Amber-touched

In the heart of Verdant Fall many of the shamans and medicine-men of the rain forest fear this almost always fatal disease.

"I saw the man starting to sweat more often the last days until one morning a terrible rash started to appear from under his shirt, when we bad him take it of to see if it was a animal bite or something needing our attention... It was worse, when he opened the buttons covering him, his chest was covered in what looked like glowing veins of gold. It was only a couple of hours later we closed his eyes for good." - Aman, Woodsman and member of the talons.

Transmission & Vectors

The spores are carried by many different hosts in the jungle area named Verdant Fall, it is believed that it stems from Ignis Corta a plant that exude the spores to keep big herbivores from eating them and at the same time spread the plant. Theses spores that get inhaled by animals and other creatures living in the area close by the flowers. These carriers then bring the spores away from the place of origins thus spreading the deadly disease, there is also the Firebrand, an mosquito-like insect that have adapted to weaponize these spores in different ways.

Causes

When the spores of the plant enter the bloodstream either through inhalation or injection the spores cause the immune system of the host to start attacking the spores that then secrete a toxin into the host body rapidly killing the cells and tissue by transforming it into ideal matter for the plant to grow in. This transformed matter will by the end resemble a hot yellow glowing substance reminiscent of resin.

Symptoms

The common symptoms are that of fever, increased sweat production, headache and hallucinations brought on by the toxin.

Treatment

If not treated in the early staged it is almost always fatal, if not brought before magical healing.
By lowering the body temperature of the patient, one may slow and/or hamper the immune systems response towards the spore, thus giving the body time to get the spores out of its system before the toxin can be released. This treatment however is difficult to administer in the hot jungle where this disease makes its home.

Prognosis

The likely outcome, if untreated is death by high fever and system failure as the toxin breaks down the surrounding matter. As a general guideline the treatment need to be administered within 36 hours after being subjected to the spores.

Hosts & Carriers

Almost any living warm-blooded animal or creature wandering the rain forest could become a host to the spores. Some creatures have developed immunities, especially magical beings.

Prevention

There have been anti-toxins developed by the wise practitioners of medicine in the jungle, though this anti-toxin needs to be taken before having a chance of being subjected to the spores. Care when handling sick patients are also required as the disease is contagious if precautions are not taken.

Epidemiology

If no anti-toxin or treatment is available and the population is not aware of the sickness it could cause a a major outbreak and utterly demolish a tribe or city. Now that many of the learned people of the nations have the knowledge at hand it is unlikely to cause another epidemic. But records speak of epidemics lasting years in the history kept by The Astral Sept.

History

The first cases of the condition was probably not recorded, and it was probably many centuries before the true reason, the almost golden veins, appeared on travelers and adventurers. 
1826 A.R. is the oldest actual study of the condition dated, that is still kept inside of The Astral Sept's large libraries.

Type

Parasitic

Origin

Natural

Rarity

Uncommon