"Have ye heard of the village of Yen-ti, out there along the western edge of the forest? Folks reckon that the entire population up and left one day, all at the same time, their possessions and homes all abandoned. 'Maybe they be cursed by some fey witch,' some reckon, and that be enough to keep the thieves away. But not ol' Horace. I think they got themselves a Sylvan Kiss, and not the sweet kind."— Horace the Wild Orc, Explorer of Graevithal
Origination and Transmission
When the fungal spores of the Faerie Crown mushrooms, which are indiginous to the wildlands of
Graevithal, are inhaled by an unsuspecting passerby, the spore makes its way down to the traveler's lungs, where it embeds itself into the walls of the organ. So long as the traveler remains in close proximity to a land touched by the Feywild, the spore remains dormant. However, as one travels farther from this magical realm, the spore becomes more agitated, and bits of it begin to break off in the lungs. This causes severe coughing, and bits of the ejected spores are dislodged and expelled into the air, seeking a new host to return it to its realm.
For the original host of the Sylvan Kiss, the likelihood of inhaling the spores of the mushroom are not too high (CON Save: DC 10), but the magical nature of this disease breaks down immunity barriers that may normally have been present to protect them. If a host is unfortunate enough to unwittingly ingest a spore, then returns to society and becomes symptomatic, the greater danger is to the people around them, as the smaller spore material is easier to inhale (CON Save: DC 15). All estimates point to the disease running rampant across a population within one month.
Symptoms
As stated previously, symptoms become prevalent once a host travels away from an area touched by the Feywild. Symptoms begin to develop after three days of low immune response (CON SAVE: DC 13), and continue to progress after two additional days of failure per stage of the disease.
Stage 1: Parasitic Implantation
Upon coming into contact with spore, the spore is ingested and implants itself into the lining of the lungs. The presence of the particle does not create any hardship, but can be detected with deep breaths. The spore remains dormant until it has been separated from the Feywild for an extended time - unfortunately, the rate of the disease's advancement is impossible to quantify, as each spore appears to develop and grow at its own rate. It is at this time that the spore begins to awaken with the intent of convincing its host to return to the Feywild with it.
Stage 2: Respiratory Distress
As the spore becomes active with its yearning to return to its home, it begins to embed itself deeper into the walls of the lungs and break itself into smaller pieces. These pieces are then expelled as particles that seek a new host, ostensibly so that it can be infected and overwhelmed so that a return to the Feywild can be achieved. The continual coughing can easily be mistaken for other diseases of the lung, which may increase the rate of spread as the infected host seeks treatment.
Stage 3: Central Nervous System Seizure
An additional set of days finds the host's central nervous system attacked next. The spore's embedded roots spread out from the lungs and latch onto the host's nerves. The first signs of this advancement is the presence of pseudomemories. These eventually advances to fey-like whispers flitting around the mind of the infected, whispering in Sylvan instructions to return back to the Feywild. Those without the will to resist these whispers (CHA Save: DC 13) become charmed by the voices and make every effort to please the parasite's whim.
Stage 4: Cognitive Arrest
Regardless of the host's willingness to return to the Feywild, the spore parasite will advance to the next stage of enforcing its will on its host by securing its roots to the brainstem of its victim. From there the spore will control the other brain functions of the being, driving it back toward its home in the Feywild. The damage done at this stage of the disease is catastrophic, and often the victims are never heard from again as they disappear into the wilds.
Treatment
In the early stages of the disease, the spore can be removed with rudimentary healing spells (Lesser Restoration, Remove Curse, etc.) or a similar potion (Coreatha's Panacea, Keoghtom's Ointment) if it is discovered through general observation or magical means (Detect Poison and Disease). However, Stage 3 can only be cured with a more powerful spell (Greater Restoration) or potion (Potion of Mind Restoration). At Stage 4, the disease has removed all sense of the host, and the resulting damage done unto their mind is irreversible.
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