Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion



Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion or Troglitic Degeneration Contagion (short TDC) is a disease that plagues all inhabitants of The Pitt. According to Dr. Sandra Kundanika, it is the result of intensively concentrated radiation combined with the unique toxins and pollutants in the area, doubled with the fact that half the Pitt's inhabitants have resorted to cannibalism.

Symptoms
According to Dr. Kundanika, all people who live in TDC-active areas experience skin lesions after a few weeks of exposure. These are reversible, as they may clear after a month or more away from the area. For many carriers this is the full extent of the effect. For a certain percentage of the carriers, TDC also influences the brain chemistry and thereby produces psychological effects, turning the affected into extremely aggressive Wildmen.

Approximately 20% of the adults lose higher reasoning and motor skills over the course of years, degenerating into Trogs. Nobody has ever recovered from full degeneration; rumors that Trogs retain some memories and recognize the faces of loved ones are just rumors. A scene witnessed in Pitt's Steelyard has a desperate man acting on these rumors and try to make his brother who has turned into a Trog recognize him. Although the Trog is not hostile at first, it will eventually attack him.

Children born in TDC-infested areas have a nearly 100% degeneration rate, turning feral within weeks after birth.

Cure
Marie, daughter of Sandra Kundanika and Ishmael Ashur, was born with a natural adaptive immunity to TDC, offering hope that a cure can be developed one day. So far, the efforts have been slow-going, mostly because Marie is still a baby.