Transmission & Vectors
Direct transmission of infected biological material is required to transfer Corruption from one individual to another. The most common way is the consumation of corrupted meat and intimate contact with an infected. Being attacked by a infected can also result in an infection if bodily fluids mix.
Symptoms
- Blood discoloration
- Headaches
- Increased hunger
- Narcissistic tendencies
- Violent tendencies
- Extreme protective instinct for close friends and family members
- Increased strength, agility and stamina
- Several physical transformation at the final stage
Treatment
At the beginning the infection can be stopped relatively easy depending of the cause of infection. Bite wounds can simply burned out in the first hour and after that the infected body part can still be amputated in the first few days. When infected trough intimate contact there are a few tonics and healing spelss that can cleanse the body when used within the first few weeks. A direct blood transfusion is the most dangerous way of infection and most spells/tonics are only effective within the first hour.
After the discoloration starts to show simple tonics and spells can't help anymore but there are still long-term treatments that can permamently cleanse the infection or at least reduce further symptoms. But this kind of treatment in itself requires nearly a week and several uncommon tonics as well as a few high level spells. These treatments diminsh in effectiveness until the disease either stops progressing or reaches it final stage. At this point there is no known way of curing or even allevating the infection.
Prognosis
In the first weeks of an infection there are normaly no discernible symptoms. After 2-5 weeks of the infections a black discoloration of the blood can be observed that becomes less noticeable further from the infection source (for example a bite wound). 1-3 weeks after the first signs of discoloration a slight mental change starts: Infected become more egocentric and aggresive. Commonly in the second month of the infection a more apparent change in the physiology starts: Infected become stronger and more agile and as a result of that also develop a greater appetite that leads to a tripled rate of consumption compared to prior of the infection.
From this point onwards the infection develops different for every individual. While some seem to stay at this state and can even continue their life, in other cases there are more drastic changes in mentality and/or physiology. When an infected develops more symptoms more than three months after the infection, than they have entered the final stage of the disease: Upon reaching this stage, the genetics of the infected have so drastically changed that theay are now referred to as a new species: The Corrupted.
Sequela
Infected that reached the final stage have shown extreme resilience to most common diseases and are known to be immune to Vampirism and Lycanthrophy. Before the final stage contracted diseases are cured considerably faster and have usually less severe outcomes.
Prevention
There is no known real protection against the infection but there are several tonics and enchantments that can be used beforehand to slow down a possible infection. Individuals with vampirism or lycanthropy also seem to be immune to the effects of the infection but can still serve as transmitters.
Epidemiology
Corruption usually starts with a few cases that consumed corrupted meals. This is normally the result of a hunter unknowingly killing a corrupted animal and selling it in the market. From thereon the meat gets distributed throughout the settlement and the first people become carriers. Then bad hygiene results in the transmission to family and close acquaintances. When the first cases realize the infection it is usually already too late as most smaller settlements are already completely infected. In bigger cities schooled medics could eventually still contain the pandemic if they are informed early enough.
At this point small settlements beginn to descend into chaos as fights erupt over small incoveniences that quickyl escalated into bigger brawls transmitting the infection even to the latest people. While the social order collapses a famine starts and infected start to turn to cannibalism. This usually continues until only one family/close group remains. Depending on how long and how violent the struggle was, ther are two possible outcomes: A The village and its surroundings yield enough resources for the infected to survive and they remain while attacking outsiders becoming isolated from the rest of the world or B There are not enough resources and the remaining infected migrate in the search for food transporting the disease to the next region.
When not contained early enough, cities usually suffer the same fate only with a far more destructive outcome. When the Corruption spreads to the point of no return the violent outbreaks result in a civil war in the streets that overwhelmes local guard forces. Nations that recognize this as an Corruption outbreak usually try to isolate and burn the city hoping to purge even the last infected. Even if they do nothing the result would be probaly similar as the city descend into chaos, only that now many infected flee the city spreading disease even further.
History
The origin of Corruption can be traced back to a single being: Aslaug, a mutated Ancient Dragon more commonly kwon as Source of Corruption. Aslaug himself was a scholar that lived millenia before his mutation and surprisingly was the first to recognise the danger he was. Sadly as an Ancient Dragon his instinct of self perservation prevented him from seeking the death he knew was needed to stop the Corruption and so he instead he severed all ties to other beings only living behind a journal containing an explanation and a warning for those who found it.
Aslaug retreated into the Dimensional Void hoping no one was stupid enough to follow him. There he fell into a deep slumber in the hope to reverse or at least slow down the mutation. His slumber lasted too long for anyone to known until even most immortal beings forgot his existence or the danger he was to all life and one day an excursion in the Void stumbled upon the sleeping dragon. Overcome by greed and the belief that Aslaug was long dead, the expedition members began to draw his blood and tried to cut him apart. Awaken by a terrible pain after an eternity of sleep, Aslaug was furious when he awakened and nearly killed all present. But he failed and when returning to their own plane the surviving expedition members brought the Corruption with them.
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