Leather Disease

Written by Lokrow

Leather disease is actually a degenerative skin disorder unique to orcs. It is developped with age and any orc living on the surface of Golarion for long enough might develop it. In fact, rare are the orcs who die of natural causes without developping even early signs of the disorder.
It is called such as it render the skin of orcs tough and stiff like the leather armour they craft. It is in fact more of a disorder which develops in old age as the orcs' metabolism slows, allowing natural environmental reactions to take over and damage their skin cells.

Content Warning This article contains mention of self-harm and suicide

Causes

The condition is caused mainly by prolonged exposure to natural sunlight and is facilitated by old age. It only occurs among orcs as they have never actually evolved biological mechanisms to guard against the harmful effects of sunlight.
The rays of the sun will interact with the proteins in the skin of orcs. Normally, the fast speed of cellular regeneration in younger orcs is enough to offset this reaction. However, in older orcs for whom this mechanism slows down, it ends up spreading across the exposed skin and eventually the whole surface of the body.

Symptoms

The early symptoms are a permanent toughening and stiffening of patches of skin which are recurringly exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods of time. The skin may feel taut and hair loss may occur over the affected areas. The point at which it is most often noticed is when the skin around joints is affected, as the stiffening of the skin inhibits the movement of the joints. The spread continues in both the surface area covered and the depth of the skin layers affected. Typically, the hands and feet are the last to be affected as orcs most often have them covered by gloves/gauntlets and boots. The rate of the spread can range from a month to a short decade before the whole body is affected depending on environmental factors.
In the very ultimate stages preceding death, the affected orc's entire body is stiff to the point of paralysis even as their muscles are still very much responsive. Even then normal bodily functions such as feeding and excretion can still take place with both accomodations and complications. It is extremely rare for an orc to reach this stage.

Treatment

While there is no cure to Leather Disease and its process cannot be reversed once the early symptoms are identifiable, the spread can be slowed if managed. Simply shielding the orc's skin from sunlight slows the rate of spread to a crawl and makes it possible for affected orcs to live for years before the disorder causes full-body paralysis.
In some settlements, the tegacy orcs who become affected take to cutting slits into the affected skin around the joints in order to increase mobility. This is but a mild and temporary increase as the build up of scar tissue this causes quickly reproduces the same effect as the disorder itself.

Affected Groups

Leather Disease affects most orcs who are exposed to sunlight for prolonged time. However, the length and intensity of the exposure, as well as the age and overall health of a given orc are all factors which facilitate the appearance of the first symptoms.
This makes Seed Clan populations more likely to develop it young. However all orcs who live on the surface tend to develop at least patches of stiffened skin late in their lives.
However, green seed orcs find themselves immune to the developping it as they form a symbiosis with cyanobacteria or other chlorophyllic lifeforms whilst incubating in a mound located near such vegetation. That symbiosis absorbs much of the radiation from the sun such that the required exposure to solar radiation to develop symptoms is far longer than their own lifespan.

Prevention

Similar to the treatment, the only way to prevent it is to shield one's body from the sun. Fortunately, the orcs' body painting traditions as well as their natural tendencies to cover themselves in mud on hot days provides some protection, however inadvertent.
However this is very uncommon amongst younger orcs as Leather Disease is not known to be caused by life-long sunlight exposure. Rather it is thought to be purely related to age.

History

The first cases of the disorder can only be traced back to when orcs first became acquainted with sunlight, in -4294 AR. The orcs though vulnerable to the sun's radiation had evolved a fast metabolism and especially a fast cellular regeneration speed. This mechanism, which was selected for through the high pressure of constant conflict with enemies both in the Darklands and on the surface, reduced the harmful effects of sunlight exposure greatly.
Therefore, in spite of the disorder's commonality, it has a relatively low impact on the orcish lifestyle and does not in and of itself provide sufficient pressure for orcs to naturally select for traits that could mitigate the disorder's effects. All things considered, it is rare to meet orcs who are significantly disabled due to the disorder as most orcs die of unrelated causes much earlier than when the first symptoms can develop. Mostly in combat.

Cultural Reception

In most clans, Leather Disease is recognised as a fact of orcish life. Clans have different and varied ways to respond to an individual being diagnosed with Leather Disease. However, there are notable widespread cultural practices which affected orcs and their clans will partake in.

Accomodated in legacy clans

Due to the nature of their sedentary lifestyle, legacy orcs tend to spend more time indoors than seed orcs do. They also can accomodate affected orcs better than the nomadic and raiding lifestyle of seed clans can.
Most often, when a seed orc's mobility is affected by the disorder, they will be admitted into a legacy clan nearby. Which clan will admit them depends on diplomatic relationships between clans. They will be cared for by the clan until their death comes. On account of the restricted mobility the symptoms cause, most orcish settlements either lack stairs or have had their staircases reshaped into slopes whenever possible. This occurs as even though there are few orcs living long enough to become significantly disabled, blindness, deafness and battle injuries of all kinds are also common factors that orcs account for in their settlements. And it can be a common site to see affected orcs going about their day in wheelchairs or other mobility aids.
A particularly notable example is the Knowing Orcs of Urgir who may admit orcs who have been rendered unable to fight due to the disorder or a different condition. Whilst the Knowing Orcs will only admit particularly wise orcs to the council, Urgir will admit and care for any orc who is unable to fight.

Death in combat

By far the biggest reason for there not being many orcs living in advanced stages of leather disease. In reaction to the early symptoms, it is likely that the individual orc will fight in raids with increased ferocity. This is probably due to the interplay of the increased resistance to their movements along with them viewing the symptoms as signs that their natural end is nigh.
The increased ferocity in battle is likely to make the orc a priority target by their opponent and it is common for them to die like this before the symptoms can develop to being significantly impactful.

Suicide by symbolical combat

In the event that an orc doesn't die in combat or of other causes and lives with the progressing skin disorder, they will likely engage in so-called symbolical combat. This is combining both their beliefs of natural end with their respect for fighters.
Whilst a mostly paralysed orc cannot fight, they can still grip their weapon. As orcs refuse to attack unarmed or otherwise passive individuals, this gestures signals the affected orc's readiness to enter a symbolic duel with an orc far more fit to fight. This may be confirmed with additional communication but most often the gesture itself is all that needs communicating. The outcome of this declaration is that they will be killed swiftly and painlessly by a younger orc, often one close to them.
This is taken very seriously by orcs and duly respected. Though it is dubbed "combat", they make no pretense of combat exchange and instead quickly conduct the act with little ceremony. To pretend for there to be a fight or trading blows could be risking the ire of the clan or surrounding orcs and indeed, death in return for disrespecting an orc's natural end.

Type

Physiological

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Common

Affected Species

• Orcs