the ends of them being fixed to a stone floor with wooden stakes while running water is gently poured over their head while being exposed to sunlight for an hour, further driving the drug and its effects from the body.
The ill is then unshackled and asked (or forced) to drink a beverage that acts as a hallucinogenic which, when combined with the heavy, enclosed atmosphere produced by the small dimensions of the chamber and the thick smell of incense, begin to overpower the mirages produced by the crimsonlust. This is the most dangerous step, seeing as the patient can and will attack most anything (even if the thing isn't there) and begin to crave blood to a point where it physically pains them. Once four hours have elapsed, the hallucinations caused by the drink will have subsided, and so will the ones caused by the illness.
Finally, the patient is taken back to the pool of holy water, where they are left to rest while they recover from their traumatic experience under the watchful eye of the clerics and priests in charge of performing the ritual, who use different leaves to ensure the individual is calmed down by the time they wake.
The ailment can be combated using a series of spells, remedies and an assortment of rituals. However, most of these are costly or require powerful healers or rare medicinal herbs in order to fully cure a person, which is another factor that contributes to the cure's low success rate.
The spells used are largely restorative in nature and can almost exclusively be used by individuals that have received extensive formal training in the healing arts, oftentimes found in high positions within a faith's clergy. The patient must be submitted to these spells for long extended of time throughout the span of several days while in a trance-like state that prevents them from attacking everyone on sight.
Medicines are the hardest to come by, what with the necessary ingredients to make the concoctions being very rare and expensive and the conditions needed to synthesize it being incredibly specific and requiring the participation of a master alchemist in its making. There is only one known case of this method actually working, as reported by Yōken's Court Physician, around ten years prior to this article's writing. The patient's name has been redacted from the records, and their whereabouts and status are unknown.
The cure's ritualistic approach tends to be the most affordable out of them all, yet represents the greatest amount of danger for all involved, with the ritual only taking half a day to complete. The core part of the ritual involves submerging the sick individual in a pool of holy water that is being constantly heated by the sacred flames spell so that they might start sweating, slowly removing the drug from the person's system. After two hours of this, the patient is shackled with silver chains, the ends of them being fixed to a stone floor with wooden stakes while running water is gently poured over their head while being exposed to sunlight for an hour, further driving the drug and its effects from the body.
The ill is then unshackled and asked (or forced) to drink a beverage that acts as a hallucinogenic which, when combined with the heavy, enclosed atmosphere produced by the small dimensions of the chamber and the thick smell of incense, begin to overpower the mirages produced by the crimsonlust. This is the most dangerous step, seeing as the patient can and will attack most anything (even if the thing isn't there) and begin to crave blood to a point where it physically pains them. Once four hours have elapsed, the hallucinations caused by the drink will have subsided, and so will the ones caused by the illness.
Finally, the patient is taken back to the pool of holy water, where they are left to rest while they recover from their traumatic experience under the watchful eye of the clerics and priests in charge of performing the ritual, who use different leaves to ensure the individual is calmed down by the time they wake.
Prognosis
Some time after the illness first manifested itself, the symptoms are so prevalent that the lapses previously mentioned stop occurring entirely, permanently replacing the ill's personality with that of a violent, blood-hungry creature that finds immense delight in causing great suffering to their victims before slaughtering them.
Sequela
Those who are in the process of recovering from crimsonlust are expected to lose up to 60% of their body weight, with this, in itself, presenting a multitude of issues during the recuperation phase, namely malnutrition. Any individual that has been completely cured from this illness will normally present some sign of their previous infection, such as a very pale skin or broken nails, damaged while the individual was being cured.
The silver lining for these patients resides in the fact that there are no permanent consequences after they've been cured of crimsonlust, with them being able to return to their normal lives after about half a month recovering.
The silver lining for these patients resides in the fact that there are no permanent consequences after they've been cured of crimsonlust, with them being able to return to their normal lives after about half a month recovering.
Affected Groups
The bulk of reported crimsonlust cases is found in prostitutes, regardless of age, sex or race, who overindulge in the drug to either enhance their performance or to make their jobs more bearable. It has also been found that some clients suffer from the illness as well, consuming Pleaseme to get their money's worth when they go to the brothel.
Hosts & Carriers
The disease is carried by sentient creatures of all sizes and races, provided they are able to consume the drug and feel its effects. While they are affected by it, they cannot act as a transmission vector.
Prevention
The only, surefire way to avoid contracting crimsonlust is to consume the least amount of Pleaseme possible, avoiding it altogether if feasible.
History
The Pleasme drug was discovered by adventurers at around the time of Elmeyon Crendameth's ascension to the throne in a castle that had long been abandoned. It was found in a defunct alchemy lab, along with encrypted notes that specified how to produce it. Out of curiosity, one of them tasted the concoction to ascertain its nature, eventually leading to the first confirmed case of both Pleaseme addiction and of crimsonlust. However, the drug's existence far precedes this discovery, being first described in Yōkenaround fifty years prior to Elmeyon's Rebellion.
