Proboscis Goat Paranoia

"One is not always lucky enough to find beautiful and fascinating new species. We had to make a rather frightening discovery in Sumeyesa. Even Wandile Sikawu, our Layidian zoologist traveling with us, was horrified by the extent of what had happened in the city and left the city and its inhabitants to fall into disrepair.
We were in transit from Mayibe to Randis. Rumors had been circulating for years that strange things were happening in the city and that residents were retreating more and more into their homes and strangers were becoming less and less welcome. When we arrived, the streets were deserted and Sumeyesa resembled a ghost town.
The only thing we saw was a young woman who suddenly ran towards us from a side alley, screaming and shouting horribly. In her hand she held a spear to attack us with. Her face showed narrow rivers of congealed blood and was contorted with rage.
Thurian Graustab was able to fend off and overpower the woman. Fâlyn Ravalis gave her a relaxant so that she slowly calmed down. We sat her on a bench in a neglected park and gave her some food and some fluids. Slowly the woman came to her senses and began to whimper: "Burning! Burning skin away! Must go back! Must go into the dark! Burning skin away!". As she tried to run away, the Brictaelgian commander grabbed her arm. Pieces of skin remained stuck to his hand, but the much larger woman was able to break away and ran back into the side alley.
Thurian, Wandile and I followed her to her house. We knocked and a little girl of about fourteen opened the door for us. The young woman lay on a cot and continued to whimper. I gave her another sedative until she fell asleep. We looked around and Wandile questioned the child, who didn't seem to be showing any signs of the same mysterious symptoms. The girl was shy, but gradually told us what had happened in the city over the last few years.
After returning to the others, we passed on the events and agreed that it was important to find out how the events happened. It took us about a month to solve the mystery, but it was important to protect other Layikani from the disease, which we named Proboscis Goat Paranoia after the most likely trigger."

Syrta Khîm, expedition leader -

Proboscis Goat Paranoia is an incurable disease that causes death within two months to a year of onset. It is caused by prions that are absorbed through contaminated meat. Syrta Khîm and her team found that the city's adult residents had been eating Proboscis Goats for generations.

Big-eared Snout Goat by Blue Fairy 74

Big-eared proboscis goats are an absolute nuisance in some parts of the continent. For this reason and because of their tender meat, which is said to taste like lamb, they are hunted by some Layikani and sometimes eaten raw or semi-raw. Additionally, the team discovered that savanna wolves that hunted proboscis goats also exhibited some of the symptoms and also experienced increased deaths in the area.

At a Glance

Name: Proboscis Goat paranoia
Transmission: prions in big-eared proboscis coats
Cause: contaminated food
Symptoms: burning oral cavity, spiral skin hemorrhages, fragile thermophilia leading to burns, paranoid delusions
Host: thermophilic omnivores and carnivores
Treatment: painkillers to relieve physical pain, protection from heat
Course: onset 6 months to 2 years, no cure, only relief of symptoms possible, death after 2 months to 1 year

Course

To study the disease, Syrta's team searched the city's records for clues and attempted to interview survivors. Syrta and Wandile performed a few autopsies on deceased and dead savannah wolves. Little by little, they traced the course of the disease, which over the last few centuries had occurred frequently every three to four generations and then lay dormant for several decades.

The first signs of the disease appear after about six months. However, they can also only appear two years after consumption. The team assumes that the more prionized meat is consumed, the sooner the first symptoms appear. At first, the mouth begins to burn, as if you had cut yourself on something sharp. This burning lasts for several days and some testimonials claim that they felt like it was eating itself from the inside out.
After a few days, spiral-shaped bleeding scratches appear on the skin of the face, which repeatedly tear open over a longer period of time and do not heal. After about two to three weeks, those affected can no longer set foot outside the door because they run the risk of suffering severe burns or death from heat if they do not wear a protective suit. Syrta's team assumes that the prions override the thermophilic protection of creatures native to Layida, thereby eliminating immunity to high temperatures.
In the last stage of the disease, patients become paranoid and have delusions, which probably led to people no longer trusting strangers and insulting and attacking them. Many of those affected withdraw and isolate themselves from the outside world. Without help, they vegetate until they die.

2nd stage of Snout Goat Paranoia by Blue Fairy 74

Precautions & Treatment

During our presence, 68 Layikani died in Sumeyesa as a result of the disease.

No ashes ceremony was allowed to be performed here. But who else would have followed the dead to complete the ritual? We burned the bodies with the help of an ash master and a priestess who used fire magic so that not a single speck of dust remained in the end.

The victims' surviving children were taken to relatives outside the city. Maybe they or their descendants will come back? The city is definitely lost."

Wandile Sikawu, Layidian zoologist -

The only way to protect yourself from proboscis goat paranoia is to completely avoid prion-contaminated meat. Of course it could also be well fried, but to be really on the safe side, it shouldn't be eaten at all.
A cure for the disease is not possible because diseased prions attach to the body's healthy prion proteins and change them, creating new diseased prions. So when the first symptoms appear, the diseased prions have already done the most important part of their work. Meanwhile, the prions have infected the temporal lobe of the brain, which is slowly dissolving, triggering paranoid delusions.
Only the relief of the torment with painkillers and the administration of sedatives to alleviate the paranoia can be administered. However, the disease ultimately inevitably leads to death. The corpses must then be burned using fire magic in such a way that no ash is produced in order to avoid the risk of prions entering the food cycle again.

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In response to Tyrdal & Catoblepon's unofficial challenges

The longest journey - A traveller’s challenge Part IV
Mixing Symptoms 3 - Group 1