Syllkheretism

Preface: 
Syllkheretism is considered a divine curse and not only a disease because it's brought upon a person only because of whims of Moon Calamity Variga. At random points in time Variga chooses certain souls to be infected with the curse to see what will happen and how their life will go. Her toying with the lives and fates of random individuals throughout history has created a very specific outlook on Arabeleans cursed with this condition, giving them a very specific position within Arabelean culture.

Summary
Syllkheretism is a divine curse that is specific to Eraden regions north of the Rift and only affects Arabelean ghalla. Ghalla afflicted by this conditions are known as Syllkherets. The general symptoms, mode of infection, and care information are well known, but the exact origin of the condition is unknown to ghalla.

While Syllkheretism is entirely of divine origin, ghalla consider it a regular natural disorder. Sections unknown to inhabitants of Eraden will be written in slanted letters.

General symptoms
Syllkheret's appearance is what easily separates them from the rest the ghalla population. Symptoms include:

• Skin color: Syllkherets' skin entirely lacks melanin and is as white as naturally possible
• Eye color: Light blue with red irises
• Crown and scale color: shades of pale grey
• Hair: Without melanin and with a silvery sheen. Hair texture is normally inherited from the parents and is not affected by the condition
• Social effects: Syllkherets are generally believed to have their social skills and other cognitive aspects altered by this condition. More about this in the "Controversy of 'altered cognition'" section.
•  Metabolism: digesting heat-processed meat makes Syllkherets and can induce severe stomach pains and vomiting.
• Teeth and crown/scale overgrowth: some Syllkherets have overgrown teeth that perpetually regrow beyond the normal number of times for ghalla. Their nails, claws, crowns, and scales are also subject to accelerated growth.

Infection of the chosen ones
From time to time, Variga chooses one of her syllk daughters to "carry the curse". The afflicted syllk will instinctively approach ghalla-inaibited areas more freely. The syllk will seek out a pregnant Arabelean woman that Variga wishes to target and will either bite or scratch her. The attack never leads to the death of the woman. A bacterium known as "Oshtrozahl" or "sharptooth curse" will be transported to the fetus from the syllk's saliva through the mother's blood.
After the infection there are three outcomes, that depend on the condition of the mother and fetus, as well as luck: miscarriage, stillbirth, and regular birth. The syllkheretic child is guaranteed to have no other ailments regardless of possible hereditary conditions of the parents. The later in her pregnancy the woman is bitten, the greater the chance of miscarrying and stillbirths.

Oshtrozahl-blight within a curse
Syllkherets can either be "Oshtrozahl positive" or "Oshtrozahl negative". The Oshtrozahl bacterium eats away at the muscles and nerve endings of its victim. This combination leads to severe, "nerve flaying" pain that many Syllkherets have described during the "active" stage. Each Syllkheret will only ever have one to three "active" states, as the onset of the flesh eating by Osthrozahl is a "test of faith", as directed by Variga. The onset of the active state of the affection sometimes seems to coincide with the lowering of the Syllkheret's immune system due to stress or some other illnesses. It is important to note that most Syllkherets report the onset of the active stage at major turning points in their lives. The incoming of the active state of infection can be recognized by the strong fever, eye, nose and mouth bleeding, as well as an increase in fear and insecurity-centered nightmares.

While an essential component of Sylkheretism, Oshtrozahl bacterium (and the disease of the same name) can also infect non-Syllkheretic ghalla. Oshtrozahl infection of a non-Syllkheret is always lethal.

Mind-Body-Soul divide
On the Mind-Body-Soul spectrum Syllkherets can be found in the "ghalla body, syllk soul" portion. The "mind" aspect is a broad spectrum, which means that Syllkherets can be born "syllk-minded" (SM) or "ghalla minded" (GM) in various degrees.

The more a Syllkheret possesses a syllk mind, the less they will be attracted to a life within ghalla societies. Such Syllkherets opt for a more solitary life, that is more focused on interactions with syllks and lowers down the number of interactions with ghalla as much as possible. SM Syllkherets have the strongest connection with syllks and are basically seen as "one of their own". They are only ever as aggressive as they need to be in order to defend themselves. Such ghalla are usually not very aware of the social cues of others and might come off as "blunter" if they don't spend much time around others of their own species.
Examples of syllk-minded Syllkherets: Alexendrei Ferredin (unknown to history), Osha (across all eras)

