Bacterial Ki Blockage

by Freepik

It's the stuff of every magic user's nightmare: becoming a ki sucking zombie. The disease is actually a bacterial energy blockage, where the victim starves from lack of ki which is absorbed by the infectious pathogen. The sick magic user will then seek others to pull energy from and infect.

by Freepik

In the early 800s it was almost eradicated. But then it popped up again near the gate of Rashomon. The city was destroyed by a major storm and the disease all but disappeared along with the major oni clans.
Unfortunately, there is a rumor of a tanuki who had it in a village about an hour north of Nonogawa. Ohno Yasu is quite concerned. His family's records say one of his ancestors died before finding a cure.

Transmission & Vectors

The bacteria is blood-borne and transfers through intimate contact with the host, or through open wounds that the transferring host creates to absorb the ki of the victim.

Symptoms

Carriers will be non-symptomatic for 3 weeks before showing signs. A magic based physician will look for these symptoms.


Onset symptoms that are often ignored:

Higher than normal libido or desire to be very close with other magical beings

Craving to eat unusual raw items (beyond the average seafood of the Japanese diet), such as whole snails, entire plants, bugs.

Coldness and shaking.

Early symptoms:

by Freepik

Dwindling energy and ability to use magic. Specifically spell failure. The magic user may initiate a spell and it dissipates shortly after being cast.

A rash, then a sickly green cast to the victim's skin

A slowing ki pulse

Hazy vision

Final symptoms:

by Good Ware

Tunnel vision, only able to see other sources of ki. They show up as intense bright spots.

The victim being drawn to other ki sources like a moth to light

Vampirism

Wasting of the body

Ghostly flames surrounding the patient

Death

Prevention

by Eucalyp

Ritual cleansings. Be it soaking in a salt bath (such as in a hot spring) or cleansing at a temple or shrine.

by k_e_n

Bacillus Kuroshisis

A rare but deadly bacteria that enters the bloodstream after contact or a wound by another infected being. The bacteria is not found in nature otherwise. It is believed the infection originated in another plane. It's distantly related to geobacillus stearothermophilus, as it 'spoils' and uses the ki of its victim. The bacteria is named after the Japanese word 殺す (kurosu) that means to kill or block.

Type

Bacterial

Origin

Alien

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Extremely Rare