The White Death
The White Death is a disease that functions like a virus, but is not confirmed to technically be a virus. It kills rather slowly, and doesn't always kill its host, but it does leave them with permanent scarring for the rest of their life. Without treatment, the only way for an outbreak to stop is for a population to die off faster than they can spread it. It is not certain what exactly causes it, but it is likely that it is not natural in the context of the Nightlight Zone.
Transmission & Vectors
Because this disease is most commonly transmitted through ingestion, it can spread rapidly in a short amount of time. Predators that feed on infected prey can contract the disease without knowing it, and herbivores can contract it through traces instances of the virus living in plants. It can take days for an infected creature to know they have contracted the blight, and when they do they often gain a more social attitude, which inevitably leads to the disease spreading further. While dying typically rids a creature of the White Death, if its body is consumed fast enough, the disease can still worm its way into a new host.
When hosts are alive, they can potentially spread it through skin to skin contact, and spread it even more rapidly if they are a social species. If a creature has newly contracted the virus, they can spread it to other creatures without them knowing it, where they spread it to others, and so forth. If a host has entered the late stage of the disease, other individuals will be tempted to stay away from them, but it won't completely stop the infected from spreading the White Death to new hosts.
Causes
This disease is first spread through a small pod that grows in the ground much like a plant, appearing completely white in color, and glowing a bright pale color. It is unknown what causes these pods to form, but some pieces of evidence can be traced to those that live at the edge of the Nightlight Zone. The pods have an immature state, where they will appear as small masses of plant tissue, that eventually grow to have a fleshy inner cavity reminiscent of Nightlight Pods.
These pods appear to have an ability to sense living beings around it, as if a creature gets close the pod will burst into a white powder, injecting the virus into its first host. If more than one creature is in the blast radius, the pod can infect multiple victims without issue. Afterwards, the pod will slowly wither away, and disappear.
Symptoms
Newly infected hosts will not show symptoms until a long period of time after exposure to the virus. The first symptom is sluggishness that lasts indefinitely until the host dies. The infected individual will notice an apparent lack of energy, which will harm their ability to find food, which leads to increased hunger, as well as a spiraling effect of growing weaker. The next few symptoms involve loss of coloration, and skin flaking, which only worsens as the disease progresses. These symptoms will progress until the creature has completely white skin, and glowing white eyes, even if their eyes did not have bioluminescent properties beforehand.
This next stage of skin flaking is also when the host starts losing its fear of other creatures, even if they are hunted by a predator that regularly feeds on their species. Any host will begin seeking out other creatures to interact with, which can potentially lead to the virus spreading to more hosts from skin-to-skin contact. This effect also increases if the species has an apparent social structure.
The next symptoms involve noticeable scars appearing on the skin, as well as worsened sluggishness and disorientation due to their lack of food intake and increased skin flaking. The skin flakes pile on the seabed, before almost instantly disappearing into the ground. Although infected hosts won't be able to navigate their surroundings as well as they once could, they will still attempt to chase after any other creature they see, yet they will have minimal success due to every other species avoiding them at this stage. After their skin has flaked enough, the virus will either leave the host at once and kill them, or the virus will become so few in numbers that the host will naturally recover. This appears to depend on chance more than anything. If death occurs, the infected specimen will dissolve entirely.
Treatment
There is no direct treatment for the White Death, and the only species to attempt to care for infected individuals are the Cave Stalkers. Several nomadic bands have been observed handling the situation differently. Some bands will have their chief kill the infected individual, much to the dismay of their potential family members. It is apparent that these bands are more afraid of what the disease might do than those who've experienced it. Some bands try to keep the infected inside their own secluded space, giving them more food than usual, and hoping they recover. The bands that allow recovery are thought to be those with pre-learned knowledge of the White Death, as it was experienced by the ancestors of current members, and the stories of recovery were passed on through generations.
Sequela
When a host recovers from the White Death, they will gain the coloration of their skin back, but the scars will remain, and deform several prominent body features. This may or may not affect the creature's ability to survive, depending on which features these are. In the case of the Cave Stalkers, their marks and horns may become completely unrecognizable, and may also result in other Cave Stalkers avoiding them out of fear.
Affected Groups
This disease can infect virtually any creature, except for small sessile creatures such as barnacles, mussels, and urchins. It most often shows itself in recently mature individuals, more so in Cave Stalkers. It is also more likely to start an epidemic in communities of herbivorous creatures that routinely feed on small plants that grow in the seabed, as they often confuse the white pods for food.
Prevention
Not every species is intelligent enough to adequately prevent this disease from spreading, and some will even go after the pods as a result of confusing them for food. Cave Stalkers have their own cautionary stories of the disease that they constantly share with others, which partially leads to the species avoiding anything that glows brightly, including the pods when they are ready to burst.
History
It is probable that the White Death was at large in the Cave Stalker civilization long ago, but there is no distinct evidence for this. The modern hunter-gatherer Cave Stalkers are afraid of the disease, possibly because at least one member of any given nomadic band has experienced what the White Death does to a host. Their cautionary tales have been shared from band to band over long stretches of time, until many today caution each other to look out for the "bright white pods."
Cultural Reception
Cave Stalkers are known do anything to rid their families of the White Death. If an individual has recovered from the disease, it has a good chance of deforming their most recognizable features such as their horns and markings, and other Cave Stalkers may avoid them because they find the scars "creepy." Survivors of the White Death often struggle to grow connections with others in their band from then on, as other individuals became afraid of their appearance and attempt to stay away.
The disease itself is also tied to the Cave Stalkers' mythology. The plague is seen as a punishment for those who have committed wrongdoings in their band, caused by a god named Huqīm. This deity implants the disease in certain individuals, while the rest of the pantheon work to help the individuals heal, as Huqīm is considered to be a morally wrong deity who usually punishes innocent individuals. After the other gods reveal their wrath, Huqīm scurries away and waits for their conflict to die down, before eventually striking again. This cycle repeats endlessly, and the Cave Stalkers themselves have no say in what happens, which also contributes to their fear of the disease.
Hypothetical Origins
While not confirmed, it is theorized that the disease is manually caused by one of the Watchers, and is thought of as a tool for them to solve overpopulation of ecosystems. The ecosystems of the Nightlight Zone often see rapid population booms, mainly due to the growth of the chemosynthetic plants being uncontrolled. The disease would aid in preventing certain areas of being crowded with dead bodies due to ecological collapses, which result from overpopulation. This would explain why the disease takes a long time to kill the infected, in order to give them a chance to spread it to other creatures, and why the infected dissolve upon death.
Type
Supernatural
Origin
Magical
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Rare
Affected Species
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