THE WRACK
The Wrack is a deadly, highly contagious disease that causes chills, blistering rashes, severe coughing, fever, delirium and eventual death in the great majority of those infected with it. For an unfortunate few, the Wrack causes the victim to undergo a hideous transformation in body and mind, eventually becoming one of the WrackTouched. Virtually all types of humanoids and many animals are susceptible to the Wrack. As such, it was the great pandemic of the Wrack that wiped out (or transformed) the vast majority of the world ending the Old World and bringing about the New World.
The exact origin of the Wrack is not known. The teachings of the Urdite faith hold that the Wrack was inflicted upon the world by the Divine Mother as punishments for mankind's discretions.
Susceptibility, Resistance & Immunity
As the Old World learned the hard way, the Wrack did not limit itself to just one race. Humans, elves and dwarves all found themselves susceptible to it's effects. Of all the main sentient races, only the skaa found themselves immune. Even many of the beasts of the land fell victim to this horrid disease. Mammals of all types are vulnerable to the Wrack. Birds, fish and amphibians were largely spared the threat of infection, though they fell prey to the huge impact to the food chain the Wrack caused. Certain strains of Wrack did prove to affect reptiles but in general many of these creatures were spared as well. All of these creatures, humanoid and beast, are not only susceptible to the killing effects of the Wrack, but also to its less common mutagenic properties as well. One of the few saving graces of the Wrack was that no flying creatures and very few aquatic creatures were affected by it. This helped to slow it's spread as well as make isolated environments, such as Antal, safer from the spread of the Wrack.
As with all diseases, some people found themselves resistant to the Wrack while a lucky few actually found themselves immune. It is estimated that ~1% of humans and elves are immune to the Wrack and 4% of dwarves. Approximately ten to twenty times those numbers possess at least some level of enhanced resistance to the Wrack.
Stages of the Disease
The Wrack goes through four well documented stages. The first stage, called Infection, starts shortly after a victim is first exposed to the disease and lasts for approximately 24 hours. During this time the victim has yet to show any symptoms and is not even contagious. The disease is starting to take root in the victims body. Only the most Wrack sensitive UrDyr are capable of sensing the disease in Infected individuals.
The second stage is called Phase One Affliction and is first true stage of the disease. From this point forward, the victim is termed 'Afflicted'. The primary symptom of Phase One Wrack affliction is the presence of a fiery red rash. The rash starts in the torso and slowly spreads to the extremities. With Phase One Wrack affliction, only a victim's blood is contagious. Most victims remain in Phase One for approximately one to two weeks. Most UrDyr are capable of detecting the disease in Phase One victims if they get close enough (typically 5-10 feet).
The third stage of the Wrack is called Phase Two Affliction. With Phase Two, the victim's rash first develops into nasty blisters and later open, weeping sores. The pus from the blisters and sores, like the victim's blood, is infectious. This stage of the disease typically lasts one week. Starting in Phase Two, many victims also develop fevers, increasing in severity as they approach Phase Three. Cold chills accompany these fevers. Phase Two (and Three) Wrack affliction can be sensed by UrDyr within 30 or so feet.
The fourth and final stage of the Wrack is Phase Three Affliction. At this point the disease spreads to the victims lungs and mucous membranes. The victims health rapidly deteriorates and he develops a persistent hacking cough. This is the most contagious stage of the Wrack since the victim's cough can spread infection to those close on hand. With the onset of Phase Three, a victim's fevers get increasing strong, affecting their brain and though processes. Phase Three victims suffer cognitive impairment; they have a difficult time making rational decisions and eventually, delirium can set in. Most victims die with a few days of reaching Phase Three. It is in this stage that the mutagenic properties of the Wrack can present itself. Roughly 5% of victims in Phase Three will undergo a horrible transformation eventually becoming WrackTouched. This transformation can take anywhere from one day to a full week depending upon the type of WrachTouched the victim is transforming into. Only about one half of victims survive the transformation. Those that don't survive, die in tremendous pain, their bodies a twisted wreck.
Treatments
The best treatment for the Wrack is caution and luck, in other words never being exposed. If a creature is unfortunate enough to be exposed, cleaning and flushing the exposure site with diluted Tears of Urda (1 part Tears to 200 parts water) will increase the victims chance of resisting Infection. Diluted Tears of Urda can also be used to cleanse surfaces and items that have been exposed to infectious fluids. Once Tears have been added to water, they remain effective for approximately 3 days. Storing the diluted Tears in a consecrated vessel can significantly extend this duration.
If a victim does end up becoming Infected hope is not yet lost. Imbibing a vial of undiluted Tears can grant them a chance of killing off the disease before they become Afflicted. A Remove Disease spell has even a greater chance of purging the disease before the start of Phase One.
Though there are rumors that the Matriarch can purge any victim of the Wrack, Afflicted (Stage Two through Four) victims can really only hope for a quick and merciful death. There is no known cure for a victim Afflicted by the Wrack.
WRACKTOUCHED
Perhaps the most horrible trait of the Wrack is not its near 100% fatality rate or highly contagious nature, it is the disease's ability to physically and mentally transform some of its victims into gruesome monsters. The creatures that are the end result of these transformations are called WrackTouched. As a general rule, one out of every hundred victims of the Wrack go on to become WrackTouched.
Any victim of the Wrack, be it human, elf or even animal, can potentially be transformed into a WrackTouched monstrosity. There is huge variance in they exact type of transformation that victims of the Wrack can suffer. Even two creatures of the exact same type can be transmuted into very different WrackTouched. Despite the huge variety of WrackTouched, there are a number of generally accepted categories WrackTouched fall into. These are detailed below. All WrackTouched share certain common characteristics as follows:
Infectious - All WrackTouched carry the disease that created them within their bodies. Exposure to any of the bodily fluids (blood, saliva, venom, etc.) of a WrackTouched results in exposure to the disease. Some WrackTouched are particularly infectious and exposure to their infected fluids have a greater than average chance of resulting in Infection.
Wrack Immunity - Since they were created by exposure to the Wrack, WrackTouched beings are immune to the deadly effects of the Wrack. Simply put, they are immune to, but carriers of the disease.
Daylight Sensitivity - All WrackTouched are sensitive to daylight. Exposure to daylight can cause anything from severe discomfort to actual lethal damage depending on the type of WrackTouched. Due to this reason, all WrackTouched tend to avoid being out in the open during the day, except overcast conditions.
Silver Vulnerability - All WrackTouched creatures are vulnerable, to one degree or another, to silver. Silvered weapons cause WrackTouched additional damage and can also bypass the damage reduction of more powerful WrackTouched creatures.
Beast
Beasts are animals that have been infected and transmuted by the Wrack. There are many types of Beasts, some unique and others plentiful. Beasts, in general, resemble the base creature to lesser or greater degree. In a few cases, a Beast may look like a cross between two different base creatures but with very prominent features of the base creatures still appearing in the new, WrackTouched form. Beasts possess animal levels of intelligence and cunning. Most Beasts spawn new Beasts through traditional mating methods while some can only spawn by infecting other creatures with the Wrack.
BeastMan
BeastMan is the generic name given to a humanoid WrackTouched that has maintained some semblance of civilization. BeastMen are largely considered primitive and brutally violent. BeastMen are capable of procreating among themselves and are thus typically found in significant numbers.
Chimera
The Chimera are WrackTouched creatures, typically unique, that bear little to no resemblance to their original natural forms. They are, individually, the most powerful of the WrackTouched. Chimera combine traits of many different creatures into one horrid form. Though many Chimera possess only animal levels of intelligence, a few have been known to be as smart or smarter than the average human. Even these intelligent Chimera, however, tend to be live alone or in very small groups. Chimera typically cannot reproduce through standard methods though some are capable of creating spawn through infection.
Goblyn
The term Goblyns refers to small humanoid WrackTouched. Most Goblyns are BeastMen but some are small Trolls.
Troll
Trolls are humanoid WrackTouched that, unlike BeastMen, retain little intellect or sense of civilization. They maintain a certain level of cunning and base sentience that puts then a step above, mentally, Beasts and most Chimera. Like Chimera and unlike BeastMen, Trolls typically are unable to breed and must rely on infection to increase their numbers.
Vermin
Vermin are small WrackTouched animals that individually are not very dangerous except for the fact that they carry the taint of the Wrack with them. Though the danger presented by BeastMen, Beasts, Trolls and certainly Chimera is more tangible, the threat of Vermin sneaking their way into the few bastions of Ren-kind and touching off a Wrack epidemic is enough to cause anyone sleepless nights. Vermin are pack creatures and most are found in numbers of a dozen or more.
