The Blighted

A shadowy order of cultists dedicated to Kesh, the God of Pestilence and Disease, the Blighted have been reported in all corners of the world, living in hidden enclaves and underground temples. Though members of the Blighted often take measures to hide themselves among the population to avoid discovery, their presence is often signaled by sudden outbreaks of plague and disease. Members of the Blighted are often the carriers of these diseases, which they spread in their god's name, and so they often attempt to blend in with the afflicted populations.

Though there are members of the Blighted that join out of the desire to spread misery and to worship Kesh, many members of the Blighted join their ranks out of desperation. Those that are afflicted by plague will sometimes seek out the Blighted, attempting to procure their services to ease their burdens or to cure their disease entirely. Since all diseases are seen as a blessing from Kesh, the Blighted often refuse to cure these diseases outright, instead offering to allow petitioners to join their ranks in exchange for easing the burden and pains of their diseases to a tolerable level. When the Blighted do agree to cure a disease, it is often because they have something rare or valuable to gain from the exchange.

The Pox
Among the ranks of the Blighted are an order called the Pox. Unlike the majority of the Blighted, which often serve as a fraternity dedicated to taking care of each other and easing the burdens of their diseases, members of the Pox delight in the ravages of their diseases and choose to serve Kesh in a most virulent and deadly way. The Pox allow plagues to ravage their bodies, becoming carriers for them, and setting them loose upon society or in places where enemies of Kesh may be found. Members of the Pox often serve the Blighted as assassins, either by spreading their disease to enemies of the cult of Kesh or by assassinating them with weapons or poison. A Pox assassin that fails to physically kill a target is not necessarily seen as a failure, as whatever disease they carried may succeed in killing them long after the initial assassination attempt.