Ghalla-minded Syllkherets have a greater affinity towards ghalla societies, and a weaker connection to syllks (but this connection is not nonexistent!). They prefer lives closer to their fellow ghalla and engage more with the society at large. As ghalla they possess a greater "capability for evil", unlike their more SM peers, i.e they are more capable of inflicting physical and emotional pain, as well as manipulation of all sorts. This by no means that GM Syllkherets are inherently violent and manipulative; it just means that they are more emotionally and socially in tune with other ghalla and can exhibit "ghalla" behaviors more than SM ones.
Examples of ghalla-minded Syllkherets: Roxhakai(TBA), Suraya Mottren (Suraya is an extreme case of violent behavior and is in no way a perfect example of her "mind" group)

Whether a Syllkheret is syllk-minded or ghalla-minded is an unknown label to non-Syllkherets, but Syllkherets themselves can recognize where  their peers fall on the spectrum. Syllkherets may treat each other differently, depending on whether they're SM or GM, but that comes down more to personality of each person, and not a definitive superiority of either of the Mind types. GM Syllkherets in urban areas tend to look down on SM Syllkherets who can be seen are more "provincial" and "feral". SM Syllkherets tend to look down on GM Syllkherets as "weak" and "pretending" (A good example is Suraya's relentless bullying of Roxhakai, which also shows how much this prejudice is influenced by the personality of the perpetrator).

The Mind label of Syllkheret doesn't define their physical and cognitive abilities at all.

Interactions with society
In the modern age Syllkherets still retain their very fluid position within Arabelean regions that changes by region. It is widely accepted  that Syllkherets are a "bridge between syllks and ghalla" and are respected as such, especially in territories where ghalla almost exclusively live underground, in syllk-made tunnels. Throughout history, the social position of Syllkherets has greatly shifted. The belief that Syllkherets are filthy and an omen of tragedy is no longer omnipresent as it used to be, though some more closed-off communities still hold onto these beliefs (namely Alvecharre nomads believe that a the birth of a Syllkheretic child is a sign of upcoming famine and Koshtra invasions-TBA, and Hezonitic pilgrims who have settled in Sterhkmas and Erdra). As time went on, the importance of Syllkherets within their communities became more and more recognized, and eventually all Arabelean provinces outlawed any sort of anti-Syllkheret rhetoric. Ghalla noticed that being kind to their local Syllkheret immediately translated into fewer aggressive encounters with syllks. Syllkherets' almost mystical bond with Syllks allows them to mitigate and calm down conflicts between ghalla and syllks, which both sides greatly appreciate.

Controversy of "altered cognition" 
Even in the modern age, there is a great misconception that all Syllkherets have altered cognition in one way or another. This belief is so widespread, that even some physicians believe it to this day. This is, of course a great misconception, but it is important where it's truthful, even minimally.
Altered cognition of Sllkherets comes from two sources:
-Oshtrozahl effects: if Oshtrozahl attacks the brain of a Syllkheret, it might damage it. The brain damage brought on by Oshtrozahl can lead to various effects such as lessened speech/hearing/vision, hindered movement, as well as possible cognitive defects. The cognitive damage from Oshtrozahl is extremely rare and usually only occurs right before a Syllkheret's death because Variga has decided that there is no point in torturing the soul anymore.
-Social isolation: It is well known that a ghalla's socialization level is directly proportional to their interactions with society. Due to social stigma or other factors Syllkherets are more often socially (and sometimes even physically) isolated, which can severely hinder their connection with their fellow ghalla. While they might suffer intellectually from such isolation, it is important to note that the "outcast title" that many Syllkherets face is also a major contributing factor.

Beyond physical brain damage that might lead to intellectual disabilities that can happen to anyone, there is no supporting evidence to prove that Syllkherets are inherently less intelligent than other Arabeleans.

Superstition and poaching
Throughout history it was believed that syllks and Syllkherets, their bodies specifically, have special properties that can heal many ailments. Inspired by these beliefs, countless poaching gangs made it their mission to hunt down every Syllkheret they see "for harvesting". Harvesting includes brutal acts such as flaying, teeth extraction, limb amputation, hair cutting, and so on. Fortunately, these practices have been wiped out entirely in the modern age, and haven't been in use for centuries at this point, due to the inherent knowledge that  harming Syllkherets (especially in such a cruel and direct way), beckons the wrath of syllks. Even if a poaching gang is well equipped to take down a syllk, they are no match for an entire horde that is ready to take revenge. Due to the diminishing supply, soon enough products made out of syllks and Syllkherets fell out of favor.
It's known that one of the more popular harvesting practices was hair and crown/scale cutting. If the spikes of the crown are cut too close to the head, the muscle bud holding the spike in place might be damaged, which leads to nerve damage and permanent stop of spike growth.