Known Diseases
Contents
Shard Blight
“It doesn’t kill you all at once. It reshapes you. And it never reshapes you the same way twice.”
Shard Blight is a chaotic magical affliction born from prolonged exposure to raw, unrefined Shardisite. While known throughout the world, it is most common—and most feared—near the cursed waters of the Sea of Ghosts, where the highest Shardisite concentrations seep into the land, sea, and air.
Unlike early descriptions that framed it as a slow crystallization, Shard Blight is now understood as wildly unpredictable. No two victims transform the same way. One may sprout jagged crystalline spines from the spine and shoulders; another may develop translucent skin crawling with green light; a third may warp into something unrecognizable, half-flesh, half-mineral, writhing and humming with unstable magic.
Symptoms often begin subtly: flickers of green light under the skin, disjointed thoughts, or the sensation of something humming in the blood. But within days, the body begins to break its own rules. Limbs twist. Bones elongate. Eyes multiply. Voices crack into harmonics. Some victims collapse into convulsions; others wander off, drawn by unknown forces toward the ocean.
Shard Blight is not merely a disease—it is a curse of place, a mutation of being. There is no known cure, only containment or mercy.
The afflicted are often feared not just for their appearance but for the magical disturbances they radiate. Entire villages near the Sea of Ghosts have been abandoned after a single outbreak, leaving behind only the faint glow of the blighted in the dark.
Cackle Fever
This affliction is infamous for driving its victims into uncontrollable fits of laughter, earning it grim nicknames like “the shrieks” or “the madness dance.”
The disease begins with fever and disorientation but quickly warps the mind. Victims are prone to sudden, violent laughter that can erupt without warning, often in moments of fear or stress. Over time, the laughter becomes less human, echoing with something hollow and cruel. Entire villages have fallen silent after outbreaks, their survivors too haunted to speak of what was heard.
Sewer Plague
Known by many names—gutter rot, slop fever, or simply “the stink”—sewer plague is a cluster of diseases spread through filth, stagnant water, and the bite of creatures dwelling in refuse.
It strikes hardest in crowded slums, mining camps, and battlefield trenches. Victims experience creeping exhaustion, body cramps, and a wasting weakness that saps their ability to heal or recover. Without proper care, the afflicted wither away, becoming hollow-eyed shells unable to rise from their beds.
Weeping Death
This agonizing infection is marked by one unmistakable sign: bleeding from the eyes.
Victims contract the disease from tainted water, usually in war zones or after floods. Within days, their vision blurs, their eyes weep crimson tears, and they gradually lose sight altogether. The infection works its way inward, disrupting balance and coordination. Without magical intervention, those who fall blind from Weeping Death rarely recover.
Blood Fungus
A parasitic mushroom that feeds on the body from within, Blood Fungus spreads through exposure to its spores or through contaminated wounds.
The infection remains hidden for several days before erupting in grotesque fashion: fungal stalks burst from the skin, blooming along the limbs. Victims experience strange calm or even euphoria in the early stages, but as the fungus matures, it consumes the body, warping flesh into a towering fungal mass. Travelers speak of forests dotted with these “mushroom men,” their features barely recognizable beneath moss and cap.
Vampiric Porphyria
This rare but feared affliction has been whispered about for centuries. Often confused with inherited vampirism, Vampiric Porphyria is a blood disorder triggered by exposure to dark magic, cursed artifacts, or the bite of certain night-dwelling creatures.
Victims develop an acute sensitivity to sunlight, intense cravings for blood, and a gradual loss of humanity. Their reflection fades from mirrors, their pulse slows, and their teeth lengthen. While many fall into madness, some victims embrace their new state, walking a fragile line between predator and person.
Lycanthropic Porphyria
Known simply as lycanthropy, this curse-born disease transforms humanoids into ravenous beasts. It was first unleashed upon the world by the demon-wolf Shusiva, and its spread has never been fully contained.
The afflicted begin to show subtle signs—sharpened teeth, heightened senses, violent outbursts—but under a full moon, their transformation is complete. Those who master the condition can shift at will between human, hybrid, and beast. Those who fail become slaves to the moon, losing control and leaving trails of slaughter in their wake.
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