Artisans Thumb

Thumb goes black, it can never come back.

S. S.

A scribe hurriedly takes note as several lords speak over one another at their round table. Agruing and persisting against one another. His pace hastens as his king speaks above them all to quiet them, he steadily catches up. His quill low on ink so he takes his cloth and cleans the pen, unconsiously he flinches and only looks at the prick of blood welling up, mixing with the metal traced ink, wiping the blood off on the rag and dipping more ink as he jots down his kings wise words and stern commands.
Later in the night, long afterward he stretches, sliding off the tavern stool. He takes to his pocket to gather a few silver to pay the night off and head to his stead. His thumb now throbbing as it pinches the coin purse, examining closely he sees the prick from earlier in the day is somewhat swollen and pussing so slightly. Red forming around the area, the blood rushing to fix the puncture. He gets home and washes it out, removing the puss by the sharpened edge of a clean cutlery, draining it until no more comes out. He wraps it in clean cloth before turning in.
By morning he wakes in agony as his thumb down to his wrist is blacked hard, no mobility from it whatsoever. He throws on his clothes and makes his way to the castle halls, finding the Sec of Medicine and presents his hand. Sensitive to the touch and now bleeding from the short run to the castle, handling the knobs and producing his papers for entry. The Sec knows all to well what has happened to the scribe, sitting him down and having him lay his hand spread outright. He begins to treat the thumb with herbs, and the scribe with alcohol and a mind numbing root, dulling his mind and senses. Onfe the scribe nods off the Sec quickly takes a hatchet and covers his mouth with cloth, bringing the hatchet down through the scribes hand, severing his thumb and pointer finger entirely. The pain still reaches the scribe as he is sobered and jolted awake from the pain, the Sec quickly sears the wound with a hot iron kept in the fire, wrapping it as quickly as the scribes shock allows him.
Days later the scribe is allowed reentry to the Sec's study, where the wound is inspected. Then he is told that he may continue to scribe for the king, as no trwce of Artisans Thumb remains, much like two of his own phalanges. He returns to work, no longer as the lead scribe, but now secondary taking the position of copying histories, contracts, and deeds of the past for his king rather than writing the new histories he so loved.

Transmission & Vectors

Infections can be spread through blood to blood/dermal contact.

Causes

It is most common among artisans,

Symptoms

Deepending on the area of infection, a person could have a blacked portion of their hand or finger. Or if ingested it can slowly stop certain bodily functions such as the digestion of foods, can cause intense pains on and around the infected area(s) often time reoccuring wounds on the area are more likely to happen as the skin becomes brittle but dense. Scattered cases refer to it as sandstone in its brittleness and density.

Treatment

Often times amputation is the only treatment to keep late stages of Artisans Thumb, earlier stages can be treated with a selection of herbs that are from a few different regions of Corbix. Before

Prognosis

Beginning of infection is almost always from foreign objects, typically laced in leads or heavy metals reaching in contact with blood. Occurances of masons or metal works mindlessly hitting their hand, arm, fingers, or having a large and bludgeoning motion come on their body has also been recorded.
The infection is often time quickly spread within 3 days to a week, some slower infections, 3 to 4 months, suggest different strains, though it is difficult to say for certain. During this time of spread, to which there is typically a limit, the pain is dulled and can cause someone unfamiliar with it brush the infection off as dying down. Once ir has spread completely with no growth it begins its final steps.
Intense sensitivity in the infected area as well as a hardening and disoloration of the skin, often deep purple or black. The nerves inside the area are not active but are reactive. Flinches in fingertips when prodded, but no voluntary movements. The skin is also brittle, rubbing off easily, tearing and causing more bleeding and possibly more infections on other open wounds that the blood may come in contact.
Fatal in infants and newborns that aquire the infection from their mother, often times they are stillborn. If an adult ingests the infected blood in large quantity, it will be a long, slow, and very painful death for them as they become comatose. If left alone they will simply die of thirst and dehydration. If taken care of, the very act of eating and drinking can cause major inflammation to their internal organs that lasts hours after meals.

Affected Groups

All. Most commonly Artisans, metal workers, scribes.

Hosts & Carriers

Non-flora are the only carriers, as to say antthing that is not some form of plant is susceptible to getting Artisans Thumb.

Prevention

Cleansing of open wounds or abrasions when they occur, keeping clean equipment also is suggested.

Epidemiology

A single wide spread outbreak has occured in its written history, 412- 416. Or in Aximers history books, the lipless generation or the black mouth generation. Aximer was nearly destroyed when Artisans Thumb broke out in mass. It is now believed to be a body heavily infected and bleeding in the unfiltered water reserve. This caused massive panic as the citizens would have hair fall out, mouths blister becoming black and engorged, wounds on their bodies slowly turning black and deep purple, some cases recording that entire limbs turned to a black, stone like appearance that was sensitive to the touch. Many who drank the water were doomed from the beginning, only after draining and cleaning the entire reserve did anyone have children not infected from birth.

History

Most well known are the monk scribes of the Sanctuary of Ancestors, a House of Deneir. Several monks had fingers and thumbs turning black or purple after new inks had been brought to the temple. The monks often cleansed their quills on a cloth by hand, often time the quilll would puncture the skin and force the ink in the wound. Where infections began

Cultural Reception

Most typically upon seeing a person with Artisans Thumb a person may be empathetic to their situation. Often knowing the future that they sit.

Type

Bacterial

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Uncommon