Lignification (/ˈliɡnə,fīˈkāSH(ə)n/)

"Right, 'nuff of a breatha, quota's comin' up."
The veins bulged in Hunøk's powerful arms as she picked up her axe from the forest floor. A hard day's work already at her back, she resumed her fierce stance against her foe, a peculiar beast over 10 ft in diameter. "Come - on - you - stub-born - bas-tard. Just - give - up - al-read-y!" she shouted through her swings. Another of the smaller secondary trunks withered before her blade, each one worth at least a few good boards.
Said bastard seemed unafraid. Nearly half its base and most of its secondary trunks were missing, yet it continued to stand strong. Its branches swayed in the light breeze, nary a concern in the world.
Hunøks returned to the main trunk to deepen her cuts, grabbing a piece of tree gum from its bark and popping it into her mouth.
"Surely it won't be long now" she thought as she spit on her hands and tightened her grip around the shaft of her axe.
The concussive sounds of dry coughs filled the air as Hunøks started her first swing. The sounds of the forest returned to near silence when no satisfying *thump* of an axehead followed.
Hours pass, the silence remains. The axe's blade glimmers in orange light of a new sunset as the silence breaks for the sound of the foreman horn signalling the end of the day. Hunøks stays motionless retaining her focus on her swing.

Overview

Lignification is a condition that rapidly changes the flesh and organs of a creature into a hard, light wood-like substance. The creature's skin looks like smooth, polished wood in a similar colour and tone/shade as their natural colouring.

Cause

The condition occurs when flesh contacts the sap of the Déntromediun, or eating its seeds. Inhalation or ingestion of the the tree's sap or seeds accelerates the onset of the condition.
Since the condition only afflicts flesh (or flesh-like matter), bodies that are incorporeal (e.g. ghosts), plant-like, or not made of flesh (e.g. robots) are not affected. Lignification is not transmissible by any known vector between an infected individual to a non-infected one.

Symptoms

A lignified creature is transformed into a solid, inanimate wood-like substance. The creature's bodyweight is halved and it ceases aging. Notwithstanding any garments or gear still attached to the creatures body, most lignified creatures float in water. The creature can no longer move and it is completely unaware of its environment (all senses).
Due to the change in the afflicted's physiology, they are extremely susceptible to damage from sharp implements and fire. Any damage to their lignified flesh is retained should their condition be cured.

Treatment

Due to the relatively scarcity of Déntromediun in the known world, the condition is exceedingly rare and predominantly unknown outside of myth, legend, fairy tale, and rumor. Few individuals truly know of the condition or its treatment.

Secret - Treatment

Airmid Cneasaí is the only individual to have successfully reversed lignification through their Delignification treatment program / topical agent although this fact is not common knowledge.

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Table of Contents

Type

Physiological

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare