Paleblight: Storm-Twisting

A resounding clap would sound as the man took his things from the podium and stepped off the stage, indicating the meeting was finished. I, however, had questions.
"Doctor Schäfer," I asked, looking between him and my notes.
"Yes, I believe I already answered questions," he stated with the intent of shying away.
"You did, yes, but I have a question regarding research into Paleblight, which you neglected to mention despite the recent disaster in Ellorberg"
"Perhaps there is a reason I didn't mention it, Doctor Heskir"
"Many of my colleagues have-"
"Mark this, Heskir: I don't give a damn about what your little 'colleagues' have been writing about me or my research on the matter. I've more important things to attend to beyond a town of fools that didn't heed our warnings" he scolded. I've known Schäfer for a long time, for he used to have relations with my brother. I knew what kind of man he was and knew exactly why he didn't seem to beat a brow at my sidelong accusations.
"If you are to bother me again, or if I catch you sticking your nose about my lab again, I assure that the Church will cut it off faster than I could," he threatened as he tried to steer me away with that signature glare of his with his lowered brow and sneered mouth. I allowed the waspish man to brush past me to the exit. Of course, I thought, the bastard knows exactly what I'm doing without even saying a word on it.

A few days had passed and I had already arranged for a carriage to Port Huben to investigate the growing fear of Paleblight running rampant along the eastern coast of Gentrov. Schäfer seems to think that I haven't a clue about his hand in finding the cure to Paleblight in rats and horses. Hell, he might not even have a clue that I know about the project given to him by the Inquisition. I've come here to investigate or "stick my nose about" as the doctor so elegantly put it. Port Huben, the third-largest port town in Gentrov seems barren even before dark. The few people I see making their way about hold cloth to their face and move quickly as they see me, a Church member, and think that I'm a nail in their coffin. They might be right. The edifices of this place have their windows barricaded. Some of them have a big red 'X' upon their doors. The few places that are open do business through a peephole in the door. Despite the conditions and current standing of this forsaken place, I'm incredibly sure that the good doctor wouldn't be so foolish as to leave his lab unguarded. I'd have to sneak inside in broad daylight or risk dealing with guardsmen if I came at night.

Deciding that I'd take my chances, I made my way through the muddy streets and humid temperatures of the city to find his flat. Sneaking inside, I made my way upstairs, looking to my notes to find which room he had been staying. 506. Of course, he wished to stay in the highest room on the farthest side of the complex. With what little light came into these shoddy hallways, I found his room. With a bit of trickery that I learned in my youth, I made my way inside undetected. From there, I gathered what information I could and stowed it away. Finally, I grinned, something to incriminate this bastard with. At just that moment, the door to what looked to be a closet creaked open. To my surprise, it wasn't a guard or even a member of the Church. It was a dog-like creature that leaked ichor and lacked any sort of hair. Its skin was like that of the Pale, and I knew that Schäfer's musings weren't just for discovering a cure to Paleblight. They were about weaponizing it.

Transmission & Vectors

It is believed that Paleblight is spread through the acidic ichor expelled by hosts of the disease.

Causes

Paleblight is extremely common on the eastern coasts of the Heartlands and Gentrov due to the swamp-like conditions that carriers of the blight tend to live in. It is also, very rarely, carried by blood flies.

Symptoms

Symptoms include the following: ichor-filled boils on the skin, the darkening of bodily excrement, sudden mood swings, loss of appetite, and eventually the complete destruction of the mind. This renders victims into a primal or even undead-like state as very little is left of the brain. Victims that were severely attacked with the ichor sometimes completely die before coming back as a Paleblight: a creature whose body has transformed bodily organs into creating more ichor.

Treatment

There currently is no treatment beyond magics that are mostly lost to time and/or forbidden in Gentrov. The Church of Progress has produced a cure for Paleblight that only works on animals like dogs, rats, and horses.

Prognosis

If the ichor of an infected victim somehow enters your bloodstream, it will eventually lead to you becoming a Paleman or a Paleblight zombie.

Hosts & Carriers

Blood flies, Paleblight creatures, humanoids, etc.

Prevention

When venturing into the marsh and swamp-like territories of the eastern coast, it is advised to use a Church-made incense that when burned repels insects like blood flies that carry the disease.

Epidemiology

The condition has been known to claim entire villages due to victims becoming infected and hiding it from the people. The most famous story of this is the Ellorberg incident several miles north of Port Huben where an entire village was destroyed in a few days, leaving nothing left but a ghost town and no victims to tell the tale.

History

The first recorded cases were by a survivor of the Great Storm observing these creatures in what is now Port Huben.

Cultural Reception

Carriers of this condition are to be killed and burned to that the ichor cannot spread to another.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Rarity

Uncommon