The Stone Plague

Gareth Hanrahan, The Gutter Prayer

20 years ago the first few patients began appearing at church medical centres complaining of a hard rash, now many of the cities manual labourers are walking statues, using their great strength and endurance to make a living in the dockyards and warehouses, however the constant requirement for preventative medicine financially cripples many of the diseased.

Transmission & Vectors

uncertain, be wary of physical contact

Causes

unknown, speculation on university experiment gone wrong

Symptoms

hardened stone like plates gradually replace the skin and muscles, makes the user strong and durable if brittle.

Treatment

limited, students at the university have discovered a way to slow its rate of stone-ification once caught.

Prognosis

stage one, a patch rash of stone flaks grows on the skin, can be rubbed off but leave a dark mark stage two, the rash flakes join to become plates, painful to remove and feel uncomfortable stage three, large sections of skin are now stone plates, muscles begin to be effected, slow down and strengthen stage four, full Stone-ification, diffuclty moving, no visbale skin left, difficulty eating stage five, suffocation/starvation, inability to move, require assistance constantly to eat drink and potentialy breath

Prevention

every pharmacist, herbalist and alchemist in the city has a balm, cream, potion or herb pouch to ward off, remove, prevent or otherwise negate the stone plague. none have yet undergone rigorous lab testing.

Epidemiology

began in poorer districts and places of high manual labour, due to the added strength the condition gives the infected were kept in work and so the docs and warehouses have many stonemen working. wealthy largely unaffected as they stay away from such areas, as with middle class, a few middle managers of shipping and warehouse companies have become infected though.

History

appearing in the city 20 years ago little has been done to combat the plague, some campaign to remove the diseased, others think they are a great asset to the manual labour fields.

Cultural Reception

initial shock and shame, gradual acceptance in poorer areas as old friends and colleagues became striken but still there oldselves. absolute disgust among the nobility, guilds are all for it and will hire the stricken for their strength while keeping their best people at a safe distance from them.

Type

Genetic

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon