Great Plague

The Great Plague (also called the Aetgardian Plague or simply The Plague) was a deadly disease that swept across much of the western continent of Arad, almost completely wiping out the human population of Aetgard. Most scholars theorize that it was highly contagious and carried along by desperate or unknowing victims who attepted to flee to safer areas and thus quickly spread it to all corners of the kingdom. Based on records from the time, the Plague began in northern Aetgard and quickly spread southward.

The highest concentration of Aetgardian survivors of the Plague were the people of the duchy of Lapis, on the southernmost border of the kingdom. When word reached Duke Diederich that the Plague had struck northern Aetgard, he sealed the borders to his duchy, refused any form of aid or contact with anyone outside, and mercilessly banished any citizen showing even the slightest signs of any illness. While the duchy's population dwindled significantly, Lapis was the only Aetgardian territory to survive the Plague somewhat intact.

The Giganti of Sirak Drauth were unaffected by the Plague, as they have always been wary of their Aetgardian neighbors, and sealed their borders completely and with extra measures when reports reached them of the disease in the neighboring nation. There are. however, tales of some Giganti who contracted the disease and opted to exile themselves and die in order to spare their nation. Some sealed themselves in caves, others sailed out to the unknown reaches of the ocean.

The Huec people were also unaffected by the Plague, attributing their immunity to Toteoh's Blessing, a protection against diseases granted them by their god. (Scholars do note that the Huec people have historically shown an extraordinary resilience against diseases of many kinds that are dangerous and deadly to the rest of humankind.)

The Hillfolk to the south were spared, as the vast Fey Forest created a natural barrier between southern Aetgard and northern Karnath.

When the eastern nations learned of the Plague, the nations of Grum, Nuum, and Ivial agreed to implement and enforce the Quarantine, cutting off the west completely in order to prevent the Plague spreading eastward and across the entire continent. The Quarantine Wall was built in southwest Grum, cutting off the Hillfolk (and also providing the sole known incident of cooperation between Grum and Nuum). Plans were made to construct a similar wall in the mountain pass between Aetgard and northwestern Grum, but a massive glacier was discovered blocking the pass on the northwestern side, often deemed a miracle and blessing from the Immortals to protect the East.

Symptoms

Symptoms of the Plague include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Hallucinations
• Uncontrollable vomiting
• Pus-filled boils
• Coughing blood
• Hair loss
• Skin numbing, paling, and dying

Causes (theories)

There is only speculation as to what might have caused the Plague. That it occurred so quickly and so effectively wiped out Aetgard has led many to believe that it was intentionally inflicted upon the kingdom. Some of the more popular theories are below:

• An act by the Huec people to destroy Aetgard, who in their ever-growing power were becoming a greater and greater threat.
• An act by the Huecs of Namacupetl designed to weaken Aetgard and leave the survivors more susceptible to infestation.
• An act by the resen itself to weaken and infest Aetgard.
• An act by the Dunwyr to destroy mankind and make way for the wilderness to reclaim the land.