Lazarus

From StarWiki

The true lazarus are the luckiest survivors of the Lazarus Contagion.

The Lazarus Contagion is a deadly disease, turning its victims into beings resembling the historical undead and robbing them of their minds. Victims of the Contagion are considered yagar when fresh, but rapidly decay to xombi before eventually becoming nothing more than skeletal rachi and, eventually, dust.

If caught quickly enough, the Contagion can be reversed, but since symptoms are few in the earliest stages, few people are lucky enough to escape.

If a pregnant woman catches the Lazarus Contagion, her child will become a True Lazarus, if it survives the birth. The True Lazarus retains mind and sanity, but after completing its growth cycle gradually loses the ability to heal and regenerate. It must attach limbs and flesh from other beings to its own body to sustain its life and to heal.