Flouncing Feet

Despite its cheerful name, Flouncing Feet is a debilitating condition that can result in permanent disabilities if left untreated. The majority of cases were comprised of hunters, men and women who traveled into the deep woods over an extended trip. These hunters usually had worn boots, with gaps in the seams or walked barefoot through areas where the fungus was prevalent. Early signs of Flouncing Foot is an itching or stinging sensation in the feet, generally in between and around the toes. This caused the infected to intermittently scrape their feet on the ground or strut about, trying to relieve the irritant without taking their boots off. Friends and family would comment on this "flouncing about" and the name evolved from there.
Unfortunately for the infected, Flouncing Feet was no laughing matter. As the fungus advanced, it became more visible and pronounced, discoloring the skin of the feet a blue and deep violet color. Early attempts at treatment including excessive cleaning and even scraping of the flesh with a sharp knife. Unfortunately by this stage, the fungus was deeply embedded in the pores of the infected. When the pain became too great amputation became a brutal solution.

ADVANCEMENT IN TREATMENT

Several Levelers became intensely fascinated by the disease, and worked to find a cure. It was Leveler Shanis who discovered after years of investigation that the malady was actually a fungus that would develop in the dilapidated boots of hunters. Once that was agreed upon by other Levelers, treatments began to develop. Ultimately it was Leveler Kallay who devised a highly acidic solution that patients would dip their feet in. The pain is excruciating and many hard and toughened men and women enter this treatment with bottle of their spirit of choice. While the acid is effective at completely killing off the fungus it also results in severe burns that take several weeks to heel from. Sorry, I meant heal from.
Though their feet will be quite disfigured from the acid bath, one would be hard pressed to find anyone who'd prefer the old methods.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

Hunters and other travelers of the forest have adopted certain preventative measures since discovering the true origins of Flouncing Feet. Many hunters are found with a small vial of salt that they'll sprinkle in their boots at the end of a hard journey. Others employ a kind of gauze wrapping over their feet before putting the boots on. Spouses have become much more attentive to the quality of their partner's foot wear and will often mend or replace boots when they begin to wear out. This has been quite the boon for cobblers, who advertise special shoes promising to seal hunter's feet from the destructive fungus.

Type

Fungal

Origin

Natural

Rarity

Rare