Kargain's Stain

Kargains are a particularly foul type of lesser vampire known for their hideous visage, who carry with them a supernatural disease known as the Kargain's Stain. This horrid contaigion is virulent, and yet it's early symptoms can means the disease goes unnoticed for a few days, by which time, too many of the local populace are infected.

Transmission & Vectors

The disease is particularly virulent, being passed on through both the air and through contact with an infected person. It can also be passed on via expelled bodily secretions from a victim on clothes, furniture or tools they may have used though fortunately the transmission rate this way is reduced.

Causes

Carried by the kargain, which itself is a walking incubator of afflictions, the initial infection is always from a bite or the claws transmit the deadly disease, poisoning the blood at alarming speed after even just a single scratch. Though few survive an attack by such a fierce creature, it has been surmised that as the Kargain also feeds on flesh as well as blood (unlike others of its kind), it will leave a victim to run off and infect others to generate more food for it.

Symptoms

Initial symptoms: presenting after 2 to 5 days after exposure, the victim starts to develop boils and pustules mainly around the joints but can be found all over the body. They also find that wounds however minor do not seem to stop bleeding.
Mid-stage symptoms: presenting within 4 to 8 days after exposure, the pustules spread to cover half to three quarters of the victims body with tightly packed clusters near the joints and orifices; these pustules burst and seep and are especially triggered with movement. The victim starts to experience wracking aches through their limbs and spine that contort and hinder their walking. Breathing becomes difficult due to fluid retention in the lungs.
Final symptoms: presenting 7 days to typically 2 to 3 weeks - the victims continue to lose fluids not only from the pustules, but now through vomiting, coughed fluid explusion and diarrhea. Fatigue and aches intensify, and the victims will be severely mobility limited.

Treatment

Only two known methods of treatment for this vile disease exist; the first is a tonic that is created using the fangs of the individual kargain whose strain has infected the victim. This tonic though not difficult to make by healers, herbalists or even alchemists is very limited in supply as the fangs will likely only create enough to cure 10, perhaps 12 people.
The second method is restoration magic, though this will only stop the disease itself, and usually not provide healing to deal with the ongoing symptoms.

Prognosis

Once infected, unless either the correct serum is administered or some form of restoration magic is cast upon the victim, there is no cure and no recorded survivors are known. Victims will die usually within 2 to 3 weeks from initial infection from a combination massive infection, fluid loss, dehydration and the inability to fight the disease.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Extremely Rare