Corpse Plague

When the Followers of the Black Crown attacked the Theussaun Protectorate in a string of terrorist bombings, many people were struck by the audacity of the attack but assumed the worst had passed. Little did they know, the worst had yet to come. The bombs that went off in the cities of the First Line (Loria, Lighthall, Lasthaven, Tradedale, and Bayhill) had a far more sinister purpose: they were magically laced with a virulent plague that would spread from those killed by the explosions. This magically designed disease, dubbed Corpse Plague, would prove to be an extreme challenge to the already dazed Protectorate officials; however, thanks to the rapid discovery of the disease by the heroes known as the Five of Swords, quarantine was able to be rapidly established and casualties were severely limited. But the fear of its resurgence, or the rediscovery of the Followers' methods of design for the disease, is something that people in power have been taking into consideration since the attacks.

The Disease

Corpse Plague was an extremely virulent and extremely lethal disease that spread from the corpses of those infected to other victims by air or by physical contact. Once contracted, the victim had around 3 days to live unless subjected to magical healing. Anything else would slow the spread, but nothing short of divine healing will fully burn the infection away. 
An untreated patient can expect their last few days to go like this: for the first 24 hours, life continues as normal; however, in the 24-48 hour timeframe, the patient begins to experience photophobia and hemorrhaging of the skin. The final 24 hour block renders the victim bed-ridden, new wounds spontaneously opening across their skin and within their body while any exposure to bright light, natural or otherwise, results in blindness and bleeding from the eyes. This continues until the victim dies of blood loss or their will to live itself expires.
Meanwhile, a patient treated with magical healing can expect for whatever stage of the disease they are in to come to a close within a few hours, as the divine magic purges the infection from their system. And in between, a patient treated with non-magical healing seemingly has the worst of both worlds: the disease remains uncured, but is instead prolonged. So while the patient's shelf life is extended, their agony is as well, with each 24 hour block of symptoms stretching anywhere from 2 days to a week.

Type

Magical