Goblin Blisters
Something many humans experience in their youth or young adulthood is a viral infection known as goblin blisters. Named centuries ago for the rough, fingernail-sized green spots that appear on the neck and torso, this nearly impotent disease can be impossible to get rid of once it has set in. Although it has very short incubation period, once the spots develop there is only a small window of time before they become permanent.
Treatment
The primary treatment once the green blemishes have developed involves a very unscientific approach invented long ago and requires submersion in a a liquid saturated with an aloe made from a common plant tuber similar to a potato. This solution is absorbed into the skin and essentially suffocates the virus. The process is simple but leaves the skin a mottled pale blue for several days after the treatment.
Although metaphyisical means can remove the illness, those same methods rarely provide future immunity and aren't typically worth the potential cost involved. Since most 'magic' bypasses the natural process of creating antibodies by cleansing the disease through external influence it does not afford protection down the road, or pass resistence to future generations.
Hosts & Carriers
As a type of poxvirus, goblin blisters was originally transmitted to humankind via goblins. A completely benign strain of bacteria mutated and made the jump from goblins to humans through their limited exposure. The goblins themselves did not have the knowledge of this, however there are many theories, some plausible and others outlandish, that they were somehow intentially infected with the illness and knew it wouldn't affect the goblins but would cause problems for humans.
Cultural Reception
Many of the more wealthy humans within the capital cities view goblin blisters as a sign of ill-breeding, poor hygene, or a dozen other elitist, exclusionary, and completely illogical origins. Unfortunately the feeling behind these fallacies has still been disseminated outward and there is a great amount of social shame involved with catching this nearly harmless illness; especially if it becomes permanent.
Because of the notion that only poor, weak, or dirty folk catch goblin blisters it's extremely common for those in higher society to hide the face that they have or had the illness. This, in turn, often causes the disease to spread further as they behave in a manner which allows it to. High collared clothes easily hide any visible signs of the illness and it otherwise does not impact the health of the host.
Another popular way of dealing with goblin blisters is to simply seclude oneself from others while recovering. This isn't usually possible for common working folk, which means they're more often seen suffering from the condition and therefor are linked more easily to it, though in truth nearly all humans are equally suseptible.
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