The Scratch Plague

This plague, whose source was originally traced back to the survivors of monster attacks, it was a disease that began with itchy, red pustules and devolved quickly into debilitation, anaphylaxis, and death. It was a plague that started in adventurer's and quickly transferred to their families, and then to the general populace. And it moved fast, leaving many disabled and bedridden, and plenty more dead.   As it started innocuous, a simple scratch and lead so quickly to death within just a day, the clerics and magical medics of this world were often called too late, taking plenty of the population before they had a chance to intervene or help. Those in the general public dealing with disability instead of death found that the restorative magic they needed were far beyond their price range, and so only the wealthiest were able to access that magic.   Cities were hit the hardest, often wiping out entire slums of people.   The city that housed the monster arena was one impacted by death toll. The clerics of the temple there saw the problem and knew they needed to take action. However, their action was misguided.   Knowing that the disease came from adventurers and spread to the people, they came to the monster conclusion, and sought a means to control monsters, thus protecting the people. Their city was one that creeped across the land, offering refuge to adventurers who sought the monsters that entered their world by portals. While they could always turn away adventurers, restricting access to the city and quaranteeing any who had contact, the temple saw a different solution. They chose to fund the creation of an adventurer base. Outfitting it with dormitories, food, and medical care, they set up a spot directly in the center of the portals, creating a funnel point for anything that were to step into this world.   And then they called for adventurers inviting them to fight in this newly formed arena.   With immediate care on hand, the adventurers were spared from Scratch Plague. The temple had control over quarantine, and the plague was able to subside, becoming rarer and rarer as time went on.