Noctis Cavum

"Hollow Night"
So named for the dark, but near-weightless scales the disease produces.

Transmission & Vectors

A bloodborne disease that infects through open wounds or ingestion.

Causes

Thought to be the product of demon blood, Noctis Cavum was employed during wartime by the Dastian Theocracy upon its prisoners and enemies. No creature has been found in the wild whose blood is able to recreate the results found in Noctis Cavum patients, and as such, little is known about the process.

Symptoms

The application of blood upon wounds creates a thick layer of dark, solid scales.

Wounds upon the face, thusly treated, occasionally present with the formation of large, beast-like teeth. This seems to occur only around the jawline area, as though the body is attempting to reshape itself.

In very rare cases, wounds upon the back have been documented to produce the vestiges of wings. These are often small, deformed, and utterly useless for flight.

Forced or accidental ingestion results in severe internal distress in low doses, and partial transformation in higher quantities.

Treatment

It should be noted that wounds must have blood applied to them in order for these symptoms to occur. Wounds received together, one dressed with blood, the other ignored, only resulted in one patch of scale. Wounds received after infection heal as normal. Any knowledgeable medic or healer should be equipped to deal with the condition in its usual forms.

Keeping this in mind, standard treatment is as follows:

Dressing of other wounds: Any open sore or wound not yet covered by scales is to be cleaned of debris, disinfected, and dressed.

Assessment of scaled wounds: Any scaled wound that does not interfere with range of motion or daily activity is left alone. Reopening the wounds is a traumatic procedure, and one not undertaken without reason. Any deformed wings or other oddities are sliced away and cauterized. Any scales impeding sight, breathing, or the ability to eat are carved from the skin, and the area cauterized to avoid regrowth.

Maintenance: Occasionally, the affected area cannot be cauterized. In these cases, the unfortunate patient must return to a healer once the scales begin to return in order to have them removed, again and again.

On Transformations: Transformations are permanent, and often result in the loss of cognitive function beyond base instincts. They cannot be reversed, or slowed.

Is it Contagious?
Noctis Cavum is not contagious once scales have formed, and the blood of an infected creature is not rendered unsafe. Therefore, there are no steps necessary for the limiting of contact between medic and patient, or patients and healthy individuals.

Prognosis

Infected creatures will retain their scales for their natural lifespan. Often this does not result in any physical complications.

It is possible for scaled wounds to ache as weather changes, as most old wounds are wont to do.

Some patients report a sensitivity to heat or direct sunlight upon scaled areas. This is likely due to the dark nature of the scales absorbing more heat than the surrounding tissue, and thus producing an uncomfortable warmth.

Any creature unfortunate enough to lose their mental faculties to the disease via transformation will never regain control. For these poor souls, a swift mercy-killing is all that can be done to ease their suffering.

Affected Groups

Noctis Cavum does not discriminate between its victims. A vial of blood poured into a wound, or slathered upon a sword before a blow is struck is all it takes. Men, women, young, old, prince or pauper -- the varied nature of vicims knows no stranger.

Cultural Reception

The largest impact Noctis Cavum has upon its patients is usually far more socially- and psychologically-based than its physiological aspects. Scales are traditionally covered, as they are a great source of shame to those who bear them. Rumors might surround those who are thought to possess scaled wounds, but it is considered improper to inquire about one's status.

Patients without military or political backgrounds are quietly pitied, as the scales signify them to be pointless victims of wartime cruelty.

As most patients are soldiers and political figures, a culture of "respectful blindness" was formed within the ranks of service-members that soon bled out to the general population. That is: in the event a patient's scales are revealed accidentally, or otherwise without consent, it is considered highly impolite not to avert one's eyes.

The disclosure of one's wounds is not taken lightly. There are some who hide their scales even from their life-partners. The heavy shame that comes with being marked as a victim of the Theocracy is secondary only to the fear of one's loved-ones. Scales are often bulky in size, and somewhat jarring in nature to behold to those who are not used to the sight. Depending on the location and size of the wound, it can truly seem as though the patient has been cursed by some demonic fiend. It is out of such fear -- the unknown nature of the blood that causes the condition -- that some have been driven to abandon the people they once lived lovingly beside.

That abandonment is perhaps the most painful and prolific portion of the disease.

Type

Bacterial

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare