Poxwalk
Despite humanity's aspiration towards medicine and healthy living, we cannot escape the ravages of disease upon ourselves. Any number of sicknesses can bring an end to our mortal existence, for any number of reasons and from any causes. A fact that has only grown more prevalent as the corporate century has ground on.
All of this has spawned it's own problem. Plague spirits are birthed by disease, alongside many kinds of monster, in turn spawning more disease. Which spawns more plague spirit, and more disease, and more spirits, ad infinitum. In the time of kings, the problem solved itself when villages died off. In the 20th & 21st centuries, our medicine and population reached a balance that was maintained until this century started.
Then it got too expensive.
Since then, the balance has tipped in the direction of plague and spawned a particularly virulent spirit that has resisted all attempts to stamp it out.
Rinaugath is the name the spirit has given in the few times it's presented itself to speak, a spirit of plague unseen in inhuman history. It has one pestilence that it chooses to employ.
Poxwalk.
Transmission & Vectors
The disease has a broad transmission vector, with both air and touch working equally well. One Poxwalker is enough to infect huge swaths of a city, even just going through a daily routine. Everything the touch and pass will bear their curse, and pass it on to all that cross that path.
Symptoms
First Stage:
Similar to the common flu, or a cold. Congestion, upset stomach, fever, chills, and aching joints. A particularly wet cough is a notable and well known symptom.
Second Stage:
Massive downturn in status. Infected will likely collapse and spend multiple days writhing wherever they fell. During this time, they will lose huge amounts of fluids through vomiting, sweating, and in some cases early formation of boubous that eventually burst. Hair will start to fall out.
Third Stage:
Lifesigns will fall dangerously low, to a point below comatose but not quite reaching death, before coming back incredibly strong. Heartbeat, temp, and brain activity will rapidly increase, and the infected will likely respond to outside stimuli for the first time since the second stage began. When third stage has finished, the patient is functionally dead, though their previous personality still shines through at times. They lack the ability to controls themselves, however, and there is no way to cure them of their condition.
Fourth Stage:
Infected will suddenly become animated, and they will pursue non-infected individuals with an energy and strength they may not have been capable of before, with the intent of spreading the infection.
Fifth Stage:
The infected body starts to break down, but not to decompose. Instead, it starts to engorge and swell before softening into a sort of sludge. This sludge is semi-capable of movement and action and will usually set about building a sort of nest. Usually coating whatever environment is around at the time of Stage Five, before a particular type of extraterrestrial flora starts to grow from it. This flora emits the disease itself in PPM that renders even high-quality protection useless. At this stage, individuals attempting to fight the disease needs to be equipped with Soul Grafts from plague spirits (IE: a Pesta) if they wish to avoid infection themselves.Treatment
If caught in the early stages the disease can be treated with intense work. Pst that, however, and treatment is almost certainly doomed to failure. The sort of medical work and attention that would be required to fight off the disease at that point is prohibitive, and even many of the "haves" of the world wouldn't be able to have that.
If the Fourth Stage is reach...well, let's just say that many countries have introduced legal clauses to allow for the euthanasia of victims of Poxwalk once they've reached the Fourth Stage, even by those of unofficial standing.
Type
Viral
Origin
Magical
Cycle
Short-term
Rarity
Rare
Two facilities in the world contain samples of Poxwalk. The first is a pathology facility within the Euro-Block and the other is a facility under the control of Jengu Biotechnics, though it's exact location is unknown, despite international law stating such things need to be monitored at all times.
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