Hellion's Fire

Transmission & Vectors

Airborne

Causes

Hellion’s Fire is known to infect magical avians and pseudo-avians via their feathers, as a bacterium that acts not entirely dissimilarly to a mite. There it burrows into the feather-beds, and from there into the circulatory system.

Symptoms

The creature’s response is of course to fluctuate their temperature, trying to burn or freeze the disease out, but it simply goes into hibernation in colder temperatures and duplicates wildly in higher temperatures. Beyond a certain point, it takes over temperature regulation which leads to the final state of the disease - the creature spontaneously catching fire and burning down to ash. These ashes then get caught in the wind, blow over other creatures, and the cycle begins anew.

Treatment

At present there is no singular treatment for Hellion’s Fire - Firebird-types capable of rebirthing themselves or singing their own feathers off completely can heal themselves or otherwise hinder the disease, but other magical creatures - Griffins especially - must be meticulously deloused and fed a course of anti-bacterial potions, while being given cooling potions. In this manner the bacterium hibernates while it is slowly poisoned, though this method is not completely reliable.

Affected Groups

Avian Magical Monsters and Psuedo Avian Monsters

History

Hellion’s Fire is an incredibly dangerous disease affecting a number of magical avian creatures. First observed by dissimilar Agni Sahani when studying Firebird-types in Persia, she noted a number of specimens which were having trouble rebirthing themselves in their flames and seemed to be perpetually several degrees higher than they should be. Further study showed a number of magical birds in the local area also shared the symptoms, and within a few days she observed her first case of a bird simply catching fire and turning to ash. Unsure what exactly was causing it, she dubbed it Hellion’s Fire, and began her study - to this day, aged 110, she remains the leading expert on Hellion’s Fire and the effect on avian and pseudo-avian magical creatures.

Type

Bacterial

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare