Red Death

An obscure fungus native to isolated pockets of Noefra. It grows into blood-colored "bubbles" about the size of a human fist that cluster together, as if large grapes of death. When disturbed, the mature bubbles become a fine grey powder of spores that spreads on the wind, usually infecting those who disturbed it. Its spores can remain dormant for a significant amount of time, even when in the bloodstream, stomach, or lungs of an animal or person. When next in a suitable aetheric environment (requiring a higher-than-normal concentration of umbral fire with the right levels of umbral earth and a deficiency of luminous water), the spores rapidly start growing colonizing and consuming the flesh of its carriers (or consuming the aether out of the soil if the spores are in the earth). This rapidly (within a few hours, a day at most), causes the death of the host as fungus begins growing up through its lungs and stomach and out its mouth. The entire body is eventually converted.

Thankfully, the appropriate aetheric environment is rare outside of the Hagfen, although the Circle of Purging Flame has discovered how to artificially create that environment. A slightly altered environment (lower umbral fire and higher luminous water) causes the spores and mature plants to die, allowing sterilization of the environment--this sterilizing environment, however, is not natural at all and must be artificially created.

This fungus was weaponized by the Circle of Purging Flame to cause the Red Plague of 253 AC, which terrorized most of the capitals of the Federated Nations and killed thousands. Asai'ka City and Rauviz City were especially hard-hit.