Green Sun Wasting

This disease, sometimes called Scalp-Shed Tonsure, is a supernatural infection without a natural vector. Only Malfeas Charms may impose this deliberate and wholly unnecessary form of suffering on the world. See diseases for basic rules on infections. Green Sun Wasting follows these rules except as stated.

Virulence: As listed for the Charm causing the infection. Most causes of Green Sun Wasting are perfectly virulent in that the victim receives no roll to avoid infection and must overcome it through treatment or his own immune system.

Morbidity/Treated Morbidity: These both begin at the Essence rating of the malady's source rather than 1 like mundane infections, but continue to increase each day normally.

Symptoms and Duration: The first stages of infection appear like extreme sunburn, itchy but hardly unbearable. Within an hour, hot sores appear around the wound, and the victim's hair begins to fall out in small clumps. The sores rapidly worsen into cancerous boils and pulsating sarcomas that reduce the victim's effective Appearance by one dot per day until cured (as far as to Appearance 0). As the infection progresses, organs necrotize and liquefy as a bloody slurry defecated along with actual wastes. This illness is among the most painful and grotesque ways a person can die. Natural animals will not attempt to scavenge the remains of any being killed by Green Sun Wasting, though demons descended from Malfeas find such meat delectable.

Treatment: Green Sun Wasting is often a death sentence for those without access to magical healing. The rare medicines needed for treatment regimens increase the Resource cost to four dots per treatment and five for the difficulty to gather the ingredients with Survival.

Special: This sickness can infect spirits and Fair Folk as if they were Exalted. All victims accrue a penalty of -1 per hour from growing discomfort, to a maximum of -4. Once mortals actually begin to die, they are at -8 instead. A far deadlier version of Green Sun Wasting also exists called Final Viridescence. This malady affects Exalted and other supernatural beings as if they were mortals. Unlike its lesser counterpart, Final Viridescence can't be treated with mortal medicine alone, though sufficiently tough Exalted may still throw off the infection through their own supernatural constitutions.