By the Light! A plague is upon us!

Pierre dabbed the sweat off the lady's brow with a worried look. She lay down in the infirmary, burning with fever, shivering in cold. He adjusted his gloves and mask. They had already administered all they could against the fever. Gently he supported her shoulder and helped her sip a tea that would help against the pain. She barely responded.
She muttered words of fear and anxiety. Deep down, her mind seemed lost in a battle, fighting a nightmare from which she might not wake up. They were losing her, slowly.

Overwhelmed by the tragic display, Pierre walked accross the infirmary and let himself fall into a chair. Despite the severity of the woman's condition, he was more concerned about the diagnose... or lack thereof. The cautious words of Doctor Finje and the troubled looks of Doctor Rose, had filled his heart with dread: "pestillence", "plague", "perhaps airbourne". The prudence of their whispers only made the words resonate stronger.

He looked across the room at the woman, lost in a frightning delirium, a basket of napkins colored with coughed up blood next to her. He could hear Perturbo Barov's voice in the hall: "Sir, there is no admittance to the infirmary. There is a risk of contamination."
Pierre sighed. "Dear Light! Let us find a cure and save this woman before this nightmare holds us all in its grip."

---

OOC motivational poster:

Spoiler:

The Hand of Nightmares launched an event to spread a disease among Stormwind's population. It is in effect as of yesterday night. Their goal: by trying to keep a monopoly on the cure, they will try to submit people to their mercy and evil schemes!
The defense and counter operation in this event is led by the glorious Disciples of Light. During this event, the medical team will be conducting research to find a cure. However, as they are challenged by HoN to RP out the discovery of a remedy, we can expect this cure to take some time and perhaps even have a limited supply (dramatic drum roll).

The event will end next weekend, at which point the disease will also die out. ICly this will be accomplished by terminating the magic that is imbued in the disease. The loss of its magical catalyst should enable the body to recover naturally unless, of course, you chose yourself that it has reached a state beyond recovery.

What RP does this offer for you and how can you participate?
(1) You can chose to aid the counter campaign. We'll need help to control the masses, safeguard the infirmary, isolate victims, fight back the evil people that did this. In other words: action and research.

(2) You can chose to become a victim. You can only become a victim by choice for that matter, though the opportunity may be kindly offered on several occasions. As a victim, you may be pleased to know that the disease affects both mind and the cells of the body, allowing a rather wide array of symptoms. Want to be proud owner of a black foot that smells like cheese? This is your chance! Want to run around like nothing happened, deviously contaminating other people? You can give it a shot (but remember to always ask potential victims if they chose to be)! Want to numb a part of your brain to bring you into an euphoric state? Go for it! Want to have funny twitches or physical disabilities for a week? We can deliver! In terms of symptoms we allow the victims to chose the extent, details and severity. If you feel your body can naturally hold back the disease for a week, then that's fine by us. We ask only 1-2 consistent results that allow us to diagnose it: as the shadowy magic in the disease slowly invades the body, the victims become intolerant towards Light powers. (Bugger!) We recommend to work with a short incubation period (a few hours) and to spread the disease only by touch. However, we accept some freedom in this if the victims chose so.

(3) You can submit to HoN's cure. They have prepared a cleansing ritual for this and will gladly fill you in on the details and consequences of this.

(4) You can run to the Cathedral for help. Our medical staff will attempt to accomodate you, comfort you and pray with you.

(5) While the disease is not publicly know ICly yet, soon be heard rumors of a plague or pestilence might beg for some chaos, riots, fear and distress. Truly, such a setting can offer a great number of opporunities, whether it is helping your fellow man to keep it under control or do the opposite and help bestow fear on the people. Try to rip people off with "fake cures", try to make them sell out their possessions before they flee the city, double the prices on ice cream. The only limits are your creativity.


Most of all, the goal is to have fun. Personally, I'm intrigued to see how effective such a disease can spread in our RP community. But mostly, the goal is to obtain enjoyable moments in both planned and random RP.

