Vampirism

The oldest artificial disease in existence, vampirism is wrapped in such heavy lore and myth that separating fact from fiction can sometimes be all but impossible. Many common assumptions about vampirism have led to everything from accidental spreading of the disease to incidences like the "fang raids" in Alban in the 3290's. Making a labyrinthine issue even more perplexing is the simultaneous romanticism that is interwoven with the fear and disgust. Many times the inflicted have sought out the disease, believing in optimistic fairy tales that were doomed to fail.   Being so old, vampirism has a complex history in the greater world. Even before the understanding of the microbial realm, people had sought ways to use, modify, and control the disease. Others wished to "perfect" the condition, eradicating the weakness commonly associated with the disease while harnessing the perceived benefits. Most of these resulted in off-shoots of vampirism. While most are lost to history, some do still exist in small numbers or isolated regions.   "True Vampirism", Arcax Safilio Major, is the oldest known strain of vampirism. Close inspection of the virus shows traits that are non-existent in nature, resulting in the belief that it is artificial in origin. Though this is largely speculation, the theory seems to hold true. Without knowing much about it's creation, it has proven to difficult to cure those inflicted. The single available cure kills the patients immune system, leaving them with a life in constant danger of microbes. A true understanding of vampirism is still many decades, in the least, away.  

Symptoms and Progression

Patients often go through four stages of the virus as they undergo the physical changes associated with the condition.  

Stage 1

Days 3-5
Nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. The virus begins to alter the gastrointestinal tract for consumption of blood and foreign materials as well as beginning to replace the immune system. The body temperature often begins to lower slightly as the brain becomes host to the virus.  

Stage 2

Days 5-10
Migraines, internal bleeding, sensitivity to temperature and textures. At this stage, the stomach is fully altered, often leading to the ending of the vomiting. The last day of vomiting, blood is often mixed with the bile. The virus has begun to destroy the previous immune system cells and alters the hosts immune response entirely. New immune cells, called SHI Cells (Sapphilio Hyper Immunce Cells) begin to populate the body. If the host has a pre-existing infection, they may succumb to said condition before enough SHI cells have been produced to fight off the infection. Additionally, SHI cells tend to attack cells not infected with vampirism, resulting in the internal bleeding.   The nervous system begins to be rewired and changes began to take root in the muscle fibers and bones. It is possible for undernourished hosts to starve to death due to these rapid changes to their body. In the final parts of the stage, the canines will come out as new fangs develop.  

Stage 3

Days 10-20
Hypotension, hallucinations, coma. As the virus enters the third stage, the body often falls unconscious due to the extreme changes being forced on it. Those that remain conscious will often begin experiencing hallucinations. Audio-visual hallucinations are common, but most of the sense can be affected, causing strange tastes and smells to be experienced and "ghost touches". The virus will now begin consuming uninfected blood inside the host. If there is too much pure blood in the host, this can cause extremely low blood-pressure.   At this stage, the host can begin safely consuming blood, and will begin recovering from the transformations if this happens.  

Final Stage

Days 20+
Hematophagy, hypersensitivity, UV allergies. If the victim is awake at this point, they will begin to experienced true vampirism. The virus is finishing the changes to their nervous system and muscular-skeletal systems. In this final stages, the virus will alter the brain of the host, creating a predator behavior that will allow easier hunting. While still capable of consuming food and water, they will no longer be able to use it to sustain life.  

Changes and Pathophysiology

A host who has completely undergone the transformations of the virus is known as a Vampire or Safia. The host will have undergone several changes in their body, many seemingly positive, many not. As an arcane disease, the full effects are not fully known or understood.

• The host's muscles are often stronger, with more fibers present and the tone of the fibers much more defined. This is not limited to skeletal muscles, but cardiac and smooth muscles as well, even ones no longer used. In addition, the host is able to willfully surpass the bodies built-in regulatory system to push the muscles beyond their safe limits.
• Organs that are not needed by the virus are shut down. The heart is the most widely known, as the virus seems to push blood via arcane circulation at a faster rate than the heart did before. While vampires do not have pulses, one can feel the blood moving under the skin when feeling for a pulse. Not all organs are fully shut down, but many are. With practice, a vampire can willfully reanimate organs no longer functioning (such as the heart), but this is a difficult task. Contrary to popular belief, a vampire's reproductive organs are shut down.
• The stomach and intestines are altered to digest blood. New receptors are found in the vampires stomach that seem to use arcane methods to draw energy out of the blood through the GI tract. The stomach itself can break down most foreign material more effectively. Waste material is primarily either breathed out or vomited up, if the body cannot use it.
• The virus stores excess energy within the shut down organs, this excess energy is used to quickly regenerate wounds automatically. The regeneration is incredibly powerful and can even restore lost limbs, but requires massive amounts of energy.
• Long, sharp canines replace the old canines. The gums have additional muscles develop that can retract the fangs when not feeding.
• All senses are seemingly heightened. While not as well developed as many believe, it is still a significant boost. In addition, the eyes will develop a reflective membrane often seen in nocturnal hunters.
• The body does not seem to need a sleep cycle anymore. A voluntary meditative state can be induced, akin to sleeping.
• SHI Cells are able to eradicate most infections rapidly, before any symptoms appear. In addition, harmful chemicals can quickly be expelled from the body by these same cells.
• Changes to various organs give greater balance and agility. The brain is able to process visual information faster, giving faster visual reaction speeds.
• SHI Cells react to UV light by releasing energy into the body. Excess UV light, such as that experienced in normal day-time, will cause rapid release of energy, burning the body from the inside. Prior to the burning effect, the excess energy is automatically utilized by the muscles to further enhanced the already powerful body.
• The virus is fed from energy converted from blood only. The average vampire needs about four quarts in a week, more when damaged. The blood does not need to be of the same species, despite the hunting instincts pushing it vampire to hunt their species, but it does require mammal blood.
• Hyperallergic reactions to various plants of the Allium family. The body reacts the same as with SHI, but often more localized.
• If consuming blood of another vampire, the SHI cells will actively attack one another. This will cause illness and even potentially death in the vampire.

Simplification:
The Vampire will become stronger, faster, and quick to heal with acute sense. Immortality and near immunity to other diseases at the cost of needing to drain sources, often to death, of blood, and becoming deathly allergic to the sun and some species.  

Research and Treatment

Thousands of years of research has gone into curing those infected with the virus. Nothing had come until 3312, when the Borall Shot was created in Vigrent. The Allium derived mixture was able to weaken the virus without causing it to release energy in it's normal reaction. When combined with powerful antiviral medication, the host can have the virus removed from their bodies.   After use of the Borall Shot, the patient must undergo years of surgical, arcane, and medical treatments to get their bodies as close to a pre-infection state as possible. Even when successfully treated, normal life can not be obtained, as the physical changs caused to the body cannot be fully undone. Most successfully treated patients move to, and live in, special facilities designed to give them as normal of a life as possible.   Another cure was created from the Borall Shot in Alanosa. The Borall-Douhv Shot can be more effective than the Borall Shot alone, and can immunize those that are capable of receiving the shot. Unfortunately, only certain vegetians with matching golden genes are able to successfully receive the vaccine. Research is still in the early days, but it's believed that a true, universal vaccine can be created from this.