Spore Fever

Spore Fever
Metaphysical Disease
DC: 12
Progression
Pestilence: 0
The spores are cleansed from your system.
Effect: You are cured.
Pestilence: 1 - 2
Your skin becomes hot and itches painfully.
Effect: Pain(1)
Pestilence: 3 - 4
The pain increases and you break out in a fever as madness fills your mind.
Effect: Pain(2), Confused
Pestilence: 5 - 6 Contagious
Your flesh begins to rot but the pain completely subsides leaving only intense fever and delirium.
Effect: Insane
Contagious: Any creature that takes an extended rest within 30ft of the infected is exposed (1 Pestilence, Exposure DC 15)
Pestilence: 7+
The Infection completly transforms your mind and body. You are now but a slave to the will of the Queen.
Effect: You effectively die and become a Spore Slave, if possible.
Immunity: After recovery, a creature is immune to Spore Fever for a month.
"I've seen men face down dragons without flinching, but Spore Fever... it’s a terror that turns the bravest soul to whimpering despair. The screams of the damned have nothing on the cries of a man as the spores take hold, turning his own mind and flesh against him."
——Captain Eldric Thornwood, survivor of the Gloomroot Expedition

Description

Spore Fever is a sinister disease that binds its victims to the will of creatures known as Spore Queens through a combination of fungal infection and metaphysical manipulation. Initially, the infection causes itching and a growing madness as the spores intertwine with the victim's nervous system. The victim’s skin begins to rot, giving off an earthy, decaying odor, while their eyes take on a haunted, vacant expression. As the disease progresses into its final stage, the victim is transformed into a Spore Slave, a zombie-like creature under the control of the Spore Queen whose spores initiated the infection. Each Spore Queen produces slightly different spores, resulting in various strains of the disease, and their creations are fiercely loyal only to them. The Spore Queens use their Spore Slaves to protect their territories and engage in brutal skirmishes with other Spore Queens and their enslaved armies. The disease bears a Telepathic aura, as the spores seem to possess a rudimentary psychic connection to the Spore Queen, creating an unbreakable bond between the hive and the host.

Typical Exposure

Spore Fever is primarily contracted through inhalation or contact with infectious fungal spores. These spores are most commonly found clinging to the skin of Spore Slaves and individuals in the latter stages of the infection. The Spore Queens themselves are the origin of these spores and constantly release them into the air in their vicinity, making the area surrounding a Spore Queen a high-risk zone for infection. The spores also have a predilection for dead organic matter and can frequently be found thriving on corpses, especially in damp, subterranean environments. Those who traverse caves or come into contact with the dead in areas where Spore Queens are known to dwell must take extreme caution. Sometimes in wars between Spore Queens, the air can become thick with a mix of spores from different queens, causing a particularly virulent and unpredictable form of the infection.