Crates

After a month of being back from the desolate landscape, Harrash assumed his nightmare was over. The visions of the bone covered landscape and wild untamed spirits were starting to ease, and sleep was not as rare as it had been. At first his fits of rage were attributed to his experiences, a mental anguish associated with what he had seen. It wasn't until deep purple recesses began appearing within his skin that the disease first became apparent. A loss of feeling was soon followed by a blank expression and listlessness. Eventually Harrash no longer responded to speech but began strange and uncouth rituals. Consuming the bark of rotting trees, coal and licking greasy floors led him to a swift exile.
Two months passed and others began falling ill with the same sickness. A council meeting was called and a witch hunt formed, clearly Harrash had been possessed. Once the torches had been lit and the pariah had been located most ran in fear. He had built a tower, one that led to the skies, twisted and malformed, from bone, wood and metal. It made little sense to the humanoid mind. Atop sat Harash, his head and torso split, quivering and mumbling, as the fugus within him reached for the skies, emitting a purple smog of spores into the air.
There was not cure, their society doomed. Only the flames of the warlock put an end to the spread of the malevolent sickness. Reduced to ash the spores no longer had the power to spread.
For most a journey into The Crater is a death sentence, a plane in which there is seemingly no exit or escape. Those that are lucky enough to make it out alive more often than not come back with Crates.

Transmission & Vectors

It has become apparent to Clerics and healers of the highest orders, that Crates is delivered through airborne spores. If ingested via instillation or consuming contaminated food and liquids the victim will fall ill with the sickness.
If the carrier is incinerated within the first month it is certain the illness will not spread, however if left longer than this the results could be damning.

Causes

The Crater is a desolate landscape where only incorporeal beings can survive. The air is thick with ash and spores, while the turf underfoot is made up of the bone dust of the dead. Not much is known about the origin of Crates, perhaps it was a curse left in the land from and unknown entity, a curse of the gods, or simply a fungus that thrives on the dust of the dead.
When studied in laboratories, Crates had proven to be varied in its form depending on the race that it grows within. Dwarves tend to grow ticker more robust stalks and wide caps, while draconic beings produce thousands of lon spindly spikes through their scales. In rare cases it has even spread to oozes and elementals, causing even greater and more threatening changes, such as flaming spores and gigantic spored ooze masses.

Symptoms

The first symptoms to become apparent when someone has ingested Crates is a rise in hostile emotions. Fits of rage, paranoia and sweating are clear indicators that the fungus has taken hold. It generally takes between a week and a month for these first symptoms to appear.
After one to three months deep recesses start appearing in the skin, coated in dark purple ridges and mottling of the flesh. These change in size and shape depending on the race of the creature, some are more obvious that others. If not caught in the early stages this is where some spores begin to spread. It is at this stage that listlessness and a loss of nerve sensitivity.
Next, spores begin to emit from the recesses in the flesh and stems grow from the centre of these pits. At this stage the carrier begins to roam, oblivious to others, all nerves appear to be dead. Carriers will not react to pain or sound. A dramatic change in diet will reveal itself at this stage as the host will consume mundane and seemingly "foul" matter, such as rotten wood, tar, oil and other substances to fuel the growth of the fungus. By this point the spores would have already infected most living organisms in the surrounding area.
Ultimately the host will begin to construct a tower out of whatever materials they can find. This will be deeply disturbing to any that witness it (especially if a horde have been created). The carrier will then sit at the top of this makeshift tower and their fungus will continue to grow, rooting their host into the tower. This is a deeply disturbing sight and if it has been witnessed those at the scene are likely to accept the same fate.
Finally after six to eight months the hosts head and torso are likely to be horrifically split and bloated to the point where the fungus can no longer sustain itself. At this point the parasite explodes with such force that it will propel its spores for miles around.

Treatment

there is no cure mundane or magical to deal with Crates. Burning the host and spores with flame is the only preventative.

Prognosis

It is possible for a host to live with crates indefinitely if the host's parasite is trimmed and reduced in size, preventing explosion. One host has been held in magical containment for over two centuries and has showed no sign of weakness if fed a diet on moss and tar. The host is merely a vessel for the fungus and a spore carrier. Such extension and preservation of life is cruel and highly dangerous.

Affected Groups

Everything alive, dead or undead with a corporeal form. Constructs and incorporeal beings seem unaffected.

Hosts & Carriers

Any being infected with the parasite.

Prevention

If the airborne spores are not inhaled and do not reach open wounds, creatures will not be infected. When in spore areas, it is best to avoid combat and wear protective clothing. Do not consume food or liquid while around spores.

Epidemiology

When a being leaves the crater and enters a different plane of existence it is best to have them quarantined, if this is not possible, immolation by fire is recommended.

History

There have been four major outbreaks of Crates, each will never be forgotten and all serve a severe lesson as to why the parasite cannot ever be spread.
The first recorded outbreak was of Haarash Saleem in Santi during 3077EC The island of Santi was torched with divine flames and its population wiped out.
In 2133EC Dachi Oban brought it back from The Crater and used himself as a chemical weapon to destabilise the Kicharou Han. His attempts failed and led to the execution of his lineage and the torching of Nature's Haven.
During the war of the heavens in 2050EC, Haleck, the God of prosperity and good fortune became a host to the worst case of Crates the world had ever seen, causing the infection of his entire plane of existence. The other gods placed seals on the entry portals to his plane and closed it for good.
In 1308EE an Ooze was a carrier of the deadly parasite growing to the size of the crystal citadel. Thankfully the population was able to protect themselves against infection and only 12,574 people had to be incinerated along with the entire animal population. Druids worked with clerics to bring creates from other lands and planes to keep the ecosystem progressing along its natural path.

Cultural Reception

Across the world if a carrier of Crates is noticed they are seen as an omen of death. Of the real all encompassing destruction of the world. They are swiftly reported and often immolated as soon as possible.
The secret Order of the Sacred Flame deal with such outbreaks worldwide.

Type

Fungal

Origin

Alien

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare