Bet Fever
Renfortuna's secrets, part 4
There is something weird about the air of Renfortuna. The longer one stays here and the more they gamble the harder it becomes to stop. It is an unusual condition that shows up only in this city and leaving it before the symptoms start turning too bad is the only way to stop it and start the treatment.
First symptoms
The appearance of the first symptoms of the condition takes place anywhere between a few hours and a few weeks of spending time and gambling within Renfortuna. It is yet unknown what exactly creates such a big difference in time of "infection", however, there are theories that losing either bets with high bids or with high risk speeds it up. During this phase, the "infected" starts to lose focus on anything not related to gambling or betting. They might tune out or completely lose interest in anything else.Second stage of condition
At that point, the "Infected one" will try to actively gamble or bet on things without any reason. For example, when wanting to drink something, they might start a bet on how quickly they can finish the whole bottle. From that moment, the one affected by this condition might become a danger to themself as some of the bets might lack any common sense or self-preservation.Third stage
Once the condition reaches its third, and final stage, the "infected" cannot do anything without it being a part of a bet or a gamble. They also cannot create gambles on their own, so unless someone bets them to eat, drink, or sleep, they won't do it until their bodies die out of starvation, thirst, or exhaustion. Additionally, they are unable to resist any type of gamble making them extremely suggestible and practically deprived of any will. They will gamble away anything without any care for it, even if it would prevent them from more gambling or kill them.Treatment
The only way to stop the condition from progressing is to take the affected person as far from Renfortuna as possible and then isolate them both from people and any way to gamble, unless, of course, that is the only way that keeps them alive in the first place. There is no set time it takes for the treatment to work, with every case varying a lot. The more treatment-resistant individuals might need years to begin to function normally, while someone else might be completely healed in a span of a few days.
Origin
Magical
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Uncommon
Affected Species
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"Just...just one more. Wait, I was supposed to remember something. Someone..... Lou? And others... How much did I lose? I have to find the others. But the machines..."
Oh jeez, this is terrible. It reminds me a bit of the Lotus Hotel in the Percy Jackson books.