Affliction

What is "the affliction"?

In the narrative, "the affliction" is the term assigned to a strange scourge that manifests as a black/grey splotch, usually around the middle of a victim's torso. It is not a stain or a pest, but a visible sign that the person is afflicted. The splotch may pulsate, grow, shrink, or otherwise slightly migrate. Symptoms of affliction vary and are totally non-uniform. Different people may share same or similar symptoms, but there are no limitations as far as how the affliction may impact its victims. The splotch itself cannot be hidden or washed off. The affliction is not contagious from person to person. A victim is usually afflicted upon being bitten by a "beast", a supernatural creature that acts as a physical vessel the affliction uses to claim victims. "Beasts" can shapeshift to a certain extent, usually taking form as animoid creatures on four legs with different varying body parts. People who have been afflicted are often abandoned/outcast and are generally avoided in public.

Some general symptoms of affliction include:

  • Physical health complications such as fatigue and widespread pain
  • Permanent loss of voice
  • Appearance changes such as whites of eyes turning grey/black, hair going grey or falling out
  • Growths appearing across the body in the form of horns, scales, or spines
  • Visual/auditory hallucinations, nightterrors, and paranoia
  • Burning/electrifying pain when attempting to return to their homes/site of attack
  • Impotence/infertility
  • Identity disturbance
  • Heightened senstivity to sensory stimulation

    • Most victims do not die of the affliction, but some die due to the treatment they receive from others in their communities after becoming afflicted. People who become afflicted will often start their own communities on the outskirts of territories/cities/villages and create a mostly functional society while being outcast. Some victims choose to roam alone, never staying in one place for long as they learn quickly that they are not wanted nor welcome. Some victims develop new skills or abilities as a result of becoming afflicted and are able to make a quaint living selling their crafts/services, but they are still mistreated or abused by the unafflicted.