The red rage

The red rage is one of the most feared diseases in Aar. Until this day nobody ever found a cure - apart from putting a sharp and sturdy object through the heart, head or any other vital organ. But that obviously just helps other stopping it from spreading, not the patient... 

Symptoms and its course

The first symptoms are that the pitiable person who catches it will become sleepy, apathetic and will lose their appetite. After a few days, when their eyes will develope a reddish bloodshot apperance their appetite will return. For some days they will now eat constantly without gaining weight, while turning more animalistic and less and less human. After around three days they will behave like starved hungry beasts, not capable of speech and higher brainfunctions anymore. they will now act like a zombie and will only attack their own kind, trying to bite and eat them. This will go on until they succumb to their wounds or after they have been eaten alive by the fungus. 

The Fungus

It is not entirely clear where the disease has its origin, but the 5 times it appeared throughout documented history it always started from the east after some especially warm years. The last time the patient zero was a lumberjack who was working with a few others east of the trenches in ork territory. The only survivor told the lord of the gates (the most eastern fortress of mankind) uppon his arrival, that his buddy showed the classic symptoms and suddently ripped their collegue apart who stayed behind to take care of him while the others where out in the woods working. When arriving home to their camp they were welcomed by the smell of blood and their raging buddy who bit anothers arm before they butchered him to pieces with their axes to stop him from hurting anyone else. They knew something was of, so they started to load up their carts with the most precious woods and headed for the gates (look in the settlement-section). On the way their bidden colleague suffered the same fate as their first buddy - during one night he turned finally completly mad and wounded three others before he could be stopped. This way their numbers declined while they were now fleeing and not retreating anymore. In the end the only survivor just bolted and made it to the gates on his own - his 4 remaining companions never showed up at the gates. 

The Orcs knowledge

To the Orcs, who populate the eastern Plains of Nandaahr, the red rage is only known as "red apocalypse" or "cannibal fungus". One of the few orcs who visited the arcaneum told one of its wizards that the orcs believe the fungus has its origin in the crater of a dead volcano in the far northeast of the continent. Myths say that there is a giant mushroom forest growing in this crater, fertilized by poisinous vapors and other volcanic gasses. When its warmer than usual, clouds full of moisture and spores can leave the crater and infect humanoid creatures like orcs and men - it has never been seen in elves, dwarfs or demons but they are likely vulnerable to it too. Animals seem to be immune. When the orcs see an infected person they tend to encircle the village, set it on fire with burning arrows and shoot everythig that tries to exit the blazing flames. In most cases this would work, the orc claimed, but sometimes its to late and it spreads anyway - thoose are the times, when the red rage reached the lands of men and caused thousands of deaths. 

How to get rid of it

Since there still is no cure the disease disappered of its own, when the land is so depopulated that the infected ones die without infecting anyone else - because there is noone left. Luckily the corpses arent infectious anymore a few hours after death, which seems to be the only upside of this desasterous fungus.

Symptoms	Bloodshot eyes, zombielike behavior, insatiable hunger
Incubationperiod	3 days till first symptoms, 6 days till full outbreak
Cure	None
Origin	Possibly a crater in the far northeast of Nandaahr

Type

Fungal