I don't know if anyone would know about this, but how prevalent would VD be in Mythic Europe, and is there considered to be more than one type? Apologies if the topic is offensive.
Basically, our group got into a heated discussion regarding Purifying Touch (greater and lesser) as well as Immunity, and veered onto the topic of VD, since our troupe is in London, a notable sea port.
One person, citing a book called "Guns, Germs, and Steel" suggests that there were no widespread cases of 'serious' VD until Syphilus was brought back from the Americas in the 15th Century.
We are bogged down on whether curing VD in Mythic Europe requires a Lesser or Greater Purifying Touch to heal.
Interesting, but not entirely useful.
Moses and the Israelites having recently left Egypt, so Moses knowing some Egyptian medicine wouldn't be far fetched.
This study sheet on a Torah text from Bar-Ilan University exemplifies, how tricky tracking of specific diseases - here Gonorrhea - in ancient texts actually is. Some creative reading might have occurred in it: check for yourself if you care.
The following quote unfortunately does not give any references for the claimed knowledge of antiquity, and I cannot substitute them:
Well it would be odd to think there is no venerian disease in middle-ages, though they souldn't be widespread amongst peasantry (peasants don't travel faraway. No travel, no funny discoveries...)
Let's say Lesser Purifying for a specific disease and Greater Purifying for all venerian diseases ? Simpler is better.
Don't forget some diseases may be the work of demons. There are naughty demons too.
Just a quick Internet search of "medieval venereal disease" gives the following articles: (quality of sources vary, of course - but hey, this is just a single interweb search...)
Art & Academe does include the "Chaudepysse" - people still get urethritis from sexually transmitted infections, so there's still a demand for healing from this painful symptom.
I presume Venus (from which venerial is derived) is a Fairy "goddess", of the naughty variety.
This discussion came about because we realised several of our characters have either Venus's Blessing, or Curse of Venus, and we are currently located near a busy seaport.
Well if you have Venus blessing I would think that would prevent you from attracting the wrong people- aka those with VD. Curse of Venus however- you think you just found the perfect girl, at least for the night, when- wham.
However, I thought Venus' Blessing attracted everyone who was sexually compatible. Presumably it also blesses you with the (possibly sub-conscious) ability to distinguish between right and wrong partners.
A while back I read that they are re-evaluation the "from Americas" theory regarding syphilis. And just checking Wikipedia I found this: "In 2015, researchers discovered 14th-century skeletons in Austria that they say show signs of congenital syphilis, which is transmitted from mother to child rather than sexually, which could refute the Columbian Theory" so there appear to be some debate still and nothing is settled.
So I would say you can very well have it be a thing that exists. I would hold VDs to mainly nobles, prostitutes and their clients spouses. So smaller farm villages would be less likely to "have" it. But London being a bigger city with a big court and a big port as well would be very likely.
Regarding what spell to cure what with, that I will leave to others. I play mostly 4th edition so I am not very familiar with the spells in 5:ed.
Venus' Blessing is a General Virtue, so the word 'blessing' is more poetry than the reflection of an actual blessing (...from a naughty faerie godess). If you want to go with Virtues, I guess Lesser Immutiy to venereal diseases solves the issue.
technically I guess, I just don't like the idea of a virtue making someone more vulnerable to illness...
though it could be fudged by the definition of sexually compatable- is someone who will bring you illness really "compatable"?
