vulturism

Vulterism is a variant of Cannibal Sickness that afflicts tengku.   A tengku that develops a taste for eating mortal flesh transforms into what other tengku have nicknamed "vultures."   Unlike the so-called "ogres" that human cannibals transform into, vultures do not typically grow in size though they do get both stronger and more deformed in their own way.  

Regeneration

  The first new trait that vulture tengku acquire is nearly always regenerative powers allowing for very rapid healing of wounds. This regeneration only becomes faster the longer the vulture lives. It is documented that some vultures can regrow severed limbs in minutes. Stories that a severed vulture head can regrow a body are yet to be verified.   Vulture tengku are so rare, that most Scarterrans are not aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Taking advantage of this, some vulture tengku will choose to fake their own death if the heat gets too intense. Those that are aware of vulture's regeneration will usually burn the corpses afterwards, after chopping into pieces, just in case.   A vulture tengku's regeneration gives them an iron stomach and a near indestructible liver. They can consume extreme amounts of alcohol without becoming tipsy and they can drink a glass of deadly poison and process like a human drinks a glass of whiskey. They also can eat rotten or infected meat with no ill effects, hence the nickname vulture. Generally speaking, when eating meat that is not mortal flesh, they prefer rotten rather than fresh.   Since vulture tengku are not as physically powerful as ogres, but since they have a near complete immunity to all poisons, many choose frequently use poison as their weapon of choice.   Their mutant regeneration comes with two downsides, one is immediate and the other is slow. First, tengku vultures molt and regrow feathers very fast. Tengku are both perceptive and nosy. Molting is a side effect to many tengku illnesses, including conditions much more benign than cannibal sickness but nevertheless most vultures find it easier to separate themselves from uninfected tengku just to avoid deflecting questions about their frequent molting. Tengku often mingle with non-tengku as part of their business dealings, so this is not suspicious in and of itself. As a bonus, most humans don't know enough about tengku culture to realize a vulture is acting oddly or molting too often.   The second downside is that their regeneration causes unwanted growth, in other words tumors. If a vulture isn't killed for the crimes of murder and/or cannibalism, she will eventually die of cancer. Before that happens it will cause ugly cysts and chronic discomfort for decades which makes the fact that vultures tend to outlive normal tengku a poor prize.  

Secondary powers

  Over time, vultures gain secondary powers seemingly at random but it will usually vaguely conform to the vulture's personality and hunting style.   Some vultures have enhanced senses, some have enhanced strength, some grow sharp talons, some have working wings that can provide limited gliding. All tengku can mimic any voice they hear, but a few vultures have a supernatural ability to mimic voices they never heard before, instinctively producing a voice that will put her targets at ease.  

incipient madness

  Most vultures experience hallucinations. People they've eaten in the past show up as ghostly images or voices in their heads. Sometimes they hear voices or see apparitions from people they didn't kill and/or eat. More often than their past victims don't seem to hold a grudge but the experience is maddening all the same.   A surprisingly high number of vultures become genuine spirit loas, but most have trouble differentiating real ghosts from a hallucinations of ghosts. They also have trouble differentiating between a genuine loa skill boost and a delusion of grandeur leading many to die on some quixotic stunt "I'm channeling a master swordsman, you cannot defeat me!"