The same group of adventurers discovered traces of a vampire's occupation in the castle, eventually finding the undead's coffin, which had been torn open and had a wooden stake stuck through its center. Confirming the vampire's demise was a pile of fine, bone colored ashes littered around the coffin.
The name of the individual who first tasted the drug has been lost to history, as have most of the notes regarding the drug's original purpose. However, they are credited for not only replicating the drug, but for commercializing it in the The Kingdom of Crendameth. After around five years of selling and distributing, there began to appear widespread reports of violent crimes happening all across the Kingdom, some of which were happening in the Kingdom capital. Elmeyon Crendameth launched an investigation, aided by Derazt Qor'Dunna, a tracker of certain renown who was seeking safe haven in the capital.
Qor'Dunna was able to find one of the brothels where a murder had occurred, managing to get a lead on the drug that apparently made all this possible and the one responsible for distributing it. She found the person responsible, yet has never given a statement as to what she did to them or their remains. Only the King and his Council know, and have also maintained a great deal of secrecy surrounding this incident.
Since then, most brothels and whorehouses were searched. Those found in possession of Pleaseme were arrested, their businesses were closed and those affected by crimsonlust were either attempted to be cured, cured outright or executed. Tighter restrictions were enforced, ensuring that such a thing would never happen again.
Elsewhere in the world, similar killing sprees have taken place, with the most notable one happening in Al Raamahwil in what became popularly known as A Hundred and One Nights of Screams. Curiously, the situation resolved itself in a similar fashion as it did in the Kingdom, with the lead investigator, Amyra of Glassand, answering directly to the Lord of Wind and Sand, pursuing a number of different clues that pointed to the drug's central distributor, whose name has been redacted from the Dune Sea's records. However, in Al Raamahwil, all punishments are to happen under the gaze of the One God. Therefore, it can be deduced that their execution took place somewhere near the country's capital, though no official record recognizes this fact.
The same group of adventurers discovered traces of a vampire's occupation in the castle, eventually finding the undead's coffin, which had been torn open and had a wooden stake stuck through its center. Confirming the vampire's demise was a pile of fine, bone colored ashes littered around the coffin.
The name of the individual who first tasted the drug has been lost to history, as have most of the notes regarding the drug's original purpose. However, they are credited for not only replicating the drug, but for commercializing it in the The Kingdom of Crendameth. After around five years of selling and distributing, there began to appear widespread reports of violent crimes happening all across the Kingdom, some of which were happening in the Kingdom capital. Elmeyon Crendameth launched an investigation, aided by Derazt Qor'Dunna, a tracker of certain renown who was seeking safe haven in the capital.
Qor'Dunna was able to find one of the brothels where a murder had occurred, managing to get a lead on the drug that apparently made all this possible and the one responsible for distributing it. She found the person responsible, yet has never given a statement as to what she did to them or their remains. Only the King and his Council know, and have also maintained a great deal of secrecy surrounding this incident.
Since then, most brothels and whorehouses were searched. Those found in possession of Pleaseme were arrested, their businesses were closed and those affected by crimsonlust were either attempted to be cured, cured outright or executed. Tighter restrictions were enforced, ensuring that such a thing would never happen again.
Elsewhere in the world, similar killing sprees have taken place, with the most notable one happening in Al Raamahwil in what became popularly known as A Hundred and One Nights of Screams. Curiously, the situation resolved itself in a similar fashion as it did in the Kingdom, with the lead investigator, Amyra of Glassand, answering directly to the Lord of Wind and Sand, pursuing a number of different clues that pointed to the drug's central distributor, whose name has been redacted from the Dune Sea's records. However, in Al Raamahwil, all punishments are to happen under the gaze of the One God. Therefore, it can be deduced that their execution took place somewhere near the country's capital, though no official record recognizes this fact.
Cultural Reception
Insofar as most people are concerned, crimsonlust is an urban legend, something written by the playwright of the Inkflow district, tall tales from the cities amidst the dunes of Al Raamahwil or scary stories found in Yōkenji folklore. However, the few verified cases and the victims that were able to survive their bearers instilled a healthy dose of fear into those who would meander at night.
The ill themselves were feared by the few who knew of them, while some insidious groups used them as their prime source of worship and inspiration. Said groups have either been dissolved or completely annihilated.
The ill themselves were feared by the few who knew of them, while some insidious groups used them as their prime source of worship and inspiration. Said groups have either been dissolved or completely annihilated.
Type
Mental
Origin
Engineered
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Rare
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
This was an excellent article. There was so much detail and every section gave me a deeper insight into your world. I can see a lot of thought was put into this and i look forward to seeing where this world goes.
Thank you very much! Even if it sounds weird, diseases are fun to write. This one in particular helped me set up a couple of characters that I'd had laying around. Thanks for taking the time to read!