Wasting Sickness

Not much is known about wasting sickness by modern peoples, a magical malady that slowly drains mana from the afflicted. Knowledge of what it is and how to treat it was lost soon after the fall of the empire. It will be life threatening to anyone that is not awakened as it will drain their mana faster than an un-awakened body can regenerate their mana pool. A simple potion of arrowroot and bessamy in the appropriate amounts is all that is needed to cleanse the affliction.
The disease will drain two mana points per day and since an un-awakened person only generates one mana a day this gives them a medium length window to find access to either the correct potion or a higher level of healing. If they recognize the affliction for what it is then simply meditating for an hour a day will be enough to to boost their mana regeneration to the point that they can live with the affliction indefinitely. Unfortunately, do to the destruction of most knowledge after the fall of The Onrian Empire no one remembers the simple potion that can cure this relatively simple disease or the meditative techniques that can stave off the symptoms.
Because of the costs associated with what little magical healing is available, the wasting sickness is almost always fatal for the poor and even less affluent citizenry. Any awakened, have nothing to fear as their higher mana pools and recovery rates render them functionally immune to the sickness. They should however get a cure at some point lest it end up stacking with other draining effects. The more affluent however can typically just purchase healing.

Transmission & Vectors

The wasting sickness is carried asymptomatically through animals and usually passed to humans via improperly cooked food.

Causes

The root cause of the disease is a bacteria that lives in the blood stream.

Symptoms

Early in the infection, the skin of the afflicted will begin turning dull and lifeless. Some where around the 10th day (for an un-awakened) they will begin to lose their strength. Around the 20th day extreme lethargy will begin to present followed by headaches on the 30th day. By the 40th day the headaches and lethargy will be extreme and the strength will be non existent. Past that is a slow painful slide to death over the next 20-30 days.

It's my little sister ma'am. She's losing her strength and her skin is all pale and clammy. Most days she can't get out of bed and yesterday she started complaining of headaches.

— Gaius Pullo

Treatment

The easiest treatment though it is mostly unknown is a "potion" made from brewing Arrowroot and Bessamy. Other means of treatment include magical healing such as Cleanse Disease, or Remove Afflictions.

Prognosis

For anyone who is awakened they will be unaffected as the rate of drain is lower then their natural mana regeneration. However if left untreated it can stack with other effects to cause them to potentially suffer the effects.
For un-awakened it is almost always fatal as the means of treating it through brewing the potion have been lost to time. If they can afford a healer they will be fine, unfortunately most poor cannot afford the rates of paying a healer.

Sequela

Upon receiving healing, the afflicted (assuming they are un-awakened) will gradually improve in health over time as their mana slowly recovers to baseline. This process can be accelerated by having the patient ingest a mana recovery potion.
If left untreated, the afflicted will slowly waste awake until they appear as a wasted away corpse.

Are you sure that potion worked son? She looks the same today as she did yesterday.

— Marius Pullo

Affected Groups

While the disease can afflict literally anyone, as previously mentioned, it typically affects the poor in greater numbers. Thankfully it is still rare as most people are good about cooking their food properly.

Prevention

Avoiding animal bites and ensuring that your food is always properly cooked will ensure that you can avoid contracting the Wasting Sickness.

Epidemiology

Blessedly, the Wasting Sickness is not spread as an aerosol expelled by breathing, it can however be passed via an exchange of bodily fluids if they have not cooled below a certain temperature. Due to this nature it does not typically spread rapidly or widely.

History

Historically this was a very well documented disease prior to the fall of the empire. The treatments were well known and disseminated and no one ever passed away from it lest in extremely isolated areas. After the fall of the empire cases began to appear sporadically after several decades had passed and knowledge had been lost.

Cultural Reception

The more affluent and awakened users of society who already look down on the poor will consider someone afflicted with Wasting Sickness to be lazy and useless. Thinking there is nothing actually wrong with the person and they are just making it up they will typically just pile on additional verbal abuse. Since they have never suffered the affects of the disease, they have no concept of empathy for anyone suffering from it.

Type

Bacterial

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon