Rot's Mark

Transmission & Vectors

Blood on blood (more efficently on stage 1), more cases usually through injuries by rotgrubs or leech-that-hunts/leech vampires.

Causes

By a leech vampire's bite or rotgrub stingers, the vector usually transmits bacteria into the victims' bloodstream. Hot-blooded invdividuals are better varries while cold blooded ones in low temperature locations might expect slower infection speed up to five times longer outside outside of full dormancy.Creatures with very high blood temperature, 70 degrees celsius or above, actually will kill the bacteria entering their bloodstream by default.

Symptoms

Phase 1: The carrier usually won't feel any side effect at this level, most pain related to the original injury.
Phase 2: The victim might start to notice buzzing or weird vibration inside them, or pressure related to the tadpoles passing through small zones like a vein.
Phase 3: see prognosis

Treatment

Carriers can alleviate of fully cure their symptoms by consuming a high amount of salt and/or alcohol. However, in most species, those intakes can become quickly toxic and also fatal by itself. Because of this, alchemical antiplagues solutions or monitored healing magic is necessary in order to give the victim a fair chance of survival. It is also possible to avoid full body contamination by cutting an infecte limb in the upcoming seconds but it is of course a drastic and last resort method.

Prognosis

Phase 1: Untreated, will crete a membreane around itself similiar to an embryo, like an egg without it's shell. This 'egg' can reach up to 0.1 millimeter of radius.
Phase 2: After about two days, it will make a rotgrub slug which will start to absorb blood to grow, which will reach the tadpole stage in a matter of hours.
Phase 3: Most tadpoles will reach a mature growth, have traveled through different regions to gather blood and flesh. This is usually a stage where the carrier will have most likely died from internal bleeding , shock, or stroke because of tadpoles blocking the blood stream like fat cells. The new tadpole will then try to eat their way out of through orifices once notycing a decay of the carrier. On extraction, they will quickly turn into rotgrubs.

Sequela

Getting treatment by phase 1 is usually without sequela, phase 2 being less certain as the closest to full growth they are, the more internal damage to the body is made. Some cured victims can needed advanced magical restoration to repair damage internal strucuture before organ failure or internal bleeding takes them.

Affected Groups

Any living creatures with blood and suffisent body heat to keep the bacteria alive.

Prevention

Avoiding carriers' zones aside, applying salty solutions, vinegar, or (X) on itself can be good enough to repel rotgrubs from infecting preys. Leech vampires, while sickenese, might try it however, or throw mud at the preys to 'cleanse the taint'.

Epidemiology

The problem is actually that, if an infected dies from the disease, the released grubs will release a vrery unique and potent 'blood scent' around the corpse. Cunning vampires will leave a carrier alive on purpose to locate their havens in order to devour more prey later. Small vilalges can be wiped out fast because of both the spawned grubs and the vampire(s), and even blood-senstive predators which aren't fearing the possibility of leech vampires nearby. Larger towns away from their natural habitat might be able to contain the epidemic better, depending on their ressources and quarantine protocols.

Cultural Reception

Due to the dangerours nature of the infection, tribes unable to cure fully the victim can be forced to destroy the carrier through harsh means like killing them and burning the corpse immediately, or in most cases, exiling them either under pretense to 'find a cure' (for the positivists , or liars) or under pretense of the greater good. Most of them are given medicinal means or alcohol to alleviate the pain at it's worst , or a quick poison in case the pain becomes too overwhelming.

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare