The Black Blood

The Black Blood is named like that because of her origins. She is disseminated by Infectors which assault the capital of the Theocracy of Homeca, the city of Mâsa.
The Black Blood is a cursed virus created by Demons to punish Charioce I after he killed Adriel.

Transmission & Vectors

The virus is transported by a toxic gas created by the Infectors. If it is not in the gas or a living body, the virus will die.

Causes

This is caused by the decomposition of the Infectors. When their blood is exposed to the air, it reacts and changes into toxic gas. The gas contains the virus itself which infects a person by inhalation or after prolonged contact with the skin.

Symptoms

In the classic case

As soon as the patient is contaminated, the symptoms begin with coughing, irritation in the throat and a feeling of suffocation. The next hours bring a high fever and inflammations. The third day, the virus really starts to be dangerous. The virus will begin to consume the Essence of the patient to grow allowing it to weaken the body. It can take up to three days. The virus then attacks the brain and stops the production of Serotonin and therefore Melatonin. It also stops the production of Cortisol and thus the release of energy in the body. The Black Blood will then destroy the Thymus. In addition to being weakened, the patient develops psychiatric disorders: anxiety, paranoia, dementia and depression. At this stage of the infection, the immune defenses are zero. The virus then attacks the cells itself by absorbing their water and causing their apoptosis (that is, it makes them commit suicide). The limbs will rot and the organs will stop working one after the other. The patient dies in fourteen days and his body turns into dust.

In the rarest of cases

In the rarest cases, the virus will mutate the patient into a Horrific by replacing the cell's DNA for messenger RNA to reprogram the cells. The infected mutant cells will then produce black saliva and black blood, replacing those of the patient. All the patients will puke their blood. His skin will come off (accompanied by extreme pain) and the patient will dehydrate. When the patient dies, the dry body will then rise in the form of a Horrific.

Treatment

It is possible to save someone from The Black Blood, but only if he is treated within hours of infection. First, it is necessary to oxygenate the patient and administer a treatment specifically designed for it. If a health pill is used, the person will die. The patient will need a lot of rest for 3 to 6 months and a wash of his blood every week. Even with this treatment, there is only a 20% chance of survival and only 7% complete recovery.

Prognosis

The only way to pass through is death. Only children can survive this virus.

Sequela

If someone succeeds in recovering, his life expectancy will be cut in half, and losing all endurance and magical potential. It will also lose any limb who has been eaten away by the disease. Depending on the stage of infection of the virus, the patient could more or less have sequelae in the brain. If a child is touched, he will lose all endurance for life unless he receives a transplant and may develop delays and mental illness.

Affected Groups

The most affected people are obviously the soldiers who go to war. But sometimes civilians are affected. The virus affects any type of population even Elves, but does not kill children under the age of sixteen.

Prevention

Wearing a mask and long clothes helps protect against gas. However, repeated exposure to gas will not prevent contamination. The only real prevention is to stay away from the gas cloud.

Epidemiology

For a pandemic to occur, it takes a lot of Infectors because if their number is small, the amount of toxic gas can be easily managed. If a pandemic were to emerge, it would push the infected to kill each other, turn some into Horrifics who, once dead, would reveal Infectors that devour survivors, and so on until the disappearance of the population.

History

Created by Demons, it was first discovered in year 13,954 by the person who became later the Earl Plaguicide. He was an eminent virologist. He discovered the origin of the disease and its functioning without revealing how to treat it. Thanks to the Sanctuaries, the soldiers did not care about the disease because they resuscitated. But even when they returned, they were still sick. The magic of care has no effect on the virus or rather the opposite, it aggravates even the symptoms and accelerates the infection. With the help of the Council, Plaguicide discovered that the virus was cursed. The only way to treat the virus is to use classical medicine.

Blood doctor with a Holy Grenade

If he could not attack the virus, he could attack the gas. Thanks to the modern technology, it was easy to create tools to protect against gas and disperse it. Doctors and some soldiers which are called Blood doctors or Blood soldiers, were equipped with a mask, grenades and first aid remedies. The Holy Grenade is a smoke grenade consisting of a chemical compound that destroys the toxic gas.

Cultural Reception

Children affected by The Black Blood do not pose a danger of infection or mutilation into Horrifics, and "Blood Children" are treated in a suitable institute.

Type

Viral

Origin

Divine

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Common

Affected Species

• Humain
• Half-human

by AlexRuizArt

Infector

Horrific

Earl Plaguicide

Blood soldier