05-01-2026, 11:10 PM
Creeping Madness
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." - Voltaire
![[Image: FF0f7im.png]](https://i.imgur.com/FF0f7im.png)
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." - Voltaire
Summary:
An illness like no other, the Creeping Madness is regarded by many medical professionals as not being an illness at all, and instead a progressive destabilization of the infected’s mental health for reasons unknown. Presenting as a progressively serious devolution into insomnia, schizophrenia and general madness, the disease does not outwardly grant any signs of infection beyond the occasional odd tendril of discoloration beneath the infected person’s skin. Caused by the ingestion of a parasite known as tillifornis, this small worm typically inhabits stagnant waters deep within air pockets of oceanic caves. Most often accidentally ingested by avid swimmers, pearl divers and spelunkers, the tillifornis worm does not seek out the victim like prey- instead, the eggs of the small parasite are typically drawn into the body through orifices such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth when submerged in waters where they may be found. Some days after, the first symptoms begin to present as a furious itching beneath the skin of the infected, followed thereafter in quick succession by rapid-onset schizophrenia and madness. More often than not, the victim has lost their mental faculty well before being seen by any medical professionals- as such, the Creeping Madness is rarely, if ever, diagnosed properly. The end result of the Creeping Madness is most often suicide or death caused by the violent actions of others towards the obviously insane infected; it is not believed that the disease itself kills. Some have been known to ‘outlive’ the illness, though few have ever been able to make this claim.
Communicability:
Noncommunicable; the Creeping Madness is caused by the ingestion of the tillifornis parasite and cannot be transmitted between individuals. The eggs of the parasite hatch beneath the skin of the afflicted, and complete their entire life cycle without being exposed to others.
Symptoms:
The infection of the tillifornis parasite initially presents no symptoms, but within three OOC days, the afflicted quickly develop an uncontrollable itch beneath their skin, feeling as if tiny creatures are crawling about with vigor within the flesh. By the sixth OOC day, the parasites have grown and began to feed on the bodily fluids and fatty tissues of the infected, producing considerable amounts of neurotransmitter proteins as waste byproducts- this sudden jump in neurotransmitter uptake result in the victim becoming seriously schizophrenic and beset by incredible madness and paranoia. Specifically, the victim begins to hear voices, feel as if they are constantly being watched and ridiculed by others around them, and tend to perceive their body as being inhabited by various creepy crawlies and other horrors.
Effects:
The afflicted tend to rapidly develop various mental abnormalities, preceded by the itching of the skin and the occasional strange discoloration due to the presence of a tillifornis worm just beneath the upper layer of the epidermis. Constantly on a literal high of various excreted neurotransmitters, the infected exist in a state of semi-terrified and semi-euphoric madness, often eliciting violence towards themselves and others at random- albeit, the reason is always justified to the mind of the infected, whether they can express it properly or not.
Cure:
Given the lack of study related to the Creeping Madness and the tillifornis parasite, the presence of a cure is entirely unknown. Infected persons typically die due to their actions well before a learned scholar realizes the cause and commits to their piecemeal evisceration to locate and remove the source of the illness. Given the life-cycle of the tillifornis parasite, if survival of the infected persists two OOC months past infection, symptoms disappear entirely. [Any attempted cures will need to be submitted to the Lore Team prior to attempt, and a member of the Lore Team may be present to observe the procedure and give a verdict.]
Mechanics:
An illness like no other, the Creeping Madness is regarded by many medical professionals as not being an illness at all, and instead a progressive destabilization of the infected’s mental health for reasons unknown. Presenting as a progressively serious devolution into insomnia, schizophrenia and general madness, the disease does not outwardly grant any signs of infection beyond the occasional odd tendril of discoloration beneath the infected person’s skin. Caused by the ingestion of a parasite known as tillifornis, this small worm typically inhabits stagnant waters deep within air pockets of oceanic caves. Most often accidentally ingested by avid swimmers, pearl divers and spelunkers, the tillifornis worm does not seek out the victim like prey- instead, the eggs of the small parasite are typically drawn into the body through orifices such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth when submerged in waters where they may be found. Some days after, the first symptoms begin to present as a furious itching beneath the skin of the infected, followed thereafter in quick succession by rapid-onset schizophrenia and madness. More often than not, the victim has lost their mental faculty well before being seen by any medical professionals- as such, the Creeping Madness is rarely, if ever, diagnosed properly. The end result of the Creeping Madness is most often suicide or death caused by the violent actions of others towards the obviously insane infected; it is not believed that the disease itself kills. Some have been known to ‘outlive’ the illness, though few have ever been able to make this claim.
Communicability:
Noncommunicable; the Creeping Madness is caused by the ingestion of the tillifornis parasite and cannot be transmitted between individuals. The eggs of the parasite hatch beneath the skin of the afflicted, and complete their entire life cycle without being exposed to others.
Symptoms:
The infection of the tillifornis parasite initially presents no symptoms, but within three OOC days, the afflicted quickly develop an uncontrollable itch beneath their skin, feeling as if tiny creatures are crawling about with vigor within the flesh. By the sixth OOC day, the parasites have grown and began to feed on the bodily fluids and fatty tissues of the infected, producing considerable amounts of neurotransmitter proteins as waste byproducts- this sudden jump in neurotransmitter uptake result in the victim becoming seriously schizophrenic and beset by incredible madness and paranoia. Specifically, the victim begins to hear voices, feel as if they are constantly being watched and ridiculed by others around them, and tend to perceive their body as being inhabited by various creepy crawlies and other horrors.
Effects:
The afflicted tend to rapidly develop various mental abnormalities, preceded by the itching of the skin and the occasional strange discoloration due to the presence of a tillifornis worm just beneath the upper layer of the epidermis. Constantly on a literal high of various excreted neurotransmitters, the infected exist in a state of semi-terrified and semi-euphoric madness, often eliciting violence towards themselves and others at random- albeit, the reason is always justified to the mind of the infected, whether they can express it properly or not.
Cure:
Given the lack of study related to the Creeping Madness and the tillifornis parasite, the presence of a cure is entirely unknown. Infected persons typically die due to their actions well before a learned scholar realizes the cause and commits to their piecemeal evisceration to locate and remove the source of the illness. Given the life-cycle of the tillifornis parasite, if survival of the infected persists two OOC months past infection, symptoms disappear entirely. [Any attempted cures will need to be submitted to the Lore Team prior to attempt, and a member of the Lore Team may be present to observe the procedure and give a verdict.]
Mechanics:
- The disease occurs when tillifornis eggs are accidentally or purposefully ingested in their source environment.
- The cause being the tillifornis worm is not common knowledge, and research must be conducted to learn the cause of the illness.
- The symptoms onset first as intense itching at three OOC days since infection, and as mental illness at six OOC days since infection.
- The victim feels beset by unnatural itching beneath their skin, and present with rapid-onset schizophrenia, paranoid delusions and general madness.
- Occasionally, strange discolorations may appear on the surface of the skin due to the activity of the tillifornis parasite deeper within.
- The disease is not fatal, and no known cure exists; survival past two` OOC months from infection date results in the disappearance of symptoms as the parasite’s life-cycle has completed.