Red Death
Virulent Disease Transmitted by Body Fluids
A strangely aggressive squirrel jumps up and bites you. The next day, you start to feel dizzy. You're running a fever, and you have trouble keeping food or drink down. After three days, you can't get out of bed. You sleep most of the time. Even when you don't, you're having terrifying waking nightmares that make you scream and sweat. What alarms the healers most is that you refuse all food and drink, and you're getting more and more agitated and violent every hour. You start to lash out at loud noises, quick movements, sharp smells. After a week or two, you no longer respond to your name. You don't seem to recognize your family or friends, and you growl at anyone that comes close. You can't talk any more, and you don't seem to understand other people when they talk to you. You eat the solid food they leave--not the soup--but you still won't touch the water. If anyone tries to get close to you, you bite them. You took a chunk out of Steffan's hand yesterday and he's got a nasty fever to show for it. The healer is talking about giving up. Three weeks later, you're so angry and terrified all the time that you can't hold a rational thought in your head. You feel strong, though--strong enough to smash anything that threatens you. All living things threaten you, except the ones that smell afraid, like you. They're okay. All the other ones, though, they want to kill you. You have to kill them first. Or bite them! You don't know why, but you need to bite them! They're bad, but that will make them better. They'll smell like you, then, and they won't scare you anymore.
A strangely aggressive squirrel jumps up and bites you. The next day, you start to feel dizzy. You're running a fever, and you have trouble keeping food or drink down. After three days, you can't get out of bed. You sleep most of the time. Even when you don't, you're having terrifying waking nightmares that make you scream and sweat. What alarms the healers most is that you refuse all food and drink, and you're getting more and more agitated and violent every hour. You start to lash out at loud noises, quick movements, sharp smells. After a week or two, you no longer respond to your name. You don't seem to recognize your family or friends, and you growl at anyone that comes close. You can't talk any more, and you don't seem to understand other people when they talk to you. You eat the solid food they leave--not the soup--but you still won't touch the water. If anyone tries to get close to you, you bite them. You took a chunk out of Steffan's hand yesterday and he's got a nasty fever to show for it. The healer is talking about giving up. Three weeks later, you're so angry and terrified all the time that you can't hold a rational thought in your head. You feel strong, though--strong enough to smash anything that threatens you. All living things threaten you, except the ones that smell afraid, like you. They're okay. All the other ones, though, they want to kill you. You have to kill them first. Or bite them! You don't know why, but you need to bite them! They're bad, but that will make them better. They'll smell like you, then, and they won't scare you anymore.
Affected Groups
The Red Death affects only mammals. It cannot be carried nor transmitted by birds, lizards, fish, or insects, and all magical creatures seem immune to it.
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