Plague of the Heretic

To Betray the Mighty

The Plague of the Heretic is an unnatural one, its origin divine and untreatable through traditional medicinal practices. It is common enough to be named and recognized, but the stages of this disease have cruelty unseen by most zealots. It is easy to recognize someone with this condition, their fingers begin to blacken from the nails back as a fungus was growing down towards their arm. Their eyes are bloodshot and the sclera of the eye blackens to a luminescent translucent charcoal color, making the insides of their eye sockets partially visible and the pupils of their eyes appear to glow in the dark. What's more, they will display questionable behavior, which worsens as the disease progresses. While it cannot be transmitted, most will assume otherwise and avoid anyone bearing this plague with caution and discretion.

Progression

The Plague is not fatal until it progresses, and begins by displaying a series of warning signs, leading up to the Three Days of Repentance. Once these three days have been reached, there is no way to be redeemed, and you will die of the plague within the next three days at any time. The disease begins by blackening the fingers and eyes as previously described, one's flesh would feel scaly and itchy, rendering the victim uncomfortable and miserable. Skin begins to flake and peel off slowly, and sleep does not help them regenerate - - though it is still necessary to restore their stamina and mental wellbeing. Small fungal infections begin to take place under the fingernails making them yellowish and hard, and the bones of their body weaken, making so much as walking very painful and dangerous. At this point, the victim is subject to the exhausted condition at the second level and is incapacitated when exposed to churches or holy items which relate to the deity they betrayed. On day two, blood begins to drain slowly from all portals: eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth, open wounds, the flakes in their skin, anywhere. Blood vessels will begin to burst at random times and restoration magic will be half as effective. Any movement floods the muscle that acted with lactic acids, making further movement very difficult. At this point, the victim is subject to the exhausted condition at the third level, is petrified when exposed to churches or holy items related to the deity they betrayed, can be poisoned by poisonous dusts through their skin (as their bloodstream is exposed) without a constitution roll, are subject to a paralysis roll (every time they attack or move, roll a constitution saving throw against DC 12. On a failed save, they are paralyzed until the start of their next turn as lactic acid floods their body), and are vulnerable to necrotic damage.
On day three, the remaining skin hardens and their veins pop from blood masses trapped under the skin, appearing as large dark purple blotches in the skin. The mind is affected now, and the victim begins to forget anything they learned since the condition reached their brain whenever they sleep. They are attracted to shiny or expensive items and do not trust anyone. They will always attempt to haggle the price of an item down before buying it from instinctual greed which overwhelms them. The victim will act paranoid and begin to lose reason and understanding of the world, giving in to their desires and attempting to steal whenever given the chance. They will not differentiate people they do and do not care about, steal from strangers or family alike, and turn dangerous and rabid-like when confronted. A person in this state does not have control over themselves and cannot be reasoned with. Evil characters will take pride in their thievery, and good characters will feel guilt, while neutral characters will resolve to whichever best aligns with their moral compass. They will not share anything and fear losing anything of any value, guarding their items as though they were all priceless treasures or heirlooms. At this point, the victim is subject to all of the effects of day two, exhaustion level 4, intelligence lowered to 5 as their mind is corrupted, wisdom lowered to 6 as their mind is corrupted, dexterity increased by 2 as their restlessness is at the expense of their health, and vulnerability to physic, poison, and radiant damage. They will feel as though their mind and body are burning in the presence of anything related to the deity they betrayed.
Day four is the first of the Three Days of Repentance, and the victim can no longer be helped. Their intelligence and Wisdom both drop to 3 as all of their remaining understanding seems to fade away and they are left with nothing but twisted instinct. They are frightened (condition) of everyone, deafened as their body ceases its functions, mute, and blind. They reach exhaustion level 5 and cannot move, but can still suffer from the pain of their injuries. All of the effects from day three apply. These conditions stay the same for up to three days, and by then at an undetermined point (depending on how hard the victim tries to survive, and their constitution) reaches exhaustion level 6 and dies and their body shrivels into a frail husk and is grown over by fungus from within as parasites feed on the blackish pigments on the skin's exterior and burrow into the corpse. These corpses are considered cursed and kept far from civilizations or burial sites.

Treatment

While impossible to treat through the use of medicine, the way to cure the Plague is explained to the bearer in a form of instant understanding, dictated by their deity themselves. Sometimes the message is unclear, perhaps a riddle or a reminder of an oath they have broken. Sometimes it is direct, and the deity asks you to kill a thousand undead in their name or restore a decrepit temple as redemption. Once redeemed, the condition will slowly fade, but the medical weaknesses up to day 1 (as well as any physical ailments) will remain until it either kills them or is treated with Major Restoration, a blessing from a priest of the deity, or a medicine check of DC 20.

Type

Divine

Rarity

Rare