Runny Skin

Runny Skin is an extraordinarily rare condition in which the victim essentially feels everything that any other person they see feels. This excessive sensation appear to be too much for mortals to bear, such that their skin metaphorically--and unfortunately literally--runs down to nothing and their insides become their outsides.

Causes

Runny Skin is such a cultural boogeyman precisely because its causes are unknown. The disease attracts very limited research funding (with the notable exception of Scholar Morales of Dorado, see Prevention) perhaps because of the social stigma surrounding victims.

Symptoms

From those few brave souls who have admitted to contracting Runny Skin in its early stages, doctors and scholars have compiled a rough progression of its symptoms.
Runny skin begins with an increased tendency towards nosebleeds, typically more than one per day. The disease's characteristic enhancement of sensation is present but largely concentrated, for reasons that puzzle its clinicians, to the nose. This stage can last anywhere from months to years.
A patient is considered to have passed the initial stages of the disease when their skin begins to wear thin, typically seen as an increase in transparency as well as the secretion of pus in affected areas. This tends to be concentrated in segments of skin which are frequently touched, notably the hands as well as those boundary areas where clothing or shoes rub against the body.
The third and final symptom of Runny Skin is that which lends the disease its name. The patient's skin begins to "run" downwards, concentrating in pools of blisters where it has not sloughed off entirely. If the patient does not undertake palliative care (see Treatment) this symptom will continue until the patient loses their remaining skin, at which point other complications (particularly infection and difficulty in regulating bodily temperature) set in.

Treatment

As the underlying causes of Runny Skin are not well understood, treatment is concentrated in ameliorating symptoms and other such palliative care.
The chief therapy is immediate adoption of a permanent blindfold or blinding goggles. Blocking sight appears to also block the enhanced sensation, which in turn halts the progression of symptoms. Despite its effectiveness, this is an unpopular treatment given that it inflicts blindness and also amounts to a public admission of having contracted Runny Skin.
A minor industry of dubious morality and efficacy has also sprung up around the condition. These businesses claim to provide various creams and salves which "heal" Runny Skin blisters or "reverse" enhanced sensation. These typically amount to no more than placebos, though some do contain anesthetic elements. Most responsible doctors view these treatment methods as actively harming those who attempt them, as anesthetic allows patients to continue doing whatever it is that progresses the disease by decreasing their awareness of sensation.

Prognosis

At the present state of the healing arts, Runny Skin cannot be reversed, only halted by the adoption of a blinding apparatus. Once blinded, patients can slowly regrow skin over the affected areas, but the nosebleeds, secretion of pus, and overly-thin and sensitive skin will remain with them for the rest of their life.

Prevention

Preventing Runny Skin is a tricky--and politically sensitive--matter. It appears to strike almost at random, rather than concentrating in particular professions or areas. 
Temperance campaigners, leaning on studies by Scholar Morales of Dorado and her clinic, argue strenuously that Runny Skin is linked to the consumption of Beelzabite souls. They point to the known enhancement of sensitivity to others' feelings, emotions, and motivations that the demon drink allows when drinkers undergo Beelzabite possession. Responsible scholars and doctors consider this to be a tenuous link but allow that Scholar Morales is the best funded researcher studying the disease, with the largest population of patients, and that abstinence is not known to be unhelpful in preventing Runny Skin. Advocates of the liquor industry refuse to address this proposed link, calling it "pseudoscience."

History

The first recorded case of Runny Skin befell the statesman Fan Ying of the Second Republic of Erlang Shen. His downfall was dutifully recorded by the Assembly's scribes, and it is to one of these anonymous heroes of the written word that we owe the title "runny skin."

"Counselor Fan Ying paused in his speech. One of his many scarves slipped. The Assembly gasped--under the scarf, the esteemed Counselor's skin was raw and runny, as if it dripped down his neck into a puddle of sores. No more did Counselor Fan Ying speak that day. His Autumn faction was ultimately convicted of traffic with unlawful Magicks against the Spirit of the Assembly and formally disbanded."

- from the Annals of the Republic, vol. 3

Considering the social consequences of having Runny Skin, there are doubtless many, perhaps less extreme, instances of the condition that have not been recorded. Those we do know about pop up seemingly randomly, from politicians to brothel madames to businessmen to even legendary poet and philanderer Leonardo Morales.
Any account of Runny Skin's history would be incomplete without mentioning Carlos Ruiz, aka "The Nose." Ruiz is the extremely rare person who openly admits to having Runny Skin and yet has not withdrawn from the public eye. He--rather audaciously--claims the condition allows him to better understand the human condition and fulfill his profession of investigating crime. Doctors who work with Runny Skin patients grudgingly admit that "The Nose" at least demonstrates the utility of blindfolds at ameliorating the disease's symptoms, as he is well-known for his blinding goggles (as well as for removing them at key moments during investigations). He currently lives in Dorado.

Cultural Reception

Unlike other conditions possibly associated with the demon drink, notably Hunter's Paralysis, Runny Skin has not attracted any cultural glamour. Contracting the condition effectively makes one a leper, which at least tends to ameliorate the victim's symptoms by removing sources of sensation (assuming they have not already adopted a blindfold). This response is ironic, however, given that Runny Skin does not appear to be infectious.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Extremely Rare