Demon's Touch

Demon's Touch is not a normal disease. It is the result of demonic possession, partial or complete, and thus is only spread by possession-contact with a demon.

When possessed by a demon, the condition starts to take hold, radiating out from the demonic sigil.

The initial symptom is the appearance of a demonic sigil on the body of the demon's host. From there, the curse starts to spread, turning the veins around it black.    From there, the physical symptoms are varied, but all stem from the same basic function: transfiguration. The flesh around the sigil will start to turn scaly, leathery, or change color. Spikes or feathers may start to grow, and claws may form on the afflicted's hand.   Two examples of this are the cases of two possessed girls.  The first had her sigil appear on her hand. She grew claws and her skin became scaly. This spread across her body until she had spikes protruding from her shoulder and the scales were across her chest. Thankfully, she was helped by an Exorcist before the demon was able to take over. The second was not as lucky. She was completely possessed, and, over the course of a month or so, had her entire body converted to that of a demon.

There are multiple treatments that can be administered by Exorcists. The difficulty is getting the demon separated from the host. If they are incapable of getting the two apart, the only solution may be to kill the host. In order to accomplish this, Exorcists employ a number of methods from incantations to what is essentially torture.   Once the demon has been exorcised, the Demon's Touch will fade.

The outlook for those afflicted with the Demon's Touch is generally good. As long as an Exorcist can arrive before the demon and host are inseparable, a full recovery is all but guaranteed.

There are a number of lingering symptoms that may arise from this curse.    First is night terrors. These are actually more a result of the possession than the Demon's Touch itself, but it is a recurring issue nonetheless.    Second, there are phantom sensations. The host will often feel as though the parts of their body that were converted by the curse are still demonic. This may even manifest as paranoia that those parts of the body are evil, sentient, and plotting. Some subjects have performed self-surgery to remove the afflicted parts.   Finally, there are residual markings, be they scar-like or discolorations, that are left on the body, forever marking the individual as having been possessed.

By a landslide, the most affected groups are the Exorcists of Falgor. As they are constantly doing battle with demons, their exposure is high.

There is nothing that will inherently prevent demonic possession. Contrary to what many may say, piety has no bearing. There are many superstitions about warding them off, but only a few work. In truth, it's the negative emotions that they feed on, thus fearing them only puts you more at risk.

This carries a heavy societal burden in many places, as it is a common belief that possession is a curse for wrongdoing.