Creep Rot
"Nature" gone wild. Zombie-like victims. A region of rot.
The outpost didn't take kindly to those attempting to leave the island. She'd avoided the worst of it herself but one of her companions had started coughing the day prior. They had a hole for people who started coughing. They didn't usually come back out.
Creep Rot is a fungal condition that is transmitted by touch, air or the consumption of infected materials. By far the most dangerous source are fungal shamblers - dead bodies that have been reanimated and puppeted by the fungus. Attacks from these creatures are likely to cause rapid infection and disposing of their remains is difficult.
Symptoms
Creep Rot initially resides in the lungs due to the warm, wet environment. Victims become short of breath and lethargic. After a couple of days, victims will start coughing up fluids of the same colour as the fungus originally infecting them. If the victim has not managed to naturally fend off the condition, or has not been cured magically, they move into the second stage of the disease after a total of around five days. This is almost universally fatal. Victims at this stage seek warm environments; if left to their own devices they will usually lock themselves indoors, light a fire and wrap themselves up. Lesions and rashes appear on their skin as the creep spreads through their body.
The victim will usually have one last burst of frenzied activity as the fungus aims to spread itself further. They become irrationally violent for a few hours before they expire and become a new shambler.
Treatment
As Creep Rot is caused by a magical fungus, it is difficult to treat. Cure disease magic or potions are effective but there are few natural remedies that may aid a victim. Due to a desire for warmth, the creep is held at bay by the cold. A victim kept in sub-zero temperatures will find it easier to resist the progression of the disease. However, being kept this cold may harm the victim as well.
History
Creep rot was a rare condition for many hundreds of years until it was weaponised by a fanatical druidic circle and used to destroy Grand Virrick. Since then, the creep has a large enough foothold in the world to resist attempts at destruction and has begun mutating new forms. Most victims are adventurers who have journeyed within this region in the hopes of finding lost treasures but instead succumb to the condition, potentially spreading it further into the world.
Creep Rot
The creature slowly becomes infested and controlled by a magical, parasitic fungus. They must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw each day, gaining a level of exhaustion on a failure. They are cured of this disease if they succeed two days in a row and have advantage on this saving throw if they are kept at a temperature below freezing.
A creature that dies while suffering from this disease rises as a creep shambler, unless they are below freezing at the time of death.
Wisdom (Medicine) checks:
10 - "I recognise that this is a fungal condition based in the lungs."
15 - "I know that this is creep rot. Cold helps resist the effects."
20 - "I know all about creep rot."
Summer Camp 2021
Article Links
Bonepicker, Chazbar, Church of Thirasmus, Creep Rot, Derrick & Sons Lumber Company, Domesticated Hippopotamus, Eldrin Sarsatra, Elf, Frost, The Eye that Blinks, The Fabricators, The First Mast, Geganna Salt, Great Arctic Tern, The Great Vortex, Heston Lockheart, Human, Khijian, Katakan, The Last Rebellion, Liberty, Lions of Dun, Magister, Mechanical Grafts, The Mercy House, Mt. Sang, Rubyfall, The Sapient Crown, Seeds from the Sky, Sin, Stockade, Thir Met, The Threat of Endless Fires, Truthscribe Quill
This was an article originally written as part of the 2021 Summer Camp challenge. I have edited the article since then, so what appears on this page no longer reflects the original competition entry. - Theoclymenus
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