forum What are some MAGICAL diseases in your world?
Started by @Chronicle Beta Tester
tune

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Ellen

This requires some explanation, but I think (operative word) that it'll be worth it. This comes from my fantasy work and takes place in a different world, where there a two large continents in the North East and the South, and the North West is occupied by two larger islands. Humanity had its origins in the South, which then colonized the Eastern Continent. They are now attempting to "civilize" the western continents. The larger, more southward Eastern Continent has some natives that are relatively new to the "global" scene. The smaller, more northward Eastern Continent has been difficult to explore because 1) it's super f*cking cold up there, and 2) the natives are incredibly superstitious and refuse to escort any explorers past the row of mountains that guards the southern coastline against the worst of the winter storms. Around 50 years ago, however, a small team of archeologists managed to make their way past the mountain range and discovered something rather strange: the ruins of villages, temples, houses, and most excitingly, what can only be described as a giant necropolis. The people that currently inhabit the area won't go near the ruins and live in utter squalor compared to the surprisingly modern technology and luxuries discovered inside the ruins. The architectural style of the ruins is completely foreign from the current inhabitants, which is closer to styles from the other Eastern Continent. When they're exploring the necropolis, they find evidence of a highly advanced society, with a language, and alphabet, and a culture that is different from their own but still utterly fascinating. (If the people living in the East are Greek, then the society here is Ancient Greece. It's how they're able to translate the language, etc..) After hearing stories, legends, and warnings from the locals, they theorize that a massive snowstorm must have wiped the population out. However, when they begin to excavate the Necropolis, they discover more and more about the culture and their curious myths. It's only years later that people first become aware of what they call "The Blight." It's a disease that affects magic users who weren't born with a natural ability to use magic (i.e their powers comes from books, learning, or a higher power rather than from nature or from within) and causes their mental state to deteriorate proportionally to how much magic they use. No one knows how/why you get it or where it comes from (hint, it came from the Necropolis) or how to cure it, but it's causing a rift within society. The majority of magic users aren't born with the inward ability, so magic is becoming more and more perilous to use. Monotheists claim that it's a punishment from their god for attempting to usurp his power, while polytheists claim that the blight is a punishment for worshipping another god besides themselves. While the conflict is tearing the more well-established South apart, it's Eastern and Western colonies are having trouble functioning on their own as war breaks out amongst the barbarian tribes of the North West and the origin of the disease threatens to once more haunt the earth.
Boom.

@CharBar

Wow, mine might not be that good, but here we go: Emberon is a flu-like disease in the fire realm of my world. It lasts about 3-4 days, depending how you treat it. Symptoms include spontaneous combustion(feels like a headache throughout your entire body), hot nose bleeds, high fevers, fire sneezes(yes, exactly what is sounds like), and mild blindness. The antidote can be commonly found around the world in a plant called Atrice, and you grind the Artrice into a fine powder and force the victim to drink it with water. However, the disease is not very contagious, but is very difficult and dangerous to deal with if you are not a fire dweller. This is why only fire healers can treat those who have Emberon. Also, the patient is expected to stay in an ice cold bath the entire time they have the sickness. There we go.

@AJMaskell

Not technically a disease, but some people in my world are born without heartbeats, so they're technically dead, but they are still 'alive' in the sense that they do the things normal alive people do, though if they were taken to an our world doctor they'd be proclaimed dead, because they don't have a pulse. And they have the power to take someones heartbeat (killing them) and giving it to someone who is already dead (reviving them). These people are called Heart Whynders and they are feared and segregated against in my world

@Yamatsu

A common disorder/disease for my dragon and wyvern species is an enlarged flame sac. I don't have a scientific name for it yet, but the general gist of it is that it swells shut due to a disease and they can't breathe fire. The fire is caused by an alkali metal like magnesium reacting with air, and it can possibly rupture within the body. This produces a large explosion that will kill the victim, but it can be treated with medicine that reduces swelling. The only thing you can really do is treat the symptoms, stop the swelling and breathe fire often to prevent an explosion. A tell-tale sign of an enlarged flame sac is a glowing spot in the center of their chest, behind their sternum but just below their heart.