Horde Sickness

A dragons horde of treasure is its pride, and in some places, its status as well among its kin. They spend their entire lives amassing it, but what happens when that pride becomes overwhelming, and the need to be close to and protect it, supersedes all other functions in life?
Welcome to Horde Sickness.

Causes

The exact cause of Horde Sickness is not truly known. Dragons themselves put a stop to any who attempt to look into the mysteriousness of this affliction, for worry that its true cause may become known to others who might attempt to use it against them. Some believe that the size of the horde can be a contributing factor. Others believe it may be something of the dragons nature that affects the treasure, and is reflected back into the dragons mind.

Symptoms

Stage One

Horde Sickness presents in the early stages as a greater than average lust for treasure, which is part of why it is so deadly. Most dragons are by nature, greedy creatures at heart, so a sudden increase in their desire to gather more is often dismissed as normal, even by other of their kin. By the time it is recognized it is already far to late.

Stage Two

Once the affliction sets in, the dragon will slowly begin to leave its horde less and less. Filth builds up as it refuses to leave even to defecate. The dragon itself begins to wither, its muscles losing their strength as they begin to slowly starve. In some rare cases, they will begin to eat their own treasure. They refuse to allow others to lay eyes on either themselves or their horde, barricading themselves within their lairs. Eventually, the sickness claims the dragons life.

Prevention

One of the main ways dragons choose to attempt to prevent this sickness is in sharing their hordes between their kin. While very rarely seen, members of the same family are occasionally known to trade items between one another, in the belief that acquiring new without gaining anything truly stops the process.

Type

Mental

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Rare

Affected Species

• Dragons