Plague of the Red Tears

The Plague of the Red Tears is a virulent magical disease spawned by the foul powers of the Great Old Ones. It is intentionally designed to break down society by tearing down faith in the Pentatheon and sowing distrust for its priests and paladins.

Transmission & Vectors

The disease is spread by touch, and a carrier is infectious from Day 1 to Day 8, regardless if he is presenting with any symptoms. Upon touching a carrier, the victim must make a Vigor roll at -2 or contract the disease. The victim becomes infectious to others from Day 1 to Day 10 (even if they die on Day 8).

Symptoms

For the first two days, an infected person actually gains the ability to Detect Arcana (as per the Power) via sight continuously. On the third day, however, this power fades and her eyes will becoming blurry and unfocused, as red tears well up in his eyes. Spectacles will not correct this and cure blindness spells will only make it worse, as detailed below in Curing the Disease. The next day, her eyes grow no better, but now her hearing seems muffled and muted. On the fifth day, she loses the ability to see out of one eye at all, and the other is myopic and painful. On the sixth day, she awakes stone deaf. On the seventh day, she becomes fully blind. On the eighth day, blood-red fluid pours out her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth and she is incapacitated and usually dies.

Treatment

Traditional means of curing the Red Tears will be completely ineffectual. No herbs, infusions, or eye drops will halt or slow the inexorable march of the disease. Many may be tempted to turn to the clergy of the Pentatheon for aid, although this will turn out to be an often lethal decision. Any Power cast by a believer of the Five Gods within five feet of the patient will exponentially accelerate the onset time of each phase of the Red Tears: a Novice-level power speeds up the severity progression days to hours, a Seasoned-level power changes it to minutes, and a Veteran-level power to mere rounds. Each casting, regardless of level, applies a cumulative -2 penalty to the patient eventual Incapacitation roll as well, meaning the victim will likely die messily at the hands of the well-meaning cleric.
There is, however, one effective cure for the Red Tears.
The disease can be stopped by large-scale conversion to the old gods, but of course the adherence to the pentathlon will maintain that the best way to stop the disease used to become more Ardent in their devotion. They blame the plague as a punishment for sin for not worshiping the five gods in the right way or with the requisite amount of fervor. Of course, worshiping the five Gods more devoutly will only make matters worse.

Prognosis

Disease progression

Day 1

Gain Detect Arcana Power

Day 2

Continue Detect Arcana Power

Day 3

Lose Detect Arcana Power; Gain Bad Eyes (major) hindrance

Day 4

Gain Hard of Hearing (minor) hindrance

Day 5

Gain One Eye hindrance

Day 6

Gain Hard of Hearing (major) hindrance

Day 7

Gain Blind hindrance

Day 8

Incapacitated

Sequela

On Day 8, the victim rolls on the Incapacitation table at a -2. If she fails, she dies. If she survives, the disease plays out in reverse, gradually improving over the course of five days until the symptoms disappear. Note that they will still be contagious for 2 more days if they recover naturally. If the victim's incapacitation roll indicated a permanent injury, they will either acquire the Bad Eyes or Hard of Hearing hindrance which will persist after the disease has run its course, and can never be healed even by magical means.

Hosts & Carriers

Immune Carriers Those with the Arcane Background (Miracles) and Faith (Pentatheon) are immune to the effects of the Red Tears, for the power of their personal faith overcomes the dark magic of the disease. Therefore, priests and paladins of the Five Gods will never be seen to have the disease. However, their piety does not suppress the infectious nature of the curse, and they can easily spread it to anyone they touch.

History

The world was first afflicted with the disease during the Carolingian Empire. Its outbreak was a major part of the dissolution of that empire, though its name and specific effects have been largely forgotten except by some moldering scrolls and tomes in Tiersward and the Keep of Lore.

Cultural Reception

The disease causes widespread panic, for the method of transmission is unknown and the Pentatheon priests are completely unable to cure it.

Type

Divine

Origin

Divine

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Unique