Gloomroot spores

Transmission & Vectors

Gloomroot spores and transmitted by contact, either by touching directly a  gloomroot flower, or by spores airbornes making direct contact with the skin.

Causes

Spores are usually spread by gloomroot flowers when they sense a nearby entity coming close. Thus, travelers in the underdark are heavily recommended to never go close to them.

Symptoms

Commons symptoms are strong feelings of thirst similar to dehydration, acute fatigue, skin paleness especially near the spore locations, headache and loss of body temperature.
When the sprout is ready to go out of the epiderm, victims will feel acute pain as if something spiky was under their skin, and will usually react by scratching.

Treatment

Aside from magical options, panacea and other concoctions were made to cure the disease. while those could not kill the source of it, they could put it unoperational, and the host would have to renew treatment from time to time. it was also possible to cut the host's epiderm and yank out the root, but this was an extremely painful route that would scar the victim, and some would not survive the pain and bloodletting depending on the spore's spot. some cases also can demand amputation.
However, recently, as a new specimen of vermin was discovered that can remove the root fully. The Worteleter; these worms, sometimes considered as a nefarious plague for tropical farmers, loves to eats plant and mushrooms roots. As such, they can yank the root out of the host by softening their branches with enzyms and consume it, rendering it harmless. When possible, this procedures is followed by a cauterisation or other way to stop the host's bleeding. Anesthesy or emotion-controlling magic is also recommended, despite it being less damaging for the host , the proceed remains painful to the victim.

Prognosis

Once the spores enter the epiderm, they take resident inside the derm and start absorbing nutriment, over time, they will grow and become a sprout, that will absorb blood and water to survive.
Passed three days, the sprout will manage to reach out of the epiderm. at the fourth day, it left unchecked, the flower will start to bloom and begins the production of new spores which will be able to spread out the next day.

Affected Groups

All kinds of humanoid can be affected by it, but most of the affected ones either travel or work in the underdark. Miners can also stumble on those. The group which can be affected the most are people already afflicted with anemia or lacking their average blood liters in the body.

Hosts & Carriers

Gloomroot flowers

Prevention

Covering the epiderm with oil is a known successful method to avoid the spore to make contact. However, keeping a thick layer is hard on most travelers.

Epidemiology

The disease takes about 5 days before a burgeoning flower on someone's skin is able to produce and spread more spores. If the victim is diagnosed fast and isolated, epidemic risks are lessened. Temperature changes can also put the flower in dormancy or simply kill it's extension, which forces the root to wait before making another flower out of the host's skin.

Cultural Reception

Land dwelling races take the matter seriously and put the carriers in quarantine or at least isolate them when one  is such afflicted by the disease, which the carrier usually isn't strong enough to fight against it.
Some more sadistic races of the underdark however, use those as traps in some of their underground domains if they are able to circumvent around said trap, such as natural magic, the ability to fly or climb above it high enough when possible, or simply using another passage.

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare