The Flesh-Plague

The Flesh-Plague, also known as the Flesh-Virus, is a highly unstable form of the plague of undeath. Created by alchemy and vile sorcery, this particular plague tends to mutate violently and rapidly at certain cirmcumstances. Due to the high mutation rate of the plague, it creates different types of virus-strings within the body of the host, thus shaping their bodies into different types of infected creatures.

While the plague of undeath transforms the host into an undead, the Flesh-Plague does not. The infected is technically still alive, yet shows similar resistances and conditions as undead do. Due to that fact, most peasants refer to the infected as mere undead.

History
It all started with the scourge's plague of undeath. While it swept through the entire lordaeron, many alchemists attempted to communicate with the plague itself, trying different experiments to develop a cure. Over a few years, various alchemists, mages and dark casters tried their luck on it, passing it to each other. Due to the various influences and experiments, the plague assumed new shapes and new abilities. Instead of a cure, they developed a nightmare.

From that point on the magical container that kept the deadly disease away from the world, was kept away from the public, ensuring that it would never be released. Time went by and the disease seemed to be non-existent. That was untill a dark wizard by the name of Malcoran found the container, killed everyone in sight, and destroyed it in the middle of a military camp around the north of the eastern kingdoms. Every single solider inside the camp who inhaled the black mist was immediatly infected, resulting in a horde of insane infected charging towards civilisation.

Over the time, more and more people in the plaguelands were infected, resulting into perfect breeding grounds for the Flesh-Plague. Due to its unstable nature the disease mutated various times, producing various types of infected, like Stalkers, Leechers and Crawlers.

However, the plague was thought to be eradicated as an organisation called 'The Purge' was raiding all infected zones, wiping out all of the infected. That's what they thought at least.

In truth though, most of the infected retreated into places afar from the eyes of mortal races, called by a mysterious being now referred as 'The Prime'. This particular infected appears as a fairly human-like creature, with the ability to command every single infected out there. Presumed to be the former wizard of the name Malcoran, this creature leads the infected to this day, possessing incredible powers and intelligence.

As the infected returned after a year of time then, ravaging the northern continent, wave after wave, they were stronger than before. New strings developed over the time, extending their abilities and allowing further mutations. This was the referred to as 'The second outbreak'. The organisation that was dedicated to wipe them out, struggeled greatly in the fight against them and was finally shattered.

Many people and organisations arose, guarding the borders of the dangerous zones to hold the infected swarms back as long as possible, while the infected attempt to extend their territories into the south, infecting everyone in sight.

Symptoms and Mutation
The plague will invade the host's body quickly and is transmitted by inhaling the so-called 'Black Gas', or getting into direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected (blood, spit, etc.). After the infection has occoured, the plague will make it's way through the whole body and infect every single cell inside, before it finally starts to attack the brain. During that process, the vicitm will first start to feel a pain in every single muscle of its body. After that the person will feel violently sick, resulting into vomiting. A heavy cough and diarrhea follow, thus others get infected in the earlier states. As the brain gets attacked, the body if full of the infection and the insanity takes place. The virus takes over the entire body and finally the transformation is complete. The cells and the like regenerate, so that the host stays alive.

Since the plague is very unstable, it tends to mutate rapidly. If this is the case, the virus will shape its host's body entirely new, getting rid of organs that the host wouldn't need anymore and transferring it into pure muscle mass. The virus will determine on itself as what the host is good for, mutating in proper ways and keeping the host alive if needed. Due to the fact that the mutations occour violently and extremly quick, a lot of energy is released in the form of heat, thus the blood of the host will start to boil and eventually splatter, which might infect people around. The plague ensures that the host will get the proper regeneration of cells during that process so that it doesn't die. During a mutation process, the victim will feel crucfying pain, probably close to dying, which is the reason why an infected is most vulnerable during this process.

Cure
So far there was not a single cure found. Interesting to note though is, that the Flesh-Plague seems to cure the Plague of Undeath, thus reanimating the dead cells within the body and regenerating missing biomass and required organs, fully reviving it. The abominations that are the result of this, are far from their former existence though. While during the first few hours, everything seems alright, the regeneration will go further, creating new cells and new biomass. Thiss results into an immense growth of body size and muscle mass. The result of this process are the so-called Behemoths.

Infected abiltities
Since the virus tries everything to keep the host alive at all cost, the regeneration of the host is highly increased. Depending on the mutation, the replication of cells and biomass is minor or extremly high, healing wounds within mere minutes. The skeleton of the infected seems to be hardened, again depending on mutation how hard. They will constanstantly have foam infront of their mouth, hopefully infecting new hosts. The pain that most infected feel is lower as for normal mortals, guaranteeing that the infected will proceed in infecting new victims.