The Diseased Ones

I was just makin' my rounds when a figure started walkin' towards the town wall. They looked all sick and raggedy so I called out and asked if they needed help. They didn't hear I think so I wandered down and went to th' gate. 
Then they began bangin' and hollerin' at the doors, just gibberish. I went and opened th' slot to ask them again if they were in need o' help and they jammed their fingers in it - 'twas missin' two fingers and the stumps were all rotten and covered in sand. I realized they were one of those things and had the other guard on duty shoot them 'til they died. No undead in my town on my watch!

— an Entilan guard regarding an incident with a Diseased One

Anything dead that comes out of the Vishe Steppes or the nearby deserts is probably carrying the plague, or so the saying goes. Most would assume this refers to dead bodies found at the region's edge or carried out. The truth is that the Vitlesh often decide to dispose of their plague-ridden undead in an unorthodox way. And thus are born the Diseased Ones, the terrible monstrosities that ravage the arid landscape of central Vesrae.

Sanctified Mistake...

The Vitlesh raise all of their dead as a general rule, believing that the dead and the living are two ends of a spectrum. However, those who have died of contagious diseases are usually disposed of promptly with fire. This is because sickness to the Vitlesh is a terrible omen, the wrath of Inke hastening sparks of life to their premature end.
Occasionally, though, there might be a case of mistaken identity, or a family might raise a recently-deceased family member who died of an illness in order to avoid shame. In any case, the necromantic magic used to raise these dead preserve their contagions as well. Because of the threat to the living, this class of ashekzik are called Diseased Ones.

...Or Biological Weapon?

A Diseased One who is discovered in a town is immediately ordered to leave and never return. They then wander the wastes until something eats or destroys it, as the necromantic magic prevents the body from dying easily. This is usually how most non-Vitlesh encounter them; a lone figure wanders into a village and brings death to all it touches.
There are stories of the Vitlesh using Diseased Ones on purpose to infect enemy armies. The Rotpriests of the Congregation of Inke consider the practice abominable, but some army captains see it as a legitimate albeit risky strategy. The siege of Atankor and the death of the Clan Mosinar Lizardkin to the Blue-Wound Plague is one such incident.

CW: disease, death, undead, body horror, mutilation, blood, gore (text and images), war crimes (mentions).

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Smoothkin

Geographic Distribution

• Desert of Haltar
• Vishe Steppes
• Vitinji Desert

Related Organizations

• Congregation of Inke

Size

Similar to Smoothkin

Tell-Tale (Dead) Heart

The Vitlesh make an art of making their undead as lifelike as possible, so Diseased Ones are often mistaken for living Vitlesh Smoothkin. However, there are a few common clues:

• Their "disease" continues to ravage the body after death, so pustules, rashes, wounds and other symptoms are still present, sometimes abnormally so.
• Like other ashekzik undead created by the Vitlesh, Diseased Ones do not have the capacity for complex speech. The most they'll be able to say are phrases like "Yes," "No," "I don't understand" or "Of course." Many can't even manage that, resorting to grunts and pointing.
• The Vitlesh occasionally leave some kind of sign or tattoo on Diseased Ones to warn against contact. The example to the left, for instance, has a sign hanging from its neck reading "DO NOT APPROACH."

All images in this article were created by me, EmperorCharlesII, unless otherwise credited.