Swolly's Folly

Swolly's Folly is a nasty disease contracted from infected fungi, and contractors of this disease will forever think twice on their folly.

Transmission & Vectors

Swolly's Folly is transferred through spores that burst out from the fungus-like pods that appear on the infected's body. These spores travel through the air at high speeds once the pods have been broken, and can travel up to a quarter of a kilometer (if wind permits).

Causes

Swolly's Folly is caused by ingesting infected fungi, specifically infected Swolly, which is a hallucinogenic fungus found in in the forests of the Folmeri. The spores that cause Swolly's Folly are small, sentient plant-like creatures that seek to invade hosts and reproduce through fungal pods that grow on their bodies. These creatures are called Sportunga.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Swolly's Folly include: severe vomiting, profuse sweating, extreme thirst, extreme aversion to heat and cold, avid love of humidity, discoloration of skin, painful bumps, fever and external spore growth.

Treatment

Treatment methods for Swolly's Folly are difficult and often very painful. They also vary depending on which stage of the disease that treatment is sought. If in the incubation or early infection stages, a simple Potion of Prevent Disease can cure it. Anything beyond these early stages, though, requires more in-depth and certainly more painful methods of treatment. 
In the sickness stage, treatment becomes more difficult. Once the fever and vomiting sets in, a healer will need to be involved, otherwise the patient risks moving onto the fungal stage. At this point, treatment will likely involve soaking their body in hot oil to kill the bacterial spores inside their body. This will need to be done for anywhere between 1-3 hours every day for at least 2 weeks, up to a month. 
If allowed to progress to the fungal stage, only an Adept-level or higher healer will be able to help. Treatment will almost certainly involve magically severing the spores from the patient's body, and powerful healing spells will be needed to forcefully remove the bacterial spores from the patient's body. This process is assisted by drinking a severely bitter tonic made from the tree roots of Alcoria Trees. Typically this treatment will last for 1 to 2 days, and recovery from this treatment will last for a full week afterwards.

Prognosis

Upon infection, the subject feels no symptoms for the first week. During this time, the bacterial spores will make their way into the bloodstream and take hold on the walls of the subject's veins and on the inside of the subject's stomach. Here they incubate for 3 days before activating.
Upon activation, the subject will begin to develop a fever and profuse sweating, leading into an extreme thirst for water, followed quickly by severe vomiting if the subject consumes anything other than water. Over the next 5 days, the subject will begin to develop an extreme aversion to heat and cold and an avid love of humidity. How quickly the next stage develops depends on how much water the subject consumes, and how humid their surroundings are. This stage is known as the sickness stage.
The final stage is known as the fungal stage, and at this stage the subject's skin becomes discolored and painful bumps begin to appear on their skin. If left untreated, these bumps will give rise to fungal spores that grow from the subject's skin. These spores can be anywhere from 2 to 7 cm in size, and are very painful. They have a high chance to burst when they come into contact with a hard surface, and such a burst will cause severe pain for the subject, and send the spores contained within the subject's body to fly outward, potentially infecting others nearby. If this stage is left untreated for more than 48 hours, all spores on the subject's body will explode, causing the subject to die.

Sequela

Recovery from Swolly's Folly varies depending on the stage at which the disease was treated. If treated in the early stages, the recovery process is practically non-existent. However, recovery from the sickness stage will cause the patient to feel nauseated upon consumption of anything except water. This will last anywhere from 1 day to 1 week. Recovery from the fungal stage requires constant monitoring from an Adept-level or higher healer for at least a week. Common experiences felt by patients during this period include: nauseousness, weakness in the arms and legs, and an extreme aversion to plants. This last experience often persists beyond the recovery period.

Affected Groups

Nearly all demographics are vulnerable to Swolly's Folly. The only exceptions to this are Dragons and Golems.

Hosts & Carriers

Swolly's Folly is carried by Swolly, which is unaffected by the bacterial spores that grow on it.

Prevention

The most effective way to avoid contracting Swolly's Folly is to avoid ingesting Swolly, or any fungus commonly found in the forests where Swolly grows. If this, for some reason, is not an option, the second best way to avoid contracting Swolly's Folly is to immediately drink a Potion of Prevent Disease. Similarly effective methods of protection involve a general immunity to diseases, whether natural or through a magical item, and thorough decontamination of any fungus planned for consumption, preferably through magical means.

Epidemiology

It is unlikely that Swolly's Folly would gain enough traction to cause an epidemic. The only way for the disease to spread is through the spores that sprout from the victim's body, and treatments are available before that stage.

History

The first recorded case of Swolly's Folly was in 0896 S.E. The victim was a group of Folmeri men who had ingested Swolly in recreation. All four men ended up dying, and nearly caused an outbreak, as no treatments were known at the time. An epidemic was prevented through quarantining those who had known to be infected. 17 people died from the disease during this initial founding, and it wouldn't be until nearly 20 years later that an effective treatment would be identified (for the later stages).

Cultural Reception

Many people fear those who are known to be infected with Swolly's Folly, especially during the later stages. Quarantine's for the later stages are mandatory, and the only ones allowed to see the victim after that point are healers until the victim dies or recovers. After recovery, the victims are viewed as lesser people for being so reckless and partaking in dangerous drugs.

Type

Fungal

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon