ArmageddonMUD - Zalanthan Illnesses

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Zalanthan Illnesses

Ivory-Salt Sickness

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Boils - Also called furuncles, these are small tender pockets of pus in the skin and underlying tissues that often occur in clusters, which are called a Valas rash in Vrun Driath from the popular belief that Steinal's vile ruler Valasurus was covered in boils. A variety of poultices and salves are used on them, but the most common treatment is to slice open the furuncle to drain the pus collection.

Chest Decay - This ailment has a long and progressive course, but is universally fatal if left untreated for too long a time. Initially, it manifests as a persistent dry cough and mild fevers. These continue for up to years as the afflicted gradually loses weight and becomes increasingly short winded. Eventually, those affected will begin to cough up blood and will die as their breath gives out. In Gol Krathu, this disease is felt to be due to magicks, and a cure advocated by physicians of the region is to place a poultice soaked in whiran blood on the chest of the diseased.

Cilops Kiss - Named so because the initial sores compare to a cilop's bite in appearance. Shortly after they first begin appearing, however, the sores fill with pus and greenish mucus and can swell to the size of a human fist. The skin becomes jaundiced and the nails of the fingers and toes turn a pasty white, with splotches of bluish-purple mottling their surface. If left untreated, the victim will become delirious and will die within a week. The infection is caused by tiny, wormlike creatures that inhabit the spoor of inix and other reptiles. Cilops Kiss can be contagious if the sores burst and the pus comes into contact with another organism. Treatment consists of a mixture of crushed alecost and arato, blended into a soupy paste that the victim then ingests.

Dysentery - Often lasting a week or longer, this bloody diarrhea can be fatal to the vast majority of the Known World's population not obscenely wealthy enough to have access to copious amounts of water. Widely thought to be caused by angry spirits, in Gol Krathu dysentery is called the curse of the Twins, while in several nomadic tribes it is thought to be caused by the restless shades of dishonored ancestors.

Gangrene - Festering wounds, from battle or otherwise and typically on a limb, are a common cause of illness on Zalanthas. Gangrenous wounds turn black and mushy, and are notoriously foul smelling. The corruption spreads to adjacent tissues, and will usually progress to death if unaddressed. Physicians of every part of the Known World have myriad treatments for gangrene, but the only widely known definitive treatment is limb amputation, termed "giving Vychia her due" in Gol Krathu for the legendary ancient physician fabled to have discovered amputation as a life saving measure, one of her many achievements.

Heat Splotch - Skin becomes covered with small, puss-filled boils that are mildly painful. Suspected to be caused by too much dried sweat on the skin. Its treated by cleaning the skin and applying a sap-based salve and covering with a bandage.

Ivory-Salt Sickness - Also called Gambi Sickness for the flies whose bites cause this ailment, Ivory-Salt Sickness is the bane of treasure hunters trying to traverse the Salt Flats for the fabled riches of long lost Steinal. Starting with the bite of a gambi fly, this illness advances rapidly with headaches, blurry vision, tremors, and drowsiness following in a matter of hours and lasting up to days. Only very rarely fatal in itself, the temporarily debilitating symptoms of this disease can be lethally crippling to those trying to cross the perilous expanse of the Salt Flats. It is common for those taking part in a Salt Flats expedition to take particular care to cover every patch of skin to prevent gambi fly bites, and some have been known to carry a pungent smelling sachet intended to ward away the flies, while others drink and eat noxious combinations of food to make their blood unpalatable to the flies.

Kank Fleas - Insects that infest the skin between the first and second layer, causing a severe rash and a painful itching sensations when irritated. The fleas can be caught by anyone that has contact with kanks and similar beasts, though is most common among hunters, raiders and mercenaries due to constant and long periods of contact. It is treated by scrubbing away the first layer of skin, then treating the area with sap from the green leaves common across the known world, and covering with a bandage.

Krath's Touch - A general disorientation or dehydration due to sun exposure. Symptoms include the inability to sweat, dizziness and vertigo, headache, hyperfatigue, nausea or vomiting, and slurred speech. Eating something salty and drinking anything but alcohol in moderation should alleviate this.

Lover's Bleed - Well known to be spread sexually, this affliction manifests as bloody urine, pelvic pain, and a red, itchy rash on the thighs. Those rare few who don't improve over a matter of days will note that their volume of urine gradually decreases over the course of weeks, until they can no longer urinate. After the cessation of urination, the victim grows slowly but progressively confused and then comatose, before inevitably dying. Those in the sex trade often use various fragrant salves applied daily to the genitals to prevent this common disease.

Maar Pox - So called in Gol Krathu because the characteristic pox eruptions that form on the torso and face are yellowish, like the bark of the maar tree. Fevers, malaise, and occasionally blindness - which can be permanent, are associated with this common illness. Frequently fatal, this disease is generally contracted at a young age by all urban races, leaving the survivors with pockmarked faces and bodies for the remainder of their lives. In Vrun Driath, the disease is known as Tuluki Pox, as it is popularly believed that a Tuluki saboteur brought this contagion to Allanak sometime during the 17th Age.

Pepperbelly - A chronically irritable stomach, usually suffered by the Tan Muark due to too many peppers and spicy food.

Raza Raza - This condition is caused by chronic infestation with the small, thin Raza Raza worm. Thousands of the black worms, as thin as wood splinters and sometimes as long as several inches, live in the muscle and fat under the skin. Occasionally, the worms migrate near the surface and can be seen writhing just below the skin, or less frequently, squirming across the eyes of the infected. Affliction with Raza Raza generally isn't fatal, and can be associated with intermittent itching, fevers, and irritation of the eyes (for obvious reasons). This infestation is common among scrub hoppers, and the physicians of the area have a treatment that consists of several days worth of constant skellebain intoxication, as this substance is thought to be toxic to the Raza Raza worm.

Sand Fever - a lot of sweating and lack of appetite that leads to severe weight loss. It has a tendency to be fatal, given its impacts, but only common among the poor. Dehydration and weakness being the main causes for fatality, perhaps due to the high likelihood that there won't be enough water to help recovery and the conditions make it easier to catch other illness. Recovery is possible, but lasting effects could result if it's particularly severe, or if one catches something else damaging.

Sand Fleas - Sand Fleas are much like Kank Fleas, though they strike only the genital area. They are transmitted through sexual contact and sleeping in a contaminated bed or wearing contaminated clothing. They cause itching and blue spots on the skin can sometimes appear. They can be removed by removal of infested hair and something acidic put on the skin.

Sand Rot - An infection of the skin which causes the tissue to decay at an extraordinarily rapid pace. The causes of the infection are unknown, though it is generally a rare condition that is most commonly found amongst the desert tribes. Elves, for some reason, are immune to its effects.

Scrub Fever - A condition which causes the victim to become extremely nauseous and disoriented, followed later by blurred vision, a running nose, and a sore lower jaw. The cause is unknown, but it is common during the third month of the year, possibly due to plant spores. The treatment consists of a strong drink, a moist cloth and several days bedrest.

Slough Skin - Also called Serpentskin or the Snake Curse, this illness manifests initially as patches of dry scaly skin distributed over the body. Over the course of months, this dry skin worsens and begins to flake until skin is peeling off in sheets. Many who contract this highly contagious disease will die from dehydration as their skin sloughs off wholesale and their body weeps its precious moisture into the air. This contagion is common to Vrun Driath, concentrated in Allanak and its nearby villages, and the physicians of the region typically treat it with whole body herbal poultices or herbal hot water baths for those with vast wealth.

Stings - The stings of many Zalanthan insects cause anything from pain to dizziness, hallucinations, and even in some causes, death.

Yellow Plague - Characterized by fever, nausea, and open skin sores on the neck, hands, and feet that drain thick yellow pus, this contagion is found across the Known World in frequent epidemics. From the onset of the oozing sores, those that survive this illness, by far the majority, will convalesce in a matter of weeks. In Allanak, it is commonly believed that this affliction is visited upon those who, through thought or deed, have not been sufficiently grateful to the Highlord Tektolnes for his beneficent protection. Outside of Allanak, typical cures involve imbibing large volumes of scalding, bitter herbal concoctions.

Zagu-La - A person suffering from any number of the symptoms of genital itching, pus filled urine, irritating groin rash, or genital sores is generally said to have Zagu-La. Also called Crotch Rot by the lowest classes, this extraordinarily common affliction is spread sexually, and, some scholars and physicians argue, is likely Zalanthas's most prevalent ailment. There are almost as many treatments to prevent or cure this self limited condition as there are sands in the Red Desert, particularly among those in the sex trade. The measures include various charmed body tattoos, wooden talismans, and in Allanak the practice of eating one rotten fruit a week.

Originally compiled by staff; supplemental material from Asinha.
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