Outbreaks: Oð 635 DR.

Outbreaks of the Bleeding Plague occur regularly within areas where it has surfaced in the past. It manifests as a result of harvesting pale white mushrooms (i.e., sēçāe dris çre¹) that are visually similar to edible varieties. Hours after harvesting, victims are stricken with respiratory problems followed by coughing and sneezing fine mists of blood from the mouth and nose. Disturbed airborne spores are covered in microscopic barbs that slice through pulmonary tissues. Eventually, the spores make it into the bloodstream where they continue to wreak havoc. The plague’s final stage involves the body erupting into bloody fissures. Those that survive the Fissuring are left with hideous scarring.

Release of the spores generally occurs in one or two ways. The first occurs during harvesting. When the mushrooms are disturbed, they release clouds of invisible spores that are inhaled. The second form of release is weather. If strong hurricane-strength winds follow the emergence of the mushrooms, the spores can be distributed across a wide area. This usually doesn’t result in inhalation, but it does promote more mushroom growth when the when the ideal conditions once again coincide.

¹ Ref. Ubbàsān Teréðori