Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy is a viral disease of magical origins that inflicts humans with a gradual transformation of their physical form. At first, they are able to change back and forth from human to wererat form, but after several years they become locked in the wererat form permamently.

Transmission & Vectors

Lycanthropy is transmitted through bodily fluids, such as saliva or blood. If these fluids enter the bloodstream of an uninfected host, the likelihood of infection is almost definite. Transmission only requires momentary contact, such that a bite from an infected host that breaks the skin would be enough to pass on the infection. A new host is not infectious until the disease has incubated and spread throughout their system, usually within one month.

Symptoms

Upon first becoming infected, a new host will undergo an incubation period of about one month while the virus spreads throughout the body. During this time, the host's body will attempt to fight the infection; resulting in fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, tremors, headache, weakness, and fatigue. Once the initial incubation period has passed, the virus will become dormant until a moment of heightened stress. When the host's body floods with adrenaline, the virus will respond by morphing their physiology to resemble that of a large anthropomorphic rat. Once the host has exhausted his own energy reserves, he/she will fall into a deep sleep and awaken in their human form.

Treatment

There is no known treatment or cure for lycanthropy, although the symptoms of withdrawal are commonly treated by smoking opium to suppress the symptoms.

Prognosis

Over time, the host will learn to control these changes. If a host remains in human form for longer than a month, they will experience withdrawal-like symptoms followed by symptoms similar to the original incubation period until they change. As the years carry on, the duration before these symptoms present themselves will shorten, until finally after two to three years the host will remain in the wererat form for the rest of their lives.

Epidemiology

Hosts who have contracted lycanthropy often pass it to their offspring, creating a growing presence of those infected. Offspring born with the condition will be in the wererat form from birth, without ever changing to human form or knowing any other life. As the infected hosts often chose to live near human population centers, but hidden in areas such as sewer tunnels, the likelihood of spreading the virus through violent encounters with non-infected hosts increases as the wererat population increases.

Type

Viral

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Wererats
• Human