Flight Rising Discussion

[quote name="girlofSornieth" date="2020-01-23 06:29:36" ] [quote name="PearlConnor" date="2020-01-23 06:17:11" ] here in plague we have excellent immune systems [/quote] pros: no colds cons: ALLERGIES LIEK WHOA [/quote] I was just thinking the same thing! Allergies and immune systems. I'm imagining the immune system as the insanely complicated control room of some anime-style Dread Weapon, with a white-coated lab tech showing it off: "[i]This[/i] is the most advanced weapon ever developed! It provides complete protection against threats of every type, from viruses to wound infection--" *[i]lights turn red and alarm starts whooping, tech frantically consults a screen[/i]* "--aw @#$!! Seriously? That's grass pollen, you idiot, cancel, cancel! No! Turn [i]off[/i] the cytokines! NO!! We do NOT need that much histamine right now!" Tech flails frantically at keys and levers without effect. Tour group edges hastily towards exit.

Well we also know that sand is a dragon remedy for upset stomachs. And [item=chickweed] for itchy scales. [item=peppermint] apparently is used similarly to its real world counterpart. [item=potato onion] mentions toothaches. So it would seem that they can suffer from the standard fair of common illnesses at least, and that’s just from looking at the available plants. Reading through the insects, dragons can also suffer from rashes and parasites. A few also cause allergic reactions in dragons as well. Some folks have also interpreted Opal as an advanced form of gembond. Poison is a common thing in this universe too. Necrosis also seems fairly common, especially for those in plague territory.

Metabolic bone disease. Since dragons (or most dragons) are reptiles, I wouldn't be surprised if some suffer MBD, caused by calcium/vitamin deficiencies.

Since dragons seem to be large warm-blooded reptiles, my best guess is that they are somewhere between a large bird and an Argentine tegu (the only warm-blooded extant lizard) when it comes to physical diseases. Respiratory infections and skin disorders are common, as are parasites and oral inflammation. Mental health is similar to ours.

Magical stuff is another thing entirely and can cause all sort of bodily warping that refuses to abide by the laws of nature. People affected by extreme magical radiation, especially in an element foreign to them, can be adversely affected in a number of ways. Usually those exposed to opposing magic find any magical powers fizzle out or, depending on their strength, react explosively. The magic naturally wants to find an equilibrium, and this can sometimes be fatal, but normally only causes nullification of any magical powers the owner possessed, as well as a metabolic weakening of the bones and integument. Children affected by this may also find their growth stunted (permababies!).

Conversely, those exposed to more of the same type of magic may find their bodies converted into a “pure” form of that magic, with horrific results. This is called Acceleration. Most cases have happened rather quickly, but some deaths have been chronic and slow, more in line with the progression of a neural-cognitive disorder. Nature, Plague, Earth and Arcane are the most commonly affected (in no particular order), and Earth clans generally have the most experience with caring for the afflicted. The condition is terminal and care provided is usually palliative, coupled with intense mental counseling. Nature dragons may be absorbed by nearby plant life, while Plague dragons experience highly accelerated infectious symptoms (thankfully not contagious) or may be assimilated into shambling, warped balls of flesh that are very hard to euthanize. Earth dragons are petrified or might be transformed into spikes of crystal, a trait they share with Arcane dragons who do not vaporize. Water and Shadow dragons dissolve into liquid, the dissolution rate and consistency of this fluid varying depending on a number of factors. The development of the Slime and Sludge genes has been hailed as a potential cure for those suffering from this malady, but it is very new in the testing phase- attempting to restore the original genes simply reactivates the progression of the disorder. Ice dragons find their bodies crippled by their own cryokinesis, and solidify into some form of ice from the inside out. These are very rare, usually are allowed to leave the clan of their own accord to die, and often go unreported. Ice clans are naturally very tight-lipped about their funereal customs, especially for those afflicted with Acceleration, and little is known about how it affects them.

The only noted instance of a Wind dragon afflicted by Acceleration was recorded nearly a century ago and is unverified. A clan brought in an unidentified Tundra drifter who had been blown through a magically dense gale system and was found disoriented next to the remains of his balloon. He did not remember his name or any relevant information, and witnesses described him as having near-total aphasia. He would attempt to speak and was capable of making noise, but nothing he said was actually an intelligible word. He would become agitated whenever the clan’s doctor or priestess, or one of the visiting specialists they called in, entered the room, and frequently seemed to be attempting desperately to tell them something important, but no one understood him. The priestess speculated in her journal that he believed he was communicating something to them, but the language-processing regions of his brain had been damaged. Another notable piece of information from this journal tells us that his fur had an odd, hazy quality to it, almost like mist, and that stray hairs would instantly evaporate once they broke contact with his body, so they were unable to recover a sample. He also ignored food and drink, but suffered no ill effects associated with starvation or dehydration. He would also try to escape his quarters during magical gales, but was stopped at almost every turn up until the very last time, as they were passing through the area in which he had been originally found. Somehow, it is said that he broke out of his quarters, opened a porthole, and said, very lucidly and clearly, “Well, that takes care of that,” and then his body simply blew away and dissipated like a cloud.

Lightning, Fire and Light dragons are by far the most dangerous when afflicted, although some vaporized Arcane dragons may take that title. These are all dangerous because of the enormous amounts of energy and reactivity they consume, and are collectively known as “the Hungry.” Accelerated Lightning dragons will seek and feed off of sources of electricity, often destroying the generators they worked so hard to build in life. Fire dragons spontaneously combust, but remain as a ghostly, flaming aura that retains tangibility and motility so long as it has fuel. Unfortunately, they do not discriminate between whether their fuel is an inanimate object, someone’s beloved pet, or a person themself. Thankfully, euthanasia through fuel starvation, while a risky process, is still rather easily executed. Light dragons by far are the strangest and some of the rarest all the Accelerated, remaining lucid throughout the transformation. Most develop stigmata that superficially resemble the chitin of those with the Wasp gene and glow from within, but cannot be opened even though surgery. Most describe the completed transformation of an Accelerated Light dragon as an “unfolding” along these natural seams, and the resulting creature’s form cannot be made out through the blinding light it emits. These creatures are mindless but desire a mind, and hunt for libraries, leaving completely blank books in their wake. The light they emit has the effect of total absorption of thought, and those who catch it sideways may survive with blindness, but with their wits intact. Those who look at it head on develop incurable catatonia.

Thankfully, all recorded instances of this have not retained a significant amount of consciousness.

Nobody wants to think about the ones who move.

Nobody wants to think about the ones who think.

[center][item=sand] Upset tummies.[/center]

Only mammals can get rabies, so I’d say that the dragons are safe from that.

@Barrdwing

There actually is an anime of that.

It’s called “Cells at Work” and I highly recommend it!

I imagine magical imbalances with destructive sneezes.

[quote name="MidnightFall" date="2020-01-23 07:05:17" ] It will be cool to have a lore based on cordyceps (or whatever you spell them as) as a lore disease. [/quote] @MidnightFall hi i would like to introduce you to literally all of my lore ...for real tho, I'm all about pathology and fungi and I definitely gave my whole lair a sapient disease whoops

[item=emetic russula] [item=feverfew] [item=mycena mushroom] Some more foods that mention illness. [item=spring's breath] implies they do indeed have pollen allergies.