Battle Blight

It is unknown what Battle Blight actually is, whether it may be a virus or arcane hex leaves much for debate from scholars. What is known is that Battle Blight afflicts those who have been in combat conditions for some extended amount of time. It typically can be seen manifesting in the victim as malingering exhaustion, night terrors, and turning some to cold and indifferent dispositions. It was first recorded some thousand years ago by Man in the records of the Great Conquest when the Empire of Saal lead a horde of fifty thousand men against the neighboring city states in an attempt to bring them under their control.

In these records it is written that a regiment of the Saal Men at Arms were embattled for some three months near the city of Ayngert before they were relieved. The men are reported as being low in spirits and careless with their own safety. During the last days of their deployment along the south wall of the city they were under constant bombardment from the catapults. This is when the signs began to worsen as men would meander from their camps in the middle of the night and simply walk, emotionless, towards the ramparts until they were shot down by archers. Casualty rates sky rocketed towards the last week of their deployment until they were pulled back.

Transmission & Vectors

Overextended exposure to combat

Symptoms

Initial symptoms begin as a lack of energy and will, slowly developing into night terrors and depressive bouts. Occasionally it may manifest as hallucinations and bouts of anger that appear out of place. Environmental factors may trigger episodes of aggressive actions out of place for an individual.

Treatment

It is believed that an extended rest from the combat environment at a ratio of two weeks for every month can subdue the most severe side effects, but once the Blight has set into a victim it will last until death. The bouts will become less and less as time out of the environment increases, but it will always haunt the individual in some capacity.

Cultural Reception

In some areas those afflicted are seen as being haunted and touched by evil deeds, but other areas see it as the unfortunate side effect of conflict. In Kolwidg, for example, temples are entirely staffed by those afflicted and as such create a safe haven for those who have given their bodies and minds for the people during times of war. Other regions may treat the victims as pariah and will keep their distance from the victim as if it were a contagious plague.

Type

Mental

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon