Abyssrot
A disease which has long plagued the heroes written of in legends, brave warriors and valiant knights who traveled to the Abyss and challenged the creatures dwelling within, slaying monstrosities that no words could describe their horrendous visages, but what they brought back with them for killing these abominations was not just honor and glory but something far more horrific. Abyssrot is the name given to this scourge of man, when adventurers stray too close to the Abyss or delve within its endless, twisted corridors they may find themselves infected and as it's nigh impossible to detect before it spreads and even more difficult to cure, it is almost always fatal. Tiny creatures known as the Selhenthraphrax, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, coat the bodies of the creatures of the Abyss, gathering primarily around their claws, teeth, horns, spikes or other appendages used to impale or otherwise cut and when a wound is made, they are left behind, burrowing deep into the wound where they will begin to spread and propagate wildly. After exceeding a critical mass, they will begin to rapidly dissolve the flesh of the creature, forming a sludgy, black mass that falls right off the creature exposing their muscles and bones. The dissolving of the flesh originates from the original wound, so it is very likely that the Selhenthraphrax commicate to each other and the message to begin dissolving the host is spread outwards. Once at this stage it is nigh impossible to cure, while one could indeed remove the infected flesh before the Selhenthraphrax finish dissolving through it, it is often too widespread and to do so would leave the creature permanently disformed as it might even require the complete removal of its appendages or organs. The entirety of the process is excruciatingly painful and many victims go through a constant cycle of flickering consciousness as they black out from the severe pain or otherwise grit their teeth as they attempt to fight through the pain, eventually however, if the Selhenthraphrax are not dealt with, the creatures vital organs will eventually be destroyed and they will naturally die. Once dead, the Selhenthraphrax will continue to dissolve the creatures body into nothingness, leaving only the trademark black sludge behind and they will rapidly die off once they have done so. Typical early symptoms are much like a common infection, painful swelling near the injury, constant itch, incomplete healing of the wound, if the wound is shallow, a visible black spot or streak can be seen forming beneath the skin, fatigue and bleeding the wound can reveal yellowed or blacked blood, depending on the time since infection. Curing it requires immediate attention, searing the wound will often kill enough of the Selhenthraphrax to prevent propagation or create a tough enough scar to prevent burrowing, otherwise the body must be subject to near lethal amount of heat, the natural body temperature of most creatures isn't enough to kill them. It is also possible to cure it by ingesting or injecting trace amounts of poison into the body, if done correctly, as the Selhenthraphrax begin to burrow, they may unintentionally ingest or become coated in the poison and due to their size, they die rather quickly.
Type
Parasitic
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