Are we allowed to know the OOC details on the 'disease/plague' itself so we know how it will affect our characters?

Mainly, is it a magical 'curse' affliction or is it a biological pathogen. How is it spread, airbourne contaigent, fluid transmition, simply touch and contact with other items?

How long will it last on a surface if touched?

If it's biological, what is the cell reproduction rate and conditions for catalystic effect?

Ect ect

I know what the first picture means on your poster. You dirty dirty man.

Jayse wrote:Are we allowed to know the OOC details on the 'disease/plague' itself so we know how it will affect our characters?

I would say it mainly follows the pattern of a bacterial disease with a fast reproduction rate. The magical aspect of the disease is what makes it spread faster, more contagious and makes the shadow magic seep into the victim. Without the magical catalyst it would probably not pose a threat to the entire population but it could still be hazardous for one individual's health.

We explicitly left out hard rules to allow more freedom for the victims. After all, both sides want victims to play along and have a good time. So, consider these more as guidelines:
- The shadow magic affects the mind and soul. I can imagine this effect can vary from one person to another but generally this would be 'bad' and could lead to fear, paranoia, distrust, aggression, selfishness.
- The disease can be transmitted by touch. At first we thought of using a flue-like spread but the airborne nature could make it more difficult to RP. I would recommend 'skin' or tissue would be a carrier. So a napkin which has been coughed in would work, or just a hand you shake. Coughs, spreading saliva or blood, should be treated as dangerous. I would deem gauntlets and gloves an effective countermeasure. Masks are good. Alcohol and good old soap should help remove the bacteria from the skin and thus effectively reduce the chance to be infected. If the disease has found a good spot to settle, that spot could be contageous within hours. For example, if your hand carries it, you could be spreading it out with your hand rather quickly. We don't recommend that a contamination on your hand is bound to make your cough contageous within seconds. Eyes, nose, ears.. well... all holes in the body could easily let the bacteria creep in and spread quicker.
- I always felt the easiest approach would be for the bacteria to "consume" or "turn" cells (depending on how permanent you want it). This would allow a pattern of a flesh eating bacteria which can be local or end up in the bloodstream and attack on several places. It is not as destructive (unless the victims chose to). This can make a severe attack on a single part of the body, which could lead to tissue necrosis, weakened organs, damaged nerves. The weak organs can lead to a variety of physical disabilities or even behavioral modifications (It could seriously mess up your chemical balances or brain tissue for example ).

Some catalysts I would presume are:
- A weakened immune system, tired body or something like this
- Wounds where it can settle on the weakened/damaged tissue
One -could- play shadow magic as a catalyst but this is really not a restriction we'd like to impose on people.
EDIT: Immunity to shadow magic could, however, serve as a good factor to slow it down or reduce the chance on getting infected. But we don't quantify this for you. That's your call.

Whoa... Merry is going to have full action start with Disciples if I get a chance to get her into DoL before this is over. Trying to find the recruiter tonight

~Merunella~

Ovelia "Snow" Adair wrote:I know what the first picture means on your poster. You dirty dirty man.

Wha...?
I rather included an artpiece called "The Nightmare" than some other gibberish meaningless drawing. Why deprive ourselves of culture when opportunities to use it offer themselves?

You mis-understood me. I'm now going to go around thinking there are Incubus' impregnanting folks by sitting on their stomach.

Anyhow the event itself looks like it will be a ball of fun. Should have went with the scourge plague like right before WoTLK /snickers.

Is it possible that one's body would grow more immune to shadow magic then others? Since i myself have been corrupted more then once by either shadowy or demonic means, shouldn't the body itself grow somekind of defense system against it after it's been infected atleast once or twice?

Jeanpierre/Jeanclaude wrote:
- I always felt the easiest approach would be for the bacteria to "consume" or "turn" cells (depending on how permanent you want it). This would allow a pattern of a flesh eating bacteria which can be local or end up in the bloodstream and attack on several places. It is not as destructive (unless the victims chose to). This can make a severe attack on a single part of the body, which could lead to tissue necrosis, weakened organs, damaged nerves. The weak organs can lead to a variety of physical disabilities or even behavioral modifications (It could seriously mess up your chemical balances or brain tissue for example ).

This would almost be a spot on description for syphilis.

Anyways. I'm looking forward to the rest of the event and many many patients to treat (don't be shy).

Remember that all diseases in existance affect every indivdiual differently. What's little worse than a cold for some people can be a crippling pneumonia for others. What's a annoying rash for one person can cause limbs to turn black and fall of from others. What's a slight fever for one person can be a full blown hemorraging fever for others.

If you just want a single night of casual rp, come in with a mild version of the disease. Or you could be carried in by your friends, hot with fever and battling for your very life, constantly needing a physician to treat you.

Oh... and if you come in with a black foot smelling of cheese... any physician's first thought will be: "Cut it off!". Just to warn you all (no we won't cut it off without your ooc consent)

After reading this, I drew the following logical conclusion

Warlock <=> Shadow Magic

Bacterial Disease => Amoeba

Shadow Magic AND Bacterial Disease => Amoeba Warlocks

Why should multi-celled organisms have a monopoly on doing magic anyway? :p

No Rav, because shadow magic and/or magic in general isn't a pathogen. Therefore your body has no biological defenses for it capable of providing immunity.

In my humble opinion, I never considered magical abilities nor resistance to be related to physical attributes for races that have no magic inherent to their bodies/nature... like humans. As such it is my personal preference to consider such resistance a matter of the mind. Can the mind be trained to ward against shadowy magic? I think it can.

But again, this should not dictate your participation. If you resist the infection, then by all means, we will not enforce it on you OOCly. Chose your participation and we'll play nice accordingly

time for the cartel to start selling fake-cures at expensive prices! \o/

Think the disease would make Nelfs randomly turn into shadows?

Actually, good point. How does the plague affect different races? Are some more vulnerable than others?

Feydor wrote:time for the cartel to start selling fake-cures at expensive prices! \o/

Agreed!

Jazeel wrote:Actually, good point. How does the plague affect different races? Are some more vulnerable than others?

Nelves: randomly activate racial shadowmeld.
Dwarves: uncontrolable hair growth.
Gnomes: pain unless they are talking.
Draenei:Tentacles have their own mind.

You guys should sell "cures" that are actually drugs and get people addicted that way!

Kristeas Sunbinder wrote:

Jazeel wrote:Actually, good point. How does the plague affect different races? Are some more vulnerable than others?

Draenei:Tentacles have their own mind.

MAKE IT HAPPEN BLIZZ.

Ps. my characters smoker cough just turned deadly!

Would you say that the Dwarf racial,Stoneform, proves IC immunity/protection to things like this? Or would I be completely within my right to get infected on my Dwarf, as I would like to? :s

Kristeas Sunbinder wrote:Nelves: randomly activate racial shadowmeld.
Dwarves: uncontrolable hair growth.
Gnomes: pain unless they are talking.
Draenei:Tentacles have their own mind.

Heh! Works for me!

But really, we did not go to the detail of setting rules for each race. I assume the Light's blessing of the Draenei might give both some resistance to the disease as well as immense pain if they do get affected. For Gnomes and Dwarves I assume comparable effects as Humans apply, although Dwarves are naturally strong and their continuous alcohol intoxication counts for something. I wouldn't exclude them however, since ... well... I doubt they are completely immune to everything, are they?

Maybe it effects stoneform to be... "local", you better hide your pretty dwarven nurses.

I'm going off a guess that Death-Knights are auto immune, those bastards.

I'm going to work on a fake-cure-drug today. See it on the streets soon

Why don't you just piss in a bottle and sell it as a cure? People like Mansfield would believe it. [Look to Sweeney Todd for reference]