Approved Species Bloodrot

Voitsekh Dragovic · Thursday at 8:10 PM

Objective: To add an interesting ailment to Gaia.
Category: Disease
Image Credit: Generated with ChatGPT, headers and dividers made by Nefadar
Development Thread: N/A
Permissions: N/A

Name: Bloodrot
Aliases: bad blood
Classification: Infection
Population: Uncommon. Outbreaks aren't incredibly common, but when they occur, they have potential to be devastating.
Locations: This disease can be found throughout Gaia, though its presence in certain areas can vary. Trade centers and highly populated areas are more susceptible to outbreaks, due to the concentration of people nearby.
Description: Bloodrot is a vicious, horrific disease that attacks the blood in a human, drawing oxygen from the cells and turning the patient's blood black. One can pick out an infected individual quite easily, as the veins and arteries become quite visibly black (even through the skin) once the infection fully takes hold.

Affected Species: The only species that seems affected by Bloodrot is Man. The Fae seem to be immune, which has led to some believing that they are to blame for the disease.
Transmission: The disease is typically transmitted through bodily fluids. It has even been known to transfer via a person's sweat, making it imperative to not have physical contact with those who are infected.
Progression: The beginnings of the Bad Blood are rather subtle, often starting with slight dizziness, fatigue, and the feeling of being out of breath. Once the incubation period is fully complete, the disease begins to sap oxygen from an individual's blood cells, causing the discoloration seen over time. As time progresses, sepsis sets in, increasing the dizziness and fatigue within the infected individual. At this point, boils begin to appear on the person's body, which if drained, carry greater risk of infecting others. Eventually, the infected person's skin will begin to change color, looking a sickly grey as the black blood in their veins becomes more pronounced. Should they live long enough, the individual will start to experience bouts of delirium, hallucination, and outright madness. It has been determined that this is also due to the large amounts of pain the person is in, for this ailment is indeed quite painful. Eventually, the body and mind will deteriorate to the point of no longer being able to function, leading to the person's death.
Cure: There is no known cure, save for a swift, painless death.
Physical Changes: Noticeably black veins and blood, boils on the body, and increasingly grey skin are all notable physical changes within the infected.
Behavioural Changes: In the most extreme cases, patients suffer from hallucinations and madness.
Societal Perception: When infected with bloodrot, one might receive varying responses from those around them. Some may shy away from the infected for fear of catching the disease, while others might wish to pray over the infected individual, hoping their gods may cure the ailment. Others might disown the infected individual, chalking up their infection to fae trickery, making the patient a bit of a pariah. Overall, it's a mixed bag, heavily depending on which region the infected person lives in.
Origin: In truth, no one truly knows from whence the bloodrot came, only that it did. Some call it the wrath of Theos, others believe it to be a lingering punishment in the wake of the Dominion of Man. Some believe that the Fae are to blame. For all of these theories, however, the origin of this disease is still a mystery.

Lethal. Once the disease has taken root, it is almost always a death sentence.
Infectious. If not quarantined properly, the disease can spread incredibly quickly.

Exclusive Targeting. Bloodrot only affects humans, whereas fae and animals are immune.
Well-known. Due to most people's knowledge of the importance of quarantining the infected, bloodrot rarely spreads further than one city per outbreak.

The origins of bloodrot are unknown, but several varying stories have trickled down through the years. Some say that it is a punishment from the gods, infecting those that deserve a brutal form of divine punishment. Others have theorized that it is some curse inflicted upon humanity by the fae. This is largely due to the fact that the disease does not affect the fae, an unfortunate truth that emboldens these claims. What is known for sure is that bloodrot is an ever-looming threat upon humanity. Only three massive outbreaks have occurred in recent history. The first was in Neustrava, the second in Masrypt, and the third in the Northwest region of the Sea of Enkatas. In each case, the death toll was severe, and it took a long time for each region to recover. Several pogroms against the fae were carried out in the wake of these outbreaks, further purging what little population the fae still had in the infected regions.

Today, people are more aware of the disease's existence, making cities much more prepared in the event of an outbreak. Quarantines are swift, not allowing the bloodrot to spread. Despite this, the disease has managed to endure, taking on an almost mystical reputation across Gaia. This superstitious outlook toward the disease is often seen as the origin for the term "bad blood", giving the phrase "to have bad blood with someone" a much darker undertone. It is a dangerous thing to say, for some believe that even mentioning the disease invites it into your home. While this hasn't been confirmed, the fear of infection remains deeply ingrained in much of humanity's population to this day.