Kaskor's Lung

The infection is not transmissible between living beings for the majority of the fungus' lifespan. The only way to get infected is to have a spore enter the lungs. Once inhaled, the spore can lie ormant for up to a week or two before it takes root in the body. After it completes its life cycle inside the lungs, it releases a handful of spores, often coughed out by the victim. These spores again can lie dormant for years before being inhaled and taking root.

The most common symptoms are a heavy cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, internal bleeding, dizziness, chest and back pain. Most people also experience some degree of hallucinations or psychosis, and often develop mental disorders that can remain indefinitely. Some rarer symptoms include bruising on the chest and back, bloody stools, liver failure, and osteoporosis. A few more serious cases have also reported destruction of the nose and tongue, as the fungus seems to eat away at these particular sites, eventually resulting in necrosis of the flesh and requiring surgical removal if left untreated.

It is very difficult to treat. Most healers will first light some incense or burn certain medicines for the infected person to inhale in attempt to kill the fungus. Certain potions or elixirs can be taken, but typically the infection dies out after sporing. In this stage, it is crucial that the infected person is isolated, or that no one else breathes in their released spores. Once they stop coughing, the area around them can be disinfected with strong fungicides (that aren't safe for ingestion/inhalation).

The spores can lie dormant for up to a couple of weeks, and during this time they may still be transmitted to others, however unlikely that is. When it takes root, it does so in a matter of days, often inducing coughing or inflammation as it infects the lungs. The infection can last for several more days with the symptoms intensifying as the fungus rapidly matures. In about a week, spores are ready to be released, creating the most painful stage. During the couple of days that the spores are being released, the infected person's cough turns violent, if it hasn't already, and they are at their most contagious. The spores are released in their expulsions, and either go dormant on a nearby surface or infect another pair or lungs, ideally, although kaskor fungus can flourish in any dark, wet environment. After infection, however, the victim is not yet safe. The fungus does terrible damage to its host body, and after their coughing spells cease is when the infected person notices their symptoms of liver/kidney failure or osteoporosis. If they were one of the people who experienced hallucinations or other psychotic symptoms, those may remain, as the dying fungus still has left traces in their body.

Sequela

A few long-lasting conditions can result from infection. Typically, some form of psychosis may remain if one's infection had infected the brain for long enough. Otherwise, bones may have weakened and organs may have failed. In a few rare cases, the respiratory system itself may have been corroded, with parts destroyed and rotted.

Anything warm, dark, and wet could potentially play host to the fungus, although it does seem to prefer places with good air flow. Lungs of any creature provide a good home, and are probably the most common home due to how they can breathe in spores on the breeze. However, kaskor fungus has been found in some cave networks or in deep, underground air pockets.

The best methods of protection include covering the mouth and nose with a thick cloth and disturbing the soil of areas known to be infected as little as possible. Immunity is not possible with this infection, and so everyone is susceptible, although breathing through the nose instead of the mouth is said to be good--a troubling task for tired travelers, however one that can greatly protect against the spores.