By Rite Publishing | July 28, 2010 at 01:08 AM EDT |
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Illustration by Joe Calkins
The Burning Plague
The burning plague was first witness in the Protectorate of Questhaven and the ruined town of Ardencourse. On the 14th day of the 8th month of the 3rd year of First Hero Arsina's rule, the town of Ardencourse was mysteriously consumed by flame. Initial investigations by the Questor's Soceity discovered a town overrun with burning undead that explode violently when destroyed. Fortunately for the Questor's Society, their company the West Guard had come with clerics and holy water at the ready to successfully dispatch the undead. The guard lost many members to the undead and two of their own to the burning plague. The plague infected two members when they consumed water from Ardencourse’s well. They burned to death from the inside at their base at Ninestar Keep and almost burned the barracks to the ground as they shambled after other guardsmen.
When infection first occurs, the victim will actually run a bit of a fever for the first day. The fever is never severe enough to warrant true medical attention and it disappears the day after initial infection. A person who has had experience with the burning plague may make a Heal check (DC 15) to identify its symptoms before it is too late. The exact nature of the disease is unknown, some suspect that it is a magical disease that was created and tested on the citizens of Foghaven while others suspect it is a natural pathogen spread by fire-based magical beasts such as the pyrolisk.
Burning Plague
Type disease, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 16
Onset 1 week; Frequency 1/round
Effect 1d2 Con and 1d6 fire. If the target is killed by the burning plague, he will rise as burning skeleton in 1d4 rounds; Cure 2 consecutive saves.
