The Feeding Madness

Transmission & Vectors

Spread via bite or scratch from an infected victim or from ingesting infected boldly fluids

Treatment

excessive drooling, lightheadedness, difficulty moving, irritability, a constant hunger, madness, psychosis, slurred speech

Prognosis

The infected individual will, if say subjected to a drop of the cursed liquid, will begin feeling lightheaded and find that he is drooling a lot more then he should. He will then noticeably begin to become easily irritable and angry. The next day their limbs feel stiff and find it difficult to move around, and also no matter how full they are feel a almost strange compulsion to eat. The patient will rapidly succumb to madness and then eventually be reduced to a blood thirsty zombie within 2 days.
This process changes if one is bitten, for not only are the prey of the Feeding madness, sometimes referred to as "Feeders" or "Shamblers" usually maul their prey horribly, but once bitten this process can take anywhere from half to a full day. If killed after being bitten they will rise as a zombie within around a few hours

Affected Groups

It seems to be able to infect most humanoids, with dragonborn and kobolds being oddly immune to it, which suspects some to think that draconic blood is naturally immune to this plague

Prevention

Immediately either locking yourself in a safe area until help can arrive or running away as fast as one can. Avoid absolutely all contact with infected individuals

History

Said to have been the result of a mindflyer driven to madness in a last ditch attempt to become immortal, once he concocted the virus he would ingest it and then become infected, though he locked himself in his chambers after feeling unwell, a group of adventures would raid his lair to kill him, and while they were successful they reported the mindflyer acting strange. He didn't use any of his psionic powers, reportedly slurred or just grunting and moaning speech, and would scratch and bite at the adventurers, managing to land a scratch on one of the adventurers. After the adventurers returned triumphantly, the scratched individual, a paladin, would retire to the local chapel to attend a church service in the city of Dimvale in Ashenfled. Soon he would then attack the church goers and kill many of the church goers, who after a day of not coming out of the church would then burst out of the church as shambling flesh eaters. These zombies would begin to attack and infect the city, and only after the Legion of Iron was called in and set fire to the entire city and any even suspected of being infected would the virus end.
Now the cases of the Feeding Madness are low, for only a drop of the concoction or a bite can truly spread the disease, but the instructions for the making of the disease were looted from the mindflyaers lair, and then looted by unknown individuals, meaning the instructions to create the virus are now somewhere in the world, in the hands of unknown people for unknown goals

Cultural Reception

While a terrifying disease, the madness can be cured before someone completely turns with magic that most clerics know, however there are only so many clerics in the world, and so the cites in outskirts of regions that do not have easy access to clerics and other magical healing means are at an increased panic, but due to the fact it hasnt cropped up for a while, many seem to think the virus largely no longer exists